Chestnut Oak
Quercus montana
The ridge oak for rocky, dry slopes. Distinctive corky bark, warm yellow-brown fall color, and huge acorn crops for turkeys, deer, and jays.
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 tree that makes a rocky dry slope into a wildlife sanctuary. nothing else in our catalog produces as many acorns or handles dry ridge conditions as reliably.
Chestnut oak is the ridge oak, adapted to the rocky, shallow, acidic soils of mountain slopes and dry ridgelines where other oaks struggle. The heavily ridged, corky bark is one of the most distinctive textures in the eastern forest, and the large wavy-edged leaves turn warm yellow-brown in October. An enormous acorn crop, the largest of any eastern white oak, sustains deer, turkeys, squirrels, and blue jays through fall and winter. This is a long-term investment tree. Slow to establish but extremely long-lived, chestnut oak grows into a wide-spreading canopy that anchors a landscape for generations. Plant it where you have space for something significant, where the soil drains well and the slope is challenging. It will thrive in conditions that defeat most other trees.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown chestnut oak 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
- 40–60 ft · 40–50 ft wide
- USDA zones
- 4–8
- Family
- Fagaceae
- Native range
- Eastern United States
Care notes for chestnut oak.
Full sun, dry to average well-drained soil, tolerates rocky and acidic conditions. Water during establishment only. No pruning except dead wood removal. Do not fertilize or amend soil heavily. it's adapted to lean conditions. Deeply taprooted and extremely drought tolerant once established. Site it with the long view in mind.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside chestnut oak.
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
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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’.