The English Oak, otherwise known as the Quercus Robur or Common Oak, Black Oak, French Oak, Pedunculate Oak, Polish Oak, Slavonian Oak, Quercus pedunculata, is a rather well-known tree plant by gardening enthusiasts around the world.
Best known for its low maintenance and slow growth, this tree will likely liven up your house (or garden) with its green-colored leaves. But, only if you learn how to take proper care of it for it to thrive.
This is why all the topics you need to know in order to achieve this will be covered in this English Oak Care Guide. Ready? Let’s go!
The fundamental caring guidelines for every English Oak can be summed up into the following:
- Water: The English Oak needs evenly spread moist soil – try to avoid letting the soil dry out.
- Light: Keep your Quercus Robur in an environment where it can receive full sun on a daily basis.
- Soil: Make sure to keep the English Oak in soil with moist but well-draining properties, so ideally, one that is made of clay, loam, chalk, and sand.
And that’s practically it! If you keep these three factors in check, your English Oak will likely have all it needs for it to survive and even thrive.
Scientific / Botanical Aspects
In botanical terms, the English Oak belongs to the Fagaceae family, the genus Quercus and the species Robur, hence its scientific (or botanical) name Quercus Robur (KWER-kus ROH-ber).
As with other Quercus’s, the English Oak is a deciduous plant, which means it will shed its leaves annually once autumn comes.
Growing Region
The English Oak is a plant native to Asia and Europe.
Knowing your plant’s native region is very useful, as it can give you tips on which environment is best for your English Oak. If you keep it in mind, you can try to replicate these conditions at home, and you’ll likely end with a healthier plant.
With this in mind, the Quercus Robur will be most used to the heat zones in the 3 – 8 region, as the plant hardiness level falls between 4a, 4b, 5b, 5a, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8b, 8a.
Growth and Size
Growth
In terms of size and growth, the English Oak is a relatively slow grower, which makes things easy for any plant enthusiast.
Size
But, what size of English Oak are we talking about? What can you expect in terms of height, spread and spacing? Let’s dig in…
The Quercus Robur can grow up to 40′ – 60′ (12m – 18m) in 40′ – 60′ (12m – 18m) and 40′ – 60′ (12m – 18m) in 40′ – 60′ (12m – 18m).
Also, expect it to grow in a wonderful spreading shape, which is something worthwhile to remember when making your garden landscape plans.
Watering
In terms of watering, the English Oak is a fairly complicated plant to take care of. This is mostly because it has a not so straightforward watering schedule and somewhat irregular watering needs.
Specifically, most experts agree that the Quercus Robur needs evenly spread moist soil – try to avoid letting the soil dry out.
Which is why it is considered a plant with relatively average needs in terms of water.
As a rule of thumb, you should remember to keep your English Oak in soil with moist but well-draining to well draining characteristics, as these will guarantee the right conditions for your plant to grow and thrive.
When you consider this, this is why you should aim to choose soil that has good drainage properties to keep the right moisture levels at all times.
In our experience, the famous ‘thumb’ or ‘finger’ test is what works best for the English Oak since with it, you will be able to give it the right amount of water, every time – regardless of the environment or placement where you do decide to keep it.
Soil Mix
As mentioned earlier, the English Oak prefers to have soil with good drainage properties at all times, reason why you need to make the soil mix out of clay, loam, chalk, and sand.
This is why most experts agree that the English Oak requires soil with clay, high organic matter, loam (silt), and sand, which will give you the right conditions it needs.
In addition to this, expert gardeners recommend having preferably alkaline, acid or neutral soil.
Light and Exposure
In terms of light & exposure, the English Oak requires full sun in order for it to thrive under the right conditions.
Most experts agree that this tree will do well as long as you keep it in full sun, and it will be able to grow properly.
Specifically, we recommend that you place your Quercus Robur in full and direct sun (more than 6 hours of direct sunlight per day).
Season
Being a deciduous plant, the English Oak will shed its leaves annually once autumn comes. But, you can expect it to have its ‘prime-time’ during the spring (early, mid, late), the summer (early, mid, late), the fall, and during the winter.
Flowers
You can expect your English Oak to flower around the spring months from April to June (spring).
The English Oak produces some wonderful golden or yellow flowers around this time of year.
Foliage
The leaves from the English Oak have a beautiful green color during most of the year.
In particular, they have a simple arrangement with a alternate organization in its leaves. You can expect the leaves from your Quercus Robur to be around (3-6 inches) in size.
Attracts, Tolerance and Resistance
The English Oak is well known for its tolerance to drought conditions, so don’t worry if any of these come along, your Quercus Robur will be fine.
Garden
How should you then organize your garden to include your new English Oak? Here are some recommendations by expert gardeners.
Most Quercus Robur owners agree that this tree will look great in most mediterranean gardens of all types. Other owners consider that they complement well most gardens of prairie and meadow styles.
In particular, the English Oak’s best use for landscaping within your garden is as woodland garden,
Companion Plants
English Oak’s do well with some other plants beside it. One good companion plant is the Azalea Hardy Hybrids, which will pair up nicely with your leafy friend.
Others consider that a nice Hydrangea quercifolia will work well too, so choose whichever you find works best for you!
Conclusion
So that’s it! These are the main plant care requirements that you need to keep in mind in order to have a healthy English Oak in your garden or home.
