Last fall Becky Thomas wrote an article for ILCA magazine about a favorite All Star Plant. She chose to highlight the American Dream Oak – a new favorite of the nursery. Here is her write up on the tree:
Quercus bicolor ‘JFS-KW12’ – American Dream Oak
Who wouldn’t want to plant the American Dream into their landscape! This new Oak introduction from J. Frank Schmidt Nursery is quickly becoming one of our favorites as a grower.
We started growing this “nativar” variety of the native Swamp White Oak back in 2014 shortly after the liners were available from our supplier & developer of the tree, J. Frank Schmidt Nursery in Oregon. They praised the foliage & branching superiority of the new cultivar so we were happy to give it a try in our fields. We have been impressed with how it has grown in our field & we will be harvesting our first crop next spring.
The American Dream Oak will get 50 tall by 40’ wide. The foliage is a bright glossy green that turns to yellow in fall. The bark is similar to the species with a slightly shaggy look. What makes this cultivar distinctive from the species is the strong resistance to anthracnose & powdery mildew. It also has nice branching angles with a broadly pyramidal shape. The beautiful thick glossy foliage stays green all season, turns yellow in fall, & holds a nice brown into early winter. The texture in the landscape in all season is an asset to the plant.
You can learn more about the tree on our nursery website at www.SpringGroveNursery.com. If you search American Dream Oak on the top in our search box, several blog posts about the tree will pop up. Most recently, we had the opportunity to visit J. Frank Schmidt Nursery & tour their arboretum led by the famous plant duo Michael Dirr & Keith Warren (plant breeder who developed it). We posted a video clip of them talking about American Dream Oak. Check it out!
There is nothing more American than a beautiful old Oak tree. With this new cultivar of an old native favorite, you are sure to see the American Dream growing soon in our communities!
Here are some links to blog entries we have about American Dream Oak:
DIRR & WARREN TALKING ABOUT OAKS
J FRANK SCHMIDT NURSERY AMERICAN DREAM OAK WEBPAGE
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