Plant Type

Tree, Shrub

 

Height Range

12-25'

 

Flower Color

Yellow

 

Flower Season

Spring

 

Leaf Color

Green, Dark Green

 

Bark Color

Brown

 

Fruit Color

Brown

 

Fruit Season

Summer, Fall

Sun

Full

 

Water

Very Low, Low

 

Growth Rate

Moderate, Slow

 

Soil Type

Sandy, Clay, Loam, Rocky, Unparticular

 

Soil Condition

Average, Rich, Poor, Well-drained, Dry

 

Soil pH

Neutral, Basic

 

Adverse Factors

Messy

Design Styles

Mediterranean, Ranch, Spanish, Woodland

 

Accenting Features

Fall Color, Multi-trunk Tree, Silhouette

 

Seasonal Interest

Winter, Summer, Fall

 

Location Uses

Background, Shrub Border, Patio, Raised Planter, Walls / Fences

 

Special Uses

Screen, Mass Planting, Shade Tree, Naturalizing

 

Attracts Wildlife

Birds, Butterflies

Gambel oak is a lovely, deciduous tree native to Utah and the Intermountain West. It grows about 15 to 20 feet tall and wide, as either a multi-stemmed tree or a large shrub, depending on the site and maintenance. Leaves are large and symmetrically lobed; they emerge in spring a reddish brown, turn a rich, glossy green, and then golden yellow to maroon in the fall. Older bark is knarled and provides a beautiful winter silhouette. Acorns are small and ripen and drop in autumn. Underplant with creeping oregon grape for a low-maintenance grouping. A Utah native.

Grow in well drained soil in full sun; adapts to loamy, rich soils or poorer, dry soils. Grow rate is medium, but depends on water availability, though it is quite drought tolerant and manages on an annual precipitation of 15 to 20 inches, it will grow faster if provided with periodic summer irrigation. Plant oaks from spring through late summer, but generally not after September as they are slow to establish. Will form colonies through root sprouts. Plant the smallest tree you can endure, as it will establish more quickly. A Utah native.