Native Plant of the Month: Oak
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About Oaks
Oaks (Quercus spp.) are some of the most important plants in California ecosystems. Expansive oak savannas and woodlands encompass much of the state's valleys and open fields, and their bushy green canopies are a staple of our rolling hills.
There are over twenty species of oak that come in many forms and sizes from shrubs to 100 foot tall trees. With so many varieties, their leaves vary in size and color from smooth to serrated, and deep green to bluish. Acorns also come in a variety of sizes and shapes, and bark can be rough to smooth with an array of colors.
Oak landscapes provide a rich environment for all life. As a pillar of many California ecosystems, hundreds of species of mammals, birds, and insects rely on oaks for food and shelter. Their acorns are a traditional food source for Indigenous People across California, and collecting acorns remains an important practice.
Volunteers caring for a young oak tree at Pearson-Arastradero Preserve in Palo Alto
Our local landscapes are filled with large mature oaks, but lack juvenile trees that also play an important role in our local native habitat. You can see smaller oak trees that we have planted at our restoration project site at Pearson-Arastradero Preserve in Palo Alto. These trees are surrounded by tree tubes and cages to protect them from grazing deer and help them grow into the next generation of oaks.
How to Garden with Oaks
All California oak species have garden and landscape applications. They offer the gardener the opportunity to reconnect with their regional oak woodlands and help join fragmented ecosystems and wildlife corridors.
Allow leaf litter to remain under the trees to support a healthy surrounding soil and support native insects and birds
Keep summer water to a minimum to prevent root rot
When gardening around oaks, use plants that have similar sun and water requirements and set them at least 6 to 10 feet away from the oak trunks
Native Plants to Grow with Oaks
Combine oaks with other oak woodland species such as manzanitas (Arctostaphylos spp.), Ceanothus spp., Western redbud (Cercis occidentalis), silk tassel bush (Garrya elliptica), coffeeberry (Frangula californica), currants (Ribes spp.), sages (Salvia spp.), yarrow (Achillea millefolium), woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca), alumroot (Heuchera micrantha), Western blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum), California Goldenrod (Solidago velutina ssp. californica), California aster (Symphyotrichum chilense), snowberry (Symphoricarpos spp.), California honeysuckle (Lonicera hispidula).
How to Buy Oaks and other Native Plants
Oaks and other California native plants grown from locally wild-collected seed are available for sale from our Native Plant Nursery:
Our nursery is also a partner of Bloom! California along with over 100 other nurseries around the state offering eleven select native plant groups, including oaks, that bring California’s unique beauty into your garden, create pollinator habitat, restore nature in the urban landscape, and support water conservation. Learn more at bloomcalifornia.org.
By Nursery Director, Deanna Giuliano
