Sweet gum tree

[Emma1911]

I have been given a 'sweet gum' tree from my grandmother as a present for my new garden I am so excited about planting it! my only concern is the size, I have been told conflicting things about their size some say the will grow to 30m plus others say they don't reach full height in the uk .. Does anyone have one or more of these beautiful trees to give me any advice?

[aeshna5]

I'm not sure what the maximum height of this tree is in the UK but I've seen quite a few large specimens in parks + gardens around London, certainly greater than 20 metres. It will need plenty of space if you're going to allow it to grow into a full specimen tree, though this will take some time- possibly more than you have.

Wonderful autumn colour on some + a couple of times I've observed Goldfinches feeding on them.

[Emma1911]

Thanks for the reply they do have beautiful autumn colours do you know how much growth they make a year and also can you control their height?

[Brocakat]

Alan Mitchell writes : - "Growth is only moderate but many trees exceed 20 metres in height & a few are 25m.
For reliable autumn colour, trees should be selected from a nursery grower in autumn & planted where they receive full sun & preferably beside water.
Some trees grow cork-winged suckers at the base. These may be used for propagating the tree, but they tend to be very corky and slow growing with small leaves. The Sweet Gum is unable to grow suffficiently in areas with cool summers to be worth planting in Scotland or the North of England. It also requires a generally deep & fertile soil with adequate moisture ."

[Paul mabbott]

For interest, does anyone know how far north Liquidambar will grow? I've never knowingly seen any north of the south Midlands (if you see what I mean).

[Dorts]

There is absolutely no reason why you should not succesfully grow Liquidambar as far as the north of Scotland.
The Sweet Gum, a member of the Witch-hazel family, is a real 'calcifuge', (a lime-hater). It likes a good rich moist loamy soil, which is neutral to slightly acid. It certainly cant't cope well in very dry summers, so gravelly or sandy soils are not good.
I believe in some of the milder areas of Scotland, it often gets damaged by frosts catching the often late soft growth. It can also easily be damaged by heavy snow, though cold is not a problem; it can easily cope with -20c.

In my experience, watering during the summer, and plenty of mulch are most important to give it a good start in it's early years.
Dorts.

[Brocakat]

Despite what Alan Mitchell writes ( & I for one bow to his superior knowledge
of what grows best in the U.K.) - I have seen some reasonable decent examples at Myerscough College, situated just north of Preston in Lancashire.

But quoting him directly , from 'Collins Field guide to Trees of Britain & Northern Europe ' ( 1992 ) he writes "Frequent in gardens and parks in S. and Midland England and in S. Ireland, rare north to Edinburgh.

And again, he writes in the Forestry Commision / H.M.S.O. ' Decorative Trees for Country, Town & Garden ' ( 1984 ) co-authored with John Jobling :- " The Sweet-gum is unable to grow sufficiently in areas with cool summers to be worth planting in scotland or the north of Enngland. It also requires a generally deep and fertile soil with adequate moisture. Whilst it gropws well in southern cities it rarely shows worthwhile colours there nor where exposed to sea-winds. Without leaves it is spiky and gaunt. "

In my 1993 ed. of the ' Hilliers Manual of Trees & Shrubs ' it lists a total of 8 varieties. It's quite possible that 1 or more of these are actually hardier that the original species . And there certainly might be improved varieties developed since those books were printed.
I believe that it's actually the variety 'Worplesdon' which has longer & narrower leaves - and is the example (s) at Myerscough - a nice little arboretum in the North ---- However, if anyone gets a chance I 'd recommend you visit Thorp Perrow in North Yorkshire is the best one to visit. It should be there, if anywhere - it's certainly in the North of England.

[Dorts]

Sweet gum- Liquidambar styraciflua, is native to the South-eastern States of America and down through Central America where it apparantly can be found in a wide range of habitats and altitudes.
Although it can survive in many diverse situations, it does, in my experience, benefit from a sheltered position, as the leaves are prone to wind-damage when young. An urban environment is fine as long as it can be kept moist in summer.
When I was working in Horticulture as a lad, Liquidambar was the 'in tree', and we were given the impression that it was difficult to grow. I think a lot of the problems then, (late 50's-early 60's) was that it's requirements were not fully known.
It is so important for anyone thinking of getting one of the vars. of this lovely tree, that soil preparation is given great importance. I would suggest digging the hole twice or even three times the normal size, and introducing as much good fiborous loam and well rotted manure as possible. Buy a young healthy tree, not an established plant that has been in a pot for some time, and make sure it does not dry-out at all in the first 3-4 years until established.
Dorts.