Garry's Oak, Quercus garryana

About Garry's Oak (Quercus garryana) 25 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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The Garry Oak (Quercus garryana), also known as Oregon White Oak or Oregon Oak, is a member of the Fagaceae family (Beeches, Chestnuts and Oaks). It has a range from the mountains of Los Angeles County northward to British Columbia, Canada, particularly in the foothills of the Siskiyou and Klamath Mountains, the Coast Ranges of Northern California, and of the west slope of the Cascades. It grows from sea level to 210 meter altitude in the northern part of its range, and at 300-1800 meter in the south of the range. There are three recognized varieties with largely overlapping ranges. The tree is named after Nicholas Garry, deputy governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, 1822-35. In the northerm part of its range it is an attractive tree, sometimes reaching 90 ft. but more often 50-60 ft. In the southern part of its range it is more often a shrub to 20 ft. It has large, lobed leaves which it drops in winter. It makes an excellent tree or shrub for mountain gardens and is important for wildlife.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Tree, Shrub

Size

20 - 90 ft tall
30 ft wide

Form

Upright

Growth Rate

Moderate, Slow

Dormancy

Winter Deciduous

Flower Color

Yellow, Cream, Green

Flowering Season

Spring

Wildlife Supported

Oaks in general are very important for wildlife, including insects, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals. Many insects are attracted to Oaks generally, including the following butterflies which use Oaks as host plant: California Sister, Propertius Duskywing, Mournful Duskywing, Golden Hairstreak, and Gold-Hunter's Hairstreak.
Bird gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 38 confirmed

, 138 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Propertius Duskywing Erynnis propertiusErynnis propertius

Polyphemus moth Antheraea polyphemusAntheraea polyphemus

Oak Winter Highflier Moth Hydriomena nubilofasciataHydriomena nubilofasciata

Wandering Tiger Moth Spilosoma vestalisSpilosoma vestalis

Speckled Green Fruitworm Moth Orthosia hibisciOrthosia hibisci

Western Bruce Spanworm Operophtera occidentalisOperophtera occidentalis

Walnut Spanworm Moth Phigalia plumogerariaPhigalia plumogeraria

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture

Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 25

Ease of Care

Very Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to -5° F

Soil Drainage

Medium

Soil Description

Accepts a variety of soils but performs best in rich, loamy soil. Soil PH: 5.0 - 7.0

Common uses

Bank Stabilization, Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens

Companion Plants

Works well with a number of other trees and large shrubs including Firs (Abies sp. and Pseudotsuga sp.), Madrone (Arbutus menziesii), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos sp.), Incense Cedar (Calocedrus decurrens), Ceanothus sp., Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus betuloides), Silk Tassel (Garrya sp.), Oceanspray (Holodiscus discolor), Pines (Pinus sp.), Redberry (Rhamnus crocea), Currant/Gooseberry (Ribes sp.) and Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus). Understory plantings could include strawberry (Fragraria sp.), Iris sp., and Violets (Viola sp.)

Maintenance

As with other oaks, best to prune during July or August, when the trees are not normally growing, and when the dry weather is less likely to support pathogens that may attack the wounds. As much as possible, avoid pruning large limbs as this exposes the tree to possible infection and can take many years to recover. Avoid over-thinning interior branches or "lion tailing."

Propagation?

For propagating by seed: Fresh seeds sow in fall outdoors or stratify to hold for spring sowing. (USDA Forest Service 1974).

Natural Setting

Site Type

Slopes

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 11.5" - 136.9", Summer Precipitation: 0.20" - 4.38", Coldest Month: 10.8" - 52.2", Hottest Month: 34.1" - 76.7", Humidity: 0.01" - 28.16", Elevation: 20" - 14090"

Alternative Names

Common Names: Garry Oak, Oregon Oak, Oregon White Oak

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Garry's Oak

Quercus garryana

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Garry's OakQuercus garryana

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Garry's Oak

Quercus garryana