18 Types of Oak Trees to Plant in Your Garden

An oak tree is a type of shade tree or shrub from the genus Quercus, which is in the Fagaceae family, along with beeches and chestnuts. There are over four hundred oak tree varieties: Some are evergreen, but they are mostly deciduous trees with green foliage that turn yellow, orange, and red during fall. These shade trees can grow over one hundred feet tall and sprout acorns instead of fruit.

Their bark varies in texture, but many oak trees have rough fissured bark, and their leaves are often lobed into a star shape. Oak trees have native species in Asia, Europe, and North America.

Here are some reasons to plant an oak tree in your garden:

• Fall colors: Oak trees' leaves often turn brilliant red, orange, and yellow shades as their growing season progresses. They turn later in the fall, offering color interest in your garden well into winter.
• Longevity: Oak trees can live for up to two hundred years, making them excellent trees for posterity. A long-surviving tree can grow very large, so make sure that you have enough room in your garden to accommodate a large oak.
  
• Pollinators: Oak trees attract and support butterfly and moth species more than any other tree species, which, in turn, helps attract birds. These animals and insects help pollinate the rest of the plants in your garden.
• Shade: Oak trees' crowns offer a vast amount of shade, reaching up to a one-hundred-foot spread. A single oak shade tree can provide enough shade for one small garden.

There are hundreds of oak species growing in North America and beyond. Most oak trees fall into two categories: the white oak group or the red oak group. White oaks have rounded, broad leaves that are smoother than red oak leaves (not to be confused with the ‘White Oak’ tree, which is a specific cultivar). Conversely, red oaks have leaves with pointed lobes that have little bristles. Here are the most popular types for planting:

1. 1. Black: Black oaks (Quercus velutina) are among the most common oaks in California. They have rough, dark-grey bark with a deep orange inner bark, a flat crown of foliage, and dark-green leaves with many lobes. Black oaks can grow up to one hundred feet.
2. 2. Bur: Bur oaks (Quercus macrocarpa) are some of the largest oak trees, both in height and the thickness of their trunk. They can grow up to 160 feet, and their trunks can grow to ten feet in diameter. They have rough grey bark and dark-green leaves.
3. 3. Cherrybark: The cherrybark oak tree (Quercus pagoda) is one of the tallest and fastest-growing oak species, growing between 100–130 feet tall. They have a dark-grey bark with deep ridges and irregularly lobed leaves.
4. 4. Chestnut: Chestnut oaks (Quercus montana) can grow up to 110 feet tall. They have bristle-toothed dark green leaves and extremely ridged, dark-grey bark. The chestnut oak's foliage grows only at the top of the tree. Its bark is brown with deep ridges.
5. 5. Chinkapin: These white oaks (Quercus muehlenbergii) have brown-grey, flaky bark and green foliage with pointed teeth around their edges. Chinkapin oak can grow between forty-five and 110 feet tall.
6. 6. Eastern White: Eastern white oaks (Quercus alba) are large trees that can reach one hundred feet. They often grow more than one trunk to create an extra thick base. Its bark is rough and grey with thin fissures, and its leaves are bright green and feature many lobes.
7. 7. English: English oak trees (Quercus robur), also called the common oak, have deep green foliage with rounded lobes and nutty glossy acorns. Its bark is dark grey and fissured.
8. 8. Holm: The holm oak (Quercus ilex), also known as the evergreen oak, is native to the Mediterranean. The evergreen tree's leaves have sharp teeth points, similar to the leaves of a holly tree.
9. 9. Japanese evergreen: Japanese evergreen oak (Quercus acuta) is the smallest variety of oak, growing to a maximum of forty-five feet. Its thin trunk and smooth bark set it apart from other oak trees. Japanese evergreen oak leaves are also differently shaped than other oak leaves, with no lobes and a more oblong shape.
10. 10. Laurel: Laurel oak trees (Quercus laurifolia) have a shrub-like shape and diamond-shaped leaves. They are native to the east coast of the US and grow in areas with soggy soil.
11. 11. Northern red: Northern red oak trees (Quercus rubra), also known as champion oaks, are a popular type of oak in North America. Their leaves are less deeply lobed than other oak leaves, and their foliage turns a fiery red color in fall.
12. 12. Overcup: The overcup oak (Quercus lyrata) is a deciduous tree with a broccoli-shaped crown of dark-green foliage and reddish-grey bark.
13. 13. Pin: Pin oak trees (Quercus palustris) are red oaks that grow to around seventy-two feet tall. Its leaves are the traditional oak shape, with five to nine leaf lobes forking out from the central stem. Pin oaks have dense branches all along their trunk, making the trunk almost invisible.
14. 14. Scarlet: Scarlet oaks (Quercus coccinea) are similar to black oaks. Its bark is brown with wide fissures that reveal a red inner bark. Scarlet oak foliage is deep green with many lobes.
15. 15. Southern red: Southern red oak (Quercus falcata), also known by the common name Spanish oak, grows between eighty and one hundred feet tall. They have distinctive orange-brown acorns, dark-grey scaly bark, and narrow green leaves. They thrive in sandy soil and are common in southern states, such as Georgia and Texas.
16. 16. Southern live: Southern live oak trees (Quercus virginiana) are notable for their gnarly branches that grow wide and low. The crowns of these trees can reach spreads of 150 feet. They have dark-green foliage and produce sweet acorns that attract birds, squirrels, and deer.
17. 17. Water: These white oaks (Quercus nigra) have a thin trunk and smooth silvery bark. The water oak’s foliage is light green with spoon-shaped leaves, and they can grow up to one hundred feet tall.
18. 18. Willow: Willow oak trees (Quercus phellos) are fast-growing oaks with waxy ovate green leaves. They can grow anywhere from sixty-five to one hundred feet tall, and their bark is a rough grey-brown.

You can propagate a large oak tree from a single acorn. Follow these simple steps for growing an oak by germinating a single acorn:

• Collect and test the acorns. First, collect acorns that have freshly fallen onto the ground. Next, check to see if the acorns have small holes in them that could indicate insects have eaten their contents by placing them in a bowl of water and discarding any that float.
• Germinate in the fridge. Place your acorns in a freezer bag or airtight container with good-quality moist potting soil. Seal the bag or container and place it in the refrigerator. Check your acorns in two to three weeks to see if they have sprouted roots.
• Pot and water. Once your acorn has sprouted, plant it in a small container filled with potting soil. Leave the pot in a bright place, such as by a window, and water the seedling regularly.
• Transplant the seedlings. Transfer your oak tree seedling to the garden once it has sprouted leaves and is about to outgrow its container. Choose a location with enough space and full sun for your oak seedlings. Transfer the tree’s root ball to a hole in the soil and backfill the soil to cover the roots. It will take several years for your oak tree to mature.

Oak trees are resilient and low maintenance, but here are a few tips you can follow to maximize tree health.

1. 1. Fertilize early: Oak trees benefit from fertilizer, especially when they're young. Apply a slow-release fertilizer rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium above your tree’s root system to improve the soil conditions.
2. 2. Water occasionally: An oak tree is drought-tolerant and needs only supplemental watering during the dry summer season. Water your oak trees monthly during their growing season, and after that, once-monthly summer waterings should be enough to keep them healthy.
3. 3. Use fallen leaves as mulch: Oaks don't need mulch around the base of the tree to protect their roots. Fallen leaves that come off of the tree can help saturate the tree's soil, providing it with additional nutrients.

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