Name: Quercus Virginiana (Park Side ® Live Oak)
Size: 60’+ x 60′
Habit Of Growth: Wide, spreading, with horizontal branches as a mature tree; typically, more vertical as a juvenile
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Widely adaptable – will thrive in high or low PH sites with reasonably good drainage
Water: Grows best with even moisture; will tolerate occasional flooding and periods of drought after establishment
Cold Tolerance: Zones 7 – 10
Landscape Uses: Live oaks are suitable for many applications; boulevards, parking lots, windbreaks, shade trees and as wildlife habitats
Special Attributes: This large native tree is wind resistant, tolerant of diverse conditions and has few pest problems of consequence. Live oaks should be considered as an enduring feature of the landscape.
Park Side® was chosen specifically to address the criteria set forth in Florida’s Grades and Standards and meet consumers expectations of what a live oak should look like. This live oak cultivar blends proper branch structure with the lost concept of opacity. Branch attachment (to the trunk) is at a greater angle than any live oak cultivar on the market today (most at angles greater than 75 degrees). Mature leaves are dark green in color with new growth having a lighter green shade. As the Park Side® grows, it forms many smaller branches off of the larger branches, thereby giving it a full canopy at an early stage in its’ development. Park Side® has a broadly pyramidal canopy. However, as the tree matures its’ canopy is more ovate. The abundance of lateral branches and well spaced scaffold branches along a single trunk make Park Side® easy to prune into a well structured tree with a dense canopy. As of August, 2008, the parent tree is 13 years old from an acorn and is 25 ft. tall, 18 ft. wide, and has 11 inches of caliper. With the introduction of Park Side®, the live oak a specifier can choose a cultivar with correct branch structure and aesthetic appeal.