The Sweetgum tree, known scientifically as Liquidambar styraciflua, is a stunning addition to any UK garden. This North American native brings a touch of autumn magic with its star-shaped leaves that turn brilliant shades of red, orange, and purple in the fall. It’s a tree that offers year-round interest, from its corky bark to its unique spiky seed pods.
Sweetgums are medium to large trees, making them ideal for gardens with ample space. They have a pyramidal shape when young, gradually becoming more rounded as they mature. The tree’s green, glossy leaves are a lovely sight throughout spring and summer, providing dappled shade perfect for relaxing under on warm days.
One of the Sweetgum’s most distinctive features is its fruit – spiky balls that hang from the branches like Christmas ornaments. While some might find these a bit messy, many gardeners appreciate their quirky charm. These seed pods also provide food for wildlife, particularly birds.
Sweetgums are relatively fast-growing, so you won’t have to wait too long to see results. They’re also quite adaptable to different soil types, though they prefer moist, slightly acidic soil. Their tolerance to urban conditions makes them a good choice for both city and country gardens.
Planting a Sweetgum is like having a living sculpture in your garden. Its attractive form and changing colours throughout the seasons ensure there’s always something interesting to look at. It’s a tree that can become a real talking point, especially when it’s in its full autumn glory.
Sweetgum trees are generally easy to care for once established. They prefer full sun but can tolerate partial shade. Plant in moist, well-drained soil and water regularly during the first growing season to help establish a deep root system. After that, they’re quite drought-tolerant. Apply a layer of mulch around the base to retain moisture and suppress weeds. Prune in late winter or early spring to remove dead or crossing branches and maintain shape. Feed with a balanced, slow-release fertiliser in spring if growth seems slow. Be aware that Sweetgums can have surface roots, so avoid planting too close to pavements or structures.
Ultimate height
Higher than 12 metres
Time to ultimate height
more than 50 years
Ultimate spread
Wider than 8 metres
It is hardy in all of the UK. (-20C to -15C)
Generally supplied 40-60cm high in a 2L pot
🇬🇧 UK grown
Delivery
Yarrow Gardens aim to have your order with you in fastest time possible and safest method of transport. Dependent on the parcel size and geographical destination in mind with will select the most suitable courier.
You are welcome to collect any times from our nursery in Euxton, Lancashire. Please contact us to arrange a suitable date and time.
With regret, we can no longer send items out to Northern Ireland. All live plants need a phytosanitary checks and DAERA must be notified. This process is simply too expensive at the moment.
Returns
In the rare instance that your item has been damaged during delivery or incorrectly shipped by us, please contact us and we will be happy to discuss the return and replacement of your item.
Once you have contacted us and we have confirmation that your parcel is on its way back to us we will be happy to issue a refund for the return postage.
Delivery Class | Delivery Cost | |
---|---|---|
Royal Mail Letter - Royal Mail Tracked | £3.25 (Flat) | |
Royal Mail Letter - Royal Mail Second Class | £0.95 (Flat) | |
Royal Mail Large Letter - Royal Mail Tracked | £3.25 (Flat) | |
Royal Mail Large Letter - Royal Mail Second Class | £2.10 (Flat) | |
Standard Items - Standard Courier (Parcelforce) | £7.95 (Flat) | This item |
Standard Items - Standard Courier (Evri) | £4.49 (Flat) | This item |
Medium Items - Standard Courier (Parcelforce) | £7.95 (Flat) | |
Large Items - Pallet Courier | £90.00 (Flat) | |
Large Items - Standard Courier (Parcelforce) | £28.95 (Flat) | |
Large Items - Standard Courier (Parcel Force) | £24.95 (Flat) | |
Pallet Courier - Pallet Courier | £90.00 (Flat) |
We are a small family business based in Euxton, West Lancashire. We specialise in the supply of trees, shrubs both bare root & cell grown. Much of our stock is grown directly on site from seed or cuttings. Other stock is all UK sourced where possible.
We adhere to industry leading biosecurity measures, this ensures that our nursery remains clean and disease free.
We are DEFRA registered and our nursery is regularly inspected to confirm compliance with all current plant and plant health regulations.
Our Plant Passport Registration Number is GB140010
You can view our Plant Healthy report here.
We are actively working towards the Grown in Britain certification along with the Plant Healthy certification.
Should you have any concern or question in respect of our plant health matters, please get in touch.