The Sweet Gum Tree, Liquidambar styraciflua, is a magnificent deciduous tree that brings a touch of American beauty to UK gardens. Known for its striking star-shaped leaves, this tree offers a spectacular show throughout the year.
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.
However, it’s in autumn that the Sweet Gum truly shines. The leaves transform into a breathtaking array of colours, ranging from deep purples and crimsons to bright oranges and yellows, often all on the same tree. This autumn display is one of the most vibrant and long-lasting of any deciduous tree.
The tree’s name comes from the fragrant gum or resin that oozes from the bark if damaged. In winter, the bare branches are adorned with spiky, ball-shaped fruit capsules, which add interest to the winter garden and are popular in dried flower arrangements.
Sweet Gum trees can grow quite tall, developing a pyramidal shape when young that becomes more rounded with age. Their attractive, corky bark develops deep furrows as the tree matures, adding to its year-round appeal.
While not native to the UK, Sweet Gum trees have adapted well to our climate and make a stunning addition to parks and larger gardens. They’re also valuable for wildlife, with birds feeding on the seeds and small mammals using the tree for shelter.
Sweet Gum trees thrive in full sun or partial shade and prefer moist, well-drained soil. They’re adaptable to various soil types but don’t do well in very dry conditions. When planting, choose a spot with plenty of space for the tree to reach its full size. Water regularly during the first growing season to establish a deep root system, then reduce watering as the tree matures. 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 60-80cm high well rooted 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.