Pro tip: Picked a native oak over a maple tree last spring and my yard is way happier now

I had to choose between a swamp white oak and a sugar maple for my front yard here in Champaign. The maple would have given me those pretty fall colors but the oak is supposed to handle our clay soil way better long term. I went with the oak because my neighbor told me his maple roots are already messing up his driveway after 10 years. It's been 8 months and the oak has already put on like 3 feet of new growth with zero issues. The leaves are turning a deep maroon right now which honestly looks better than a typical maple. My only worry is the acorns dropping all over the sidewalk next year - has anyone dealt with that on a street tree?

2 comments

2 Comments

matthew7032d ago

The leaves are turning a deep maroon right now" - give it a few years and that color won't be as strong, oaks are slow to show their true fall color. And those acorns are gonna be a bigger headache than you think, they'll stain the sidewalk and bring squirrels digging up everything.

ellis.felix2d ago

50 acorns on the sidewalk, you'll survive.