Plant Pick: Black gum tree

Published 12:01 am Thursday, October 13, 2011

WHAT: Black gum, a medium-sized deciduous tree, is a tough, urban-tolerant plant, able to grow in poor, heavy soils in dry or wet conditions.

WHY PLANT IT: It glows in the fall landscape, with warm colors rang

ing from fiery red to clear golden yellow.

It has a straight trunk with strongly layered, horizontal branches.

Its slow growth rate makes it well-suited to city gardens. And it develops strong wood that rarely breaks in storms.

Also known as a sour-gum or pepperidge tree, it has a dense shrubby form when young, but gradually develops a broad oval to pyramidal shape.

WHERE: It grows best in full to part sun and tolerates a variety of soil conditions. It is drought-tolerant once established.

HOW: This tree, also sold as nyssa sylvatica, is variable in growing habit.

While most trees grow strongly upright from the tip, occasionally trees tend to droop at the tip, creating a slightly weeping habit.

Prune minimally. Let the tree’s natural form be your guide.

ACTUAL SIZE: It can reach 18 feet tall and 12 feet wide in 10 years. Its mature size is typically 40 feet tall by 20 feet wide.

Source: Great Plant Picks