Quercus phellos

Willow Oak

Size

Willow Oak is a mid-sized fast-growing native deciduous tree with a rounded crown.  The narrow-toothed willow-like foliage turns undistinguished yellow-brown or gold in fall. The round acorns are an important source of food for wildlife.  Best grown in full sun and rich, moist well-drained soils.  Tolerates wet soils.

Type: 

Tree

Height: 

40’ - 75’

Spread: 

25’ - 50’

Spacing: 

30’

USDA Hardiness Zone: 

5 - 9

Culture: 

Full Sun, Part Sun

Bloom Color: 

Green

Season of Interest:

Fall

MAINTENANCE NEEDS:  Low Maintenance.  Oaks are susceptible to a large number of diseases, including oak wilt, blight, root rot, anthracnose, oak leaf blister, cankers, leaf spots, and powdery mildew.  Potential insect pests include scale, oak skeletonizer, leaf miner, galls, oak lace bugs, borers, caterpillars and nut weevils.

LANDSCAPE USES:  Accents or Group Plantings, BordersWoodland GardensNaturalized AreasWildlife Gardens Privacy Screen, and Shade Tree.

COMPANION PLANTS: MagnoliaCrape Myrtle, Spirea

IMAGE: (Tree) Freekhou5Tree in MississippiCC BY-SA 4.0, (Fall Foliage) Famartin, 2017-11-29 15 17 25 A Willow Oak in late autumn along Kinross Circle in the Chantilly Highlands section of Oak Hill, Fairfax County, Virginia, CC BY-SA 4.0

*As plants have ranges in appearance they may not appear as the images shown