Sweetgum Tree | Liquidambar styraciflua 'Slender Silhouette'
A column of autumn vibrancy
Grown by Danielle
South Downs National Park
2 options
In stock
Pre-order for delivery Mid November
Perfectly happy plants, or your money back
Specialist overnight plant delivery
The highlights
- Striking upright tree
- Medium tree - grows up to 8m
- Foliage adopts fiery hues later in the year
- RHS Award of Garden Merit winner
Description
- Few trees can rival sweetgums when it comes to autumn colour, and 'Slender Silhouette' is no exception. With its striking fastigiate (upright) habit, the fiery hues this tree takes on later in the year creates the impression of a roaring tongue of flame, shooting upwards into the sky.
- The leaves themselves are maple-like in appearance, typically boasting five deep lobes and arranged in an alternate (rather than opposite) pattern. They start out a rich emerald green before adopting the orange, red and purple shades that make it so impactful.
- Alongside the dramatic foliage, the tree also produces highly-ornamental spiny fruits, often referred to as gum balls.
- Sweetgums derive their name from the aromatic, sticky resin produced by the trees when wounded. This gum was used as a topical salve by the Aztecs many thousands of years ago, to help treat skin infections, while Native Americans used it as a treatment for coughs, dysentery and various other ailments.
- A deserving recipient of the RHS's Award of Garden Merit, an accolade bestowed upon those plants proven to perform particularly well in British gardens.
What to expect
What to expect
Supplied as
Height on arrival
Eventual height
Eventual spread
Habit
Hardiness
Spacing
How to grow
How to grow
Excellent pest and disease resistance
Rarely troubled by pests or diseases.
Water during dry spells
Water regularly as the tree establishes, particularly during dry spells.
Full sun to partial shade
Best autumn colour will occur when grown in full sun (at least six hours of direct sunlight per day).
Any fertile, moist, neutral (or acidic) soil
Doesn't grow well in alkaline soil.
No feeding required
Sweetgum trees don't typically require additional feeding.
Planting calendar
Planting calendar
- Best time to plant
- Harvest
- Flower
Choose your size
South Downs National Park
Meet Danielle
110 years' expertise free with every tree
Danielle's nursery has been growing trees in the South Downs National Park for over a century, and it shows. Dug up and sent straight to your garden at between 18-36 months old, their quality rootstocks, expert pruning and natural pest control mean that these traditionally field-grown trees are the hardiest you can get.
What customers say about us
We do our best to provide you the best experience ever
Growing with Roots
Good to know
Our plants are grown â¨in the UK
Specialist UK growers we know and trust grow your plants the traditional way, with organic fertiliser and biological pest control. They pick only the healthiest plants for you, professionally pruning them so that theyâll grow strong and well shaped.
Our plants are delivered overnight
Your plants are sent to you fresh from the field in our plastic free box thatâs specially designed to hold them tight, then securely delivered by specialist plant couriers - straight from the grower to your garden within â¨24 hours.
We're here to help at every step
We want your plants to have a long and healthy life. Expect easy-to-follow grow guides and videos devised by our team â¨of experts.
Perfect plants, guaranteed
Weâre confident that youâll be delighted â¨with your new plants. Need help? Alice and her team are here to guarantee youâre â¨perfectly happy.
Learn from our experts
For growing advice that's clear and easy to follow
Trees for Cities: The Best Urban Trees
Living in a concrete jungle and yearning for more trees? Youâre not alone. 80% of the UKâs population live in cities, and weâre feeling increasingly tree-deprived.
Read more
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What customers say about us
We do our best to provide you the best experience ever
Best plants you will ever get online
I have ordered plants from them twice this year. They arrived well packaged, on time and looked strong and healthy. I feel the staff from Roots plants deal with their plants and customers with passion and care. I canât wait to order again, price is good as well.
Highly recommended all round
Delivered quickly, perfectly packaged and the tree was in excellent condition. Really healthy and taken to the garden with no problems. Can't recommend highly enough. 5 stars isn't enough!
Satisfied customer
Unlike other online sellers, this company are well ahead in the quality stakes. My plant arrived promptly as per their promise and the plant was much more established and healthy than I had expected. Itâs the second time I have ordered from them and I have faith in their promise. Excellent service.
A really good quality tree
A really good quality tree, delivered on time and very well packaged. But the emailed planting advice and supporting information was what really impressed me. Thoroughly recommended.
Exceptional quality
The quality of the plants was exceptional, unlike ones I have had before from local garden centres. Thank you so much. I will definitely be using you again.
Marvellous!
Marvellous service, great plants and fast delivery. Very useful information on how to care for the plants I bought. Easy to use website that makes it far too easy to overindulge in fabulous plants đđą
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