Florida Sandy Oak

These Oaks are some of the most durable and long-lived trees native to North America. For decorative and shade purposes, a few species are best suited due to very little leafing, evergreen capabilities, very little acorn production, and the ability to grow relatively straight.

Other types of oak trees are quite beautiful but can take over a yard, a house, or even a neighborhood after a couple of decades. To avoid that problem, these “code” trees are Florida Sandy Oaks. Also known as Chapman, Chapman White, White Oak and Scrub Oak, these trees usually top out about 45 feet in height with a foliage span of 25 to 35 feet depending on how they are maintained. Please be aware, this size is dependent entirely on which article you read about the trees. Here we’ve selected the largest description we’ve found mainly because the Florida weather lends itself to growing a taller version of this tree AND we actually have some 40-50-footers on the property!

Another deciding factor on what tree to have in your yard is its hazard to other plant and animal life. As you can see in the pictures, these trees do not have any effect on grass (and unfortunately) any other type of plant life. Typically, acorns are hazardous to most domesticated pets and many people have expressed concerns about that potential problem. Although we are unable to guarantee the future production of any tree, we seem to have a hybrid or even genetically modified group of Florida Sandy Oak trees! At this writing, two years and three months have elapsed since the purchase of the orchard and not a single acorn has grown on any tree in the orchard; not one. With that said, the orchard is a little cramped right now and if the tree is given even more space to grow there is a possibility it may start producing acorns. We have no way of knowing… yet. To determine if this would happen, we have moved one healthy tree to an open location just to see if it would start producing. The acorn schedule for Florida Sandy Oaks is “annual” so it may take several more months to determine if the tree will actually produce acorns.

The good news is that the Florida Sandy Oak produces one or two acorns per protruding branch instead of six to 10 as other oaks produce. This low-production can help you manage what acorns might be produced and protect your pets if necessary. In Florida, the Florida Sandy Oak is an evergreen but does drop leaves on occasion. The way the trees grow is to continually create new branches to provide new leaves with which to catch light, carbon dioxide, and other airborne minerals trees use to perform photosynthesis. In the process the tree grows taller and some of the smaller, lower branches are no longer catching enough light for the tree to justify using the branch. The tree then cuts off nutrition and water to the branch making the branch and its leaves die. When the leaves die, they will fall so yes, even evergreens can have falling leaves. The good news is that the amount of falling leaves is very small and good care and maintenance keeps them to an absolute minimum. In short, we have experienced annual leafing from each tree to the extent of roughly one-half of one palm frond.

Deposits & Delivery

The price quoted is a deposit. Your deposit secures your position in our queue and begins the full process of selecting a specific tree, pricing based on the caliper measurements, and the arrangement of delivery. For additional information please see The Process.

Oak Styles

Forked Trunk Oaks

Forked Trunk are trees where the trunk splits into two roughly equal branches below half the height of the tree.

Triple Trunk Oaks

The Triple Trunk style is similar to Forked Trunk but splits into roughly three equal branches below half the height of the tree.

Low Branch Oaks

Low-Branch trees have a relatively straight trunks but have one or more branches growing out at any point below one-quarter the height of the tree.

Straight Trunk Oaks

Straight Trunk trees are those that have almost perfectly straight trunks and have branches growing out starting roughly half the height of the tree.

High-Rise Oaks

High-Rise style is any tree where branches begin above half the height of the tree regardless of the trunk shape.

Care & Maintenance

Care and maintenance of Florida Sandy Oaks is relatively straight forward. Water frequently when first transplanted but do not allow the tree to sit in a puddle for more than a few days. In short, don’t plant these trees in the lowest part of your yard; they don’t like sitting in water for long periods of time. After the first few months, your tree will develop additional roots and be on its own for water; regular rain fall will keep the tree healthy.

Notes

The tree shape descriptions above descriptions are not necessarily industry-standard descriptions of all tree but rather our own nomenclature used to describe the trees in our orchards of oaks. These brief generalizations can help you reduce your selection of hundreds of trees to those you find most desirable for your purpose.