Black Gum
Nyssa sylvatica
Scarlet fall color that can start in late August and run for weeks. Blue-black berries for migrating thrushes, and nectar beekeepers prize.
Typically 1 quart–3 gal · $17–$85 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
The earliest, deepest red fall color of any native tree, plus blue-black berries for migratory birds and honey bees that love the flowers. black gum earns every square foot it takes.
Black gum turns red before anything else in the fall landscape, sometimes in late August, and the color is a deep, saturated scarlet that stops people in the driveway. Plant it where the afternoon sun backlights it. The show runs for weeks. This is one of the finest fall-color trees in eastern North America, and it does it reliably year after year regardless of weather conditions. Small blue-black berries ripen alongside the fall foliage and are eaten by migrating thrushes, waxwings, and woodpeckers. The flowers are small and inconspicuous but extremely nectar-rich: beekeepers prize black gum honey as among the finest produced in the East. Deep taproot means the tree anchors well in heavy storms and tolerates wet soils and occasional flooding once established.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown black gum propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 30–50 ft · 20–30 ft wide
- USDA zones
- 3–9
- Family
- Nyssaceae
- Native range
- Eastern North America
Care notes for black gum.
Full sun to part shade, adaptable from moist to well-drained soils. Difficult to transplant once established due to deep taproot. plant young and in its permanent location. Water during the first two seasons. Prune only dead wood. One of the lowest-maintenance trees in our catalog once it's in the ground.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside black gum.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.