The Sweet Gum Tree, Liquidambar styraciflua, is a magnificent deciduous tree that brings a touch of American splendour to UK gardens. Known for its striking star-shaped leaves, this tree offers a spectacular show throughout the seasons.
In spring, the Sweet Gum unfurls its glossy, palm-shaped leaves in a fresh green colour. The foliage provides a dense, cooling shade during summer, making it an excellent choice for larger gardens or as a statement specimen tree.
However, it’s in autumn when the Sweet Gum truly shines. The leaves transform into a breath-taking display of colours, ranging from deep purples and rich reds to bright oranges and yellows. This autumn spectacle can last for weeks, creating a focal point in your garden.
After the leaves fall, the tree’s interesting bark comes into view. The trunk and branches develop corky ridges as they mature, adding winter interest to the garden. Curious spiky seedpods, often called “gumballs”, hang on the tree through winter, providing food for wildlife.
The Sweet Gum gets its name from the fragrant sap it produces, which was once used by Native Americans for medicinal purposes and as a kind of chewing gum. In the garden, it serves as an excellent shade tree and can be a stunning centrepiece in a lawn or part of a mixed tree border.
The Sweet Gum Tree is relatively easy to care for and adapts well to various conditions in UK gardens. It prefers full sun and moist, well-drained soil, but can tolerate partial shade and a range of soil types. When planting, ensure the site has enough space for the tree to reach its full size. Water regularly during the first growing season to establish a deep root system. Once established, it’s fairly drought-tolerant but appreciates occasional deep watering during dry spells. Mulching around the base can help retain moisture and suppress weeds. Pruning is generally not necessary unless you need to remove dead or crossing branches, which is best done in late winter or early spring.
Ultimate height
Higher than 12 metres
Time to ultimate height
more than 50 years
Ultimate spread
Wider than 8 metres
Supplied 40-60cm high in a 2L pot – multi-stemmed
🇬🇧 UK grown
Season of Interest
Spring, Summer, Autumn
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Shade, Partial Sun
Pot Size
2 litre
Foliage
Deciduous
Foliage Colour
Green, Red
Hardiness
-20°C to -15°C (H6)
When MatureSafety
Child Safe, Pollen Allergies, Pet Safe
Watering
Moderate
Preferred Soil Type
Any well drained soil
Preferred Soil pH
Acidic
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.