LARGE SHADE TREE WITH DOUBLE THE RED COLOR
FEATURES:
- In spring, the emerging leaves burst out in a fiery red color
- As they mature, they transition to a cool green through the summer months
- Come fall, the brilliant red color returns with a vengeance
- Deer resistant, pollinator friendly and tolerant of all soils, including wet soils
- A great specimen option but stunning when planted in groves
- Hand selected fresh from our grower
- Ships on our trucks because of the size of the tree - does not fit in a box
Growth Facts
- Hardiness Zone: 5-9
- Mature Height: 40-50' tall
- Mature Width: 20-30' wide
- Exposure: Full Sun/Part Shade
- Spacing: 20-30' apart
Wildfire Black Gum (Sour Gum)
Bower & Branch Trees and Plants
Nyssa sylvatica 'Wildfire'
Regular price
1 (866) 873-3888
Monday - Thursday: 8AM - 8PM
Friday & Saturday 9AM - 4PM
LARGE SHADE TREE WITH DOUBLE THE RED COLOR
FEATURES:
- In spring, the emerging leaves burst out in a fiery red color
- As they mature, they transition to a cool green through the summer months
- Come fall, the brilliant red color returns with a vengeance
- Deer resistant, pollinator friendly and tolerant of all soils, including wet soils
- A great specimen option but stunning when planted in groves
- Hand selected fresh from our grower
- Ships on our trucks because of the size of the tree - does not fit in a box
Growth Facts
- Hardiness Zone: 5-9
- Mature Height: 40-50' tall
- Mature Width: 20-30' wide
- Exposure: Full Sun/Part Shade
- Spacing: 20-30' apart
Why plant Wildfire Black Gum (Sour Gum)?
Warn your neighbors not to call 911, because this stunning shade tree will seem to burst into flames—not just once, but twice a year! Wildfire Black Gum pushes out fiery red leaves in spring which turn a cool green in the summer months, only to become ablaze again in fall. A single specimen in your yard will glow like a bonfire, and a row of trees lining your driveway or property line will become a breathtaking firestorm of red. This magnificent native tree isn’t one of those “live fast and die young” types, but is in it for the long haul, and many generations will be able to enjoy the show because of your wise choice.
Black Gum calls most of the Eastern U.S. home and also goes by the names Sour Gum, Tupelo, and Pepperidge. Two fun facts: bees make a high-grade honey—“Tupelo honey”—from its flowers, and the first Pepperidge Farm® cookies were actually made on a farm with “Pepperidge” trees on the property. This selection was discovered in 1990 by Oregon nurseryman Steve Hottovy in a crop of one-year-old seedlings. This plant has such brilliant red new growth that Hottovy thought a Red-Tip Photinia plant had gotten mixed in with his “Tupelos.”
How to use Wildfire Black Gum (Sour Gum) in the landscape?
Black Gum trees don’t get a lot of attention, because they don’t grow as fast as many Maples that also turn red in the fall, but people are finally beginning to take notice. New selections like Wildfire are paving the way for this stellar native tree to make it into more yards, and more and more people are learning its virtues. Before you know it, the news will be traveling like... oh, you know!
Planting Zones
Hardiness Zone: 5-9
How To Plant Wildfire Black Gum (Sour Gum)
This native Tree requires little care once established in the landscape. Black gum can withstand some dryer conditions and urban settings. This is a very good grower in all kinds of conditions so if you have a problem area, this tree will overcome.
How To Water
Water twice weekly for the first 3-5 weeks; then water weekly for the remainder of the year until winter. When you water, water very slowly and very thoroughly. The water needs to reach to the bottom of the root ball and that takes time. Watering needs may be altered due to extreme weather conditions.
How To Fertilize
Incorporate Elements Starter Plant Food granular form into the soil when planting. If planting in spring or summer, start fertilizing late fall using Elements Starter Plant Food granular form on an annual basis each late fall. If planting in the fall, use Elements Fertilizer while planting and start your regular annual fertilizing the following fall. Continue this for the first three years to get your plant well established as it gives your tree the nutrients it needs to produce lush new growth for the following spring.
How To Prune
Do not be afraid to tip or shape the side branches as desired for overall appearance as well. Pruning should be done in early spring.
.How Does Shipping Work?
Bower & Branch Trees, the real BIG trees, don’t fit in a box! Our big trees, sizes XL and bigger, require expert delivery and care, that means our extra-large trees are shipped on Bower & Branch trucks. We are the only ones who know how to ship our big and bigger trees and plants with tender loving care. We deliver your trees and plants directly to you. Ask Bower & Branch about planting services – we'd be happy to assist in installation.
*For Big trees and Shrubs, Size XL and bigger: Review our Seasonal Shipping Timelines and Policy here.
Your trees and plants are grown across the United States at various Bower & Branch Growers. Depending on your location, your plant orders may be shipped from various locations. Please expect orders with multiple items to be delivered over a number of days as a result. Orders made up of numerous items or selections will not arrive at your home on the same day.
Shipping Delays:
From time to time, Bower & Branch Growers may determine to delay order shipment based on various factors for plant health. Weather in your region, as well as, where your plants are grown, is always considered when shipping. Extreme weather conditions may delay some or all of your order. Bower & Branch allows our Growers to make final shipping decisions based solely to benefit your trees and plants’ health and success.
How Does Sizing Work?
The size of our trees have nothing to do with the container size like you may find elsewhere–big doesn't mean just height - it’s also vigor, age, and overall health. Other online retailers are going to tell you that a plant is a seven gallon, that means nothing to your tree or plant (or you.)
Our trees for sale online are graded on large, x-large, and even bigger sizes. This is because our trees are sized by their age—the higher the letter, the more mature the tree. The age determines the trees’ overall height, size of the trunk and the overall branch density.
All of these characteristics are what you should be looking for when choosing a tree for immediate impact and instant curb appeal. Our extra-large tree and plant sizes are sure to wow you and your neighbors!
See the size guides below.
Our Guarantees
3-YEAR-TREE GUARANTEE:
Bower & Branch offers a Three-Year Tree Guarantee on all of our trees, sizes X-Large and up. Only the finest and the most experienced growers are awarded the opportunity to grow for Bower & Branch, so we offer the best guarantee available.
If your tree(s) should fail for any reason during the three-year guarantee period, you will receive an online gift card in the amount that you originally spent on the tree.* You can then use this online gift card for any Bower & Branch Purchase.
* Bower & Branch provides online gift cards in the amount of the original purchase price of the tree(s). The amount does not include any additional costs such as delivery, planting, tax, or any other products or services. Online gift cards can be applied towards any Bower & Branch purchase on BowerandBranch.com and have no expiration dates. Bower & Branch does not guarantee tree replacement or availability of any desired product at any time. Cash refunds are not offered. Bower & Branch requires that all original tags and receipts are present when a guarantee request is initiated. The Bower & Branch Three-Year Guarantee only applies to plant material that has been planted in the ground. Container plantings are NOT covered.
At Bower & Branch, we do our best to honor all guarantee fulfillment requests to ensure customer satisfaction. However, we reserve the right to refuse the request if the required guarantee steps were not satisfied. Bower & Branch also reserves the right to deny any guarantee fulfillment request that is made as a result of animal damage, problems with plant hardiness and zone issues, or acts of nature (snow storms, hurricanes, and similar).
Reach out to a Plant Whisperer with any questions:
- Email: plantwhisperers@bowerandbranch.com
- Phone: 866-873-3888
- Or via Online Chat
