Sourwood Nursery Trees for Home and Garden
The Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) is a member of the huge Heath Family (Ericaceae).
The Heaths have over 1,500 species in many genera, including the more familiar Rhodendrons,
Blueberries, Manzanita, Sparkleberry, Madrones, and even the Blueberry. One of the classic features of the family are the racemes (stalks) of small urn-shaped flowers, although not
every member has them.
This is a small tree up to 60 feet, but generally is much smaller. Native to the eastern and
southeastern states (except Florida), this is a very attractive ornamental tree with glossy, simple, alternate, elliptical shaped leaves that are about six inches long and one
to three inches wide. The bark is gray, tinged with red, scaly and furrowed at the base.
The wood itself is used a little bit as a fuel, but more so in a mixture of other hardwood trees in paper pulp. Sourwood was first cultivated in this country about 1747, so its been around, but not widely known. Many folks throughout the southeast do
know of the honey that is produced, a
highly prized commodity. The tree gets covered with the stalks of small urn-like flowers in mid-
summer, being a great source for honeybees, especially as most other trees are spring bloomers.
Also, in the landscape design, the glossy green leaves turn to rich blends of yellow, red, and
orange in Autumn. This is one of several plants that can bring the beauty of New England Fall colors to the warmer regions, especially since Sourwood grows from zones 5 to 9.
The classic characteristic of the Heaths are the fruits. The long one-sided racemes are clustered
in open panicles, which by fall have turned to ovoid-pyramidal, dry, dehiscent capsules that are
one-quarter to one-half inches long. There are many tiny seeds inside, gray to brown in color,
and look like a manta ray in cross section. These dust-sized seeds number 2 to 5 million per
pound! Its really amazing also that the soundness of the seed (being alive with the potential for
germinating) is about 95%. This suggests that the bees do a very efficient job at pollinating the
flowers.
How to grow these. Simply stated, these grow best in moist well-drained fertile soils with full sun to half shade. Although in the wild, they can be found growing in full shade, they have better growth when given more light. Most soils can be
alright, but plenty of water and some added fertilizer will improve their growth and survival. If your soils are rocky, heavy clay, or very sandy, then add compost or other materials mixed into the planting spot. Planting instructions are included with
each order, or can be read on the Nursery webpage.
Plant the Sourwood eight to twelve feet apart, along driveways or fence lines, or just by themselves in the corner of the yard.
The Sourwood is a decorative medium-sized shade tree that adds some very nice Spring and Fall colors. These are becoming very popular, and you can understand why!
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