• Grow your own Blue Oak (Quercus douglasii), the most drought tolerant of California's deciduous oaks!
  
• Landscaping projects, windbreak plantings, restoration work, reforestation efforts — there's never been a better time to pick up the trees for the job!
• Seed-grown without poison or pesticides at our nursery on California's Redwood Coast
• Transplanting and care instructions included
  
  
  

Highlights

	Moisture Low
	Cold Hardiness 10°F
	Light Full Sun / Partial Shade
	Size 40 – 70' tall / 30 – 50' spread
	Lifespan 400 yrs
	Growth Rate Fast Growing
	Drought Tolerance High
	Wind Resistance Medium

Tree Story

About Blue Oak

The mystical Blue Oak is a medium-size, deciduous tree endemic to California, where it grows mainly in the foothills of the central part of the state. Blue Oaks feature a rounded, somewhat irregular crown, and can grow to heights of up to 70 feet tall, but usually max-out closer to 50 feet tall. The trunk is typically singular, and seldom more than 2 feet in diameter. The bark is thin and flaky. The canopy is compact, round, and supported by many crooked branches. Quercus douglasii takes its name from the blue-green color of its shallowly-lobed, thick and waxy leaves.

Blue Oaks grow in a Mediterranean-like climate, with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. In summer, midday temperatures in Blue Oak woodlands can exceed 100°F (38°C) for weeks at a time. The Blue Oak prefers drier sites and is extremely drought and heat tolerant — in fact, it is the most drought tolerant of all California's deciduous oaks. Generally, Blue Oaks live for several hundred years. The oldest known specimen, in Sequoia National Park, is about 400 years old. Historically, this species has been valued by Native Americans, who relied on Blue Oak for food, medicine, dyes, utensils, games, toys, basketry, and construction materials.

Size Chart

Seedling Size Chart: Medium

Due to the dynamic nature of actively growing trees, as well as the tremendous variation between species’ growth rates, we rely on the cubic volume of a seedling’s root mass to determine its “size” (Small / Medium / Large / XL). Within each size there is minor variance — the dimensions provided here represent the category minimum. If exact measurements are essential, please contact us about current stock.