White Oak Trees for Sale: The Long-Lived Native Shade Tree of Eastern America
The white oak tree (Quercus alba) is a long-lived native shade tree that grows 50 to 80 feet tall and wide, with rounded lobed leaves, sweet acorns for wildlife and red to burgundy fall color. White oak is hardy in USDA zones 3–9 and loves full sun. TN Nursery ships bare-root white oak trees, Buy 1 Get 1 Free.
White oak is a member of the beech family, Fagaceae, and gives its name to the white oak group. The white oak tree grows wild across almost all of the eastern United States, from Maine and southern Ontario west to Minnesota and south to northern Florida and east Texas. Gardeners and foresters also call white oak eastern white oak, stave oak and ridge white oak. A white oak can shade a home for generations.
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Botanical name: Quercus alba, beech family (Fagaceae), white oak group
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Also called: eastern white oak, stave oak, ridge white oak
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Mature size: 50–80 feet tall and 50–80 feet wide, up to 100 feet in forests
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Growth rate: slow to moderate, about 1 to 2 feet per year when young
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Leaves: 4–8 inches long with 7–9 rounded, finger-like lobes; red to burgundy in fall
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Acorns: 3/4 to 1 inch, ripening in one season, with a shallow, warty cap
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Bark: light ash-gray, in scaly plates and blocks
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What ships: bare-root trees in 1–2 ft, 2–3 ft and 3–4 ft sizes, as Buy 1 Get 1 Free, Buy 3 Get 2 Free or 25-tree wholesale bundles
How Do You Identify a White Oak Tree?
Identify a white oak tree by its leaves with 7 to 9 rounded lobes and no bristle tips, light ash-gray bark in loose, scaly plates, and oblong acorns with a shallow cap covering about a quarter of the nut. A mature white oak has a broad, rounded crown with wide, horizontal limbs.
What Is the Difference Between White Oak and Red Oak?
White oak has rounded leaf lobes and sweet acorns that ripen in one season, while the red oak tree has pointed, bristle-tipped lobes and acorns that take two seasons to ripen. Red oak grows faster, and white oak lives longer.
The two groups make a strong team. Planting white oak alongside red oak or pin oak gives wildlife acorns every fall, because the two groups bear on different schedules.
How Fast Does a White Oak Tree Grow?
A white oak tree grows at a slow to moderate rate, typically 1 to 2 feet per year when young in full sun and deep, well-drained soil. White oak builds a deep taproot first, which anchors the tree for its long life.
| Age after planting |
Typical height |
What to expect |
| Year 1 |
planting size (1–4 ft) |
deep taproot growth |
| 5 years |
about 6–10 ft |
young branching structure |
| 10 years |
about 12–20 ft |
first light shade |
| 20+ years |
25–40 ft |
acorn crops begin around age 20 |
Where Should You Plant a White Oak?
Plant a white oak in full sun, with at least 6 hours of direct light daily, in deep, well-drained, acidic to neutral soil. White oak thrives on loam, sandy loam and upland sites and is drought tolerant once established.
Young white oaks settle best when planted small in a permanent spot at least 50 feet from the house. A white oak is the classic choice for a large lawn, a park, a farmstead or a legacy tree to mark a family milestone.
What Wildlife Does a White Oak Tree Support?
A white oak tree supports deer, wild turkeys, wood ducks, squirrels, blue jays and many songbirds, which eat the sweet, low-tannin acorns each fall. Wildlife often choose white oak acorns first because white oak acorns are sweeter than red oak acorns.
Oaks also host more kinds of native caterpillars than almost any other tree, and those caterpillars feed nesting songbirds in spring. A single white oak becomes a year-round wildlife habitat.
What Grows Well With a White Oak?
Native oaks, flowering understory trees and ferns grow well with a white oak. Pair white oak with bur oak or chestnut oak for a mixed oak grove. An Eastern redbud and a white dogwood add spring blooms at the canopy edge, and Christmas fern stays green beneath. Planting a wildlife food plot or reforesting acreage? Our white oak seedlings are priced for bulk planting. See more in our shade trees collection.
How Do You Plant a Bare-Root White Oak Tree?
Plant a bare-root white oak while dormant, from late fall to early spring, at the same depth the tree grew in the nursery, with the root flare level with the ground. Water weekly through the first summer.
At our Altamont, Tennessee nursery, we dig each white oak while dormant, keep the taproot intact and pack the roots in moist material before shipping.
- Soak the roots in water for 2 to 4 hours.
- Dig a hole deep enough for the full taproot and twice as wide as the side roots.
- Set the tree with the root flare level with the soil, keeping the taproot straight.
- Backfill with native soil, firm gently and water slowly until soaked.
- Mulch 2 to 3 inches deep in a 3-foot ring, keeping mulch off the trunk.
Planting & Growing Information
Botanical Name: Quercus alba
Plant Family: Fagaceae (beech family), white oak group
Ships: Bare root, 1–2 ft, 2–3 ft and 3–4 ft
Planting Zone: 3–9
Height at Maturity: 50–80 feet (up to 100 feet in forests)
Spread: 50–80 feet
Growth Rate: Slow to moderate, 1–2 feet per year when young
Sun or Shade: Full sun, 6+ hours daily
Water Needs: Moderate; drought tolerant once established
Soil: Deep, well-drained, acidic to neutral loam or sandy loam
Bloom Season: April–May (yellow-green catkins)
Fall Color: Red to burgundy
Native Range: Eastern United States and southern Ontario
Care: Water weekly the first summer. Trim dead or crossing branches in late winter.
Plant Attributes: Long-lived shade tree, sweet acorns for wildlife, red fall color, drought tolerant once established
White Oak Tree FAQ
How long does a white oak tree live?
A white oak tree commonly lives 200 to 300 years, and some white oaks live more than 400 years.
How tall does a white oak tree get?
A white oak tree grows 50 to 80 feet tall and just as wide in the open, and up to 100 feet tall in forests.
What does a white oak leaf look like?
A white oak leaf is 4 to 8 inches long with 7 to 9 rounded, finger-like lobes and no bristle tips.
When does a white oak start producing acorns?
A white oak starts producing acorns at about 20 years old, with heavy acorn crops every few years after that.
Is white oak good for wildlife?
Yes. White oak acorns are a top fall food for deer, wild turkeys, squirrels and wood ducks, and white oak leaves host many native caterpillars that feed songbirds.
What zones do white oak trees grow in?
White oak trees grow in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 9.
Grown and Shipped by TN Nursery
TN Nursery has grown hardy native plants since 1959, more than 65 years of experience, and has supplied plants to major U.S. landmarks like the Washington Monument and Arlington National Cemetery. At our Altamont, Tennessee nursery, we grow, dig and ship white oak trees to yards, farms and parks across the country. Each tree is dug while dormant and packed bare root so the roots settle quickly into new soil. Want to learn more first? Read The Majestic White Oak Tree Characteristics, Facts About Oak Trees for Wildlife and Habitat and Towering Oak Trees and How They Help on our garden blog, or browse our native trees.
