To ensure healthy growth, its vital to choose a fertilizer for acid-loving trees. (zones 5-9). It can be difficult to grow in northern Illinois because it requires acidic soil. It is intolerant of pollution and urban areas. Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day), Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight), Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day), Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours). Gray bark with reddish tinges helps to identify sourwood trees. They won't put up a fuss like an alien species can. As far as diseases, twig blight kills leaves at the branch tips. The main consideration is watering newly transplanted trees in order to get them to establish themselves. Sourwood Tree Seedlings for Planting | 1-2 Feet Tall Live Tree Plants - Stunning Red Leaves and White Flowers (2 Trees) $42.96 $ 42. It has a slow growth rate and no serious pest or disease problems. There are many interesting facts regarding the sourwood tree. Twigs are seemingly terminated by a leaf and bud, but bud is axillary and minute stem growth is adjacent. Place the young tree in the center, ensuring that it grows at the same height as before. Scientific name: Oxydendrum arboreumPronunciation: ock-sih-DEN-drum ar-BORE-ee-umCommon name(s): Sourwood, Sorrel-TreeFamily: EricaceaeUSDA hardiness zones: USDA hardiness zones: USDA hardiness zones: 5 through 9AOrigin: Native to North AmericaUses: recommended for buffer strips around parking lots or for median strip plantings in the highway; shade tree; specimen; no proven urban toleranceAvailability: somewhat available, may have to go out of the region to find the tree. effective for aging men having kidney and bladder problems. Also, remove limbs off the tree to keep a 5 ft. (1.5 m) space under the canopy. Sourwood leaves look like laurel leaves with finely toothed margins. It prefers full sun to part shade. Dead twigs and branches have sunken cankers. Sourwood rarely needs pruning. Sourwood tree fruit: immature (left) and mature (right). Slow growth rate to 30 feet (9 m) in cultivation, greater in the wild. The flowers themselves have a slight fragrance and are 1/4" long. Native Range: Eastern and southern United States Zone: 5 to 9 Height: 20.00 to 50.00 feet Spread: 10.00 to 25.00 feet Bloom Time: June to July Bloom Description: White Sun: Full sun to part shade Water: Medium Maintenance: Low Suggested Use: Flowering Tree Flower: Showy, Fragrant Leaf: Good Fall Fruit: Showy Tolerate: Deer The tree transplants easily when young and from containers of any size. Sourwood is a beautiful decorative tree suitable for growing in full sun to partial shade in residential garden landscapes. The normal standard of watering weekly for the first two seasons applies, at a rate of two to three gallons a week per trunk diameter measured by caliper at chest height. You can also use a tree fertilizer with an NPK rating of 10-10-10. Sourwood is a tree for all seasons and is found in the forest understory, along roadsides and a pioneering tree in clearings. The common name derives from the sour taste of the leaves, which are finely toothed and glossy. WARNING: Some websites to which these materials provide links for the convenience of users are not managed by the University of Kentucky. Bark is gray-brown and deeply ridged with the ridges often divided into a somewhat square pattern. One of the things that make the sourwood so appealing is the real lack of care that needs to be done to maintain this beautiful ornamental tree. Sourwood tree ( Oxydendrum arboreum) is a small deciduous tree that's native to eastern North America. Sign up for our newsletter. Unlike most ornamental trees, the sourwood does not have many cultivars. . Mountain climbers often use the leaves from sourwood trees to chew on their way or make tea out of it as a thirst quencher. Diseases Twig blight kills leaves at the branch tips. . After its leaves drop in fall, scatter a fertilizer for acid-loving plants on the soil. It grows to about 23 metres (75 feet) in height. It needs 6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day and the sunniest spot in the yard gets 4-5. . The foliar diseases appear as brown spots on leaves that quickly spread to the whole leaf. Sourwood makes an excellent specimen tree, and can also be used in shrub borders with Rhododendron, Pieris and Leucothoe. Ideally, the planting location should be rich in organic content that holds enough moisture without becoming too soggy. Fall webworm can defoliate portions of the tree in summer and fall but usually control is not needed. The name sourwood comes from the trees bitter yet edible foliage. This tree is planted in groves for honey production; sourwood honey is delicious. It is the only guaranteed way that I have found of beating . A properly watered sourwood can survive for more than 75 years. Instead, you can collect the seeds from the brown seed capsules and start to germinate them in January. After two weeks, you can transplant the seedlings to the ground. Also known as sorrel-tree or lily-of-the-valley-tree, its flowers are an important source of honey in some areas but it is of little value as a timber species. The flowers are white and appear on the branches in summer. Then by summer, the tree is in bloom with rows of beautiful urn-shaped flowers. For an ornamental plant, the sourwood does not have huge levels of thirst. A member of the heath family, Oxydendrum arboreum is primarily a hill country tree that has a range from Pennsylvania to the Gulf Coastal Plain. Its leaves are rich green and turn yellow, red, and purple in the fall. The Sourwood tree is renowned for its nectar, and for the honey which is produced from it. In the early summer, the Sourwood blooms white fragrant flowers. The sourwood (often called sorrel) is a pretty little ornamental tree that is perfect for smaller spaces. Tea made out of sourwood plant leaves and flowers can cure various disease problems, including asthma, nausea, and fever. Enter keywords to search on the arboretum map. The dense, glossy green foliage appears in spring, and the branches have a somewhat weeping or drooping habit. The Sourwood ( Oxydendrum arboreum) is considered as an ornamental and shade tree. The problem is we're rarely given a choice, as most nurseries . Family The Sourwood Tree is a member of the Heath family of which there are 70 Genera and 1800 species distributed through the temperate portions of the planet. This slowly spreading fungal infection can cause die-back where new growth doesnt appear or leaves wilt suddenly. RF 2K10YG3 - A Sourwood tree (Oxydendrum arboreum) and its very red leaves is fronted by . The hickory horned devil caterpillar is a huge green caterpillar that looks aggressive but is harmless and wont bite you. Bare root plants need to be planted within 2-3 days of receiving unless weather-related problems prohibit planting. It has a slow growth rate, reaches a height of 25-30 feet, and can take 12-15 years to reach a height of just 15 feet. For undergraduate student information regarding the Sustainable Agriculture program, contact Dr. Krista Jacobsen at (859) 257-3921, or krista.jacobsen@uky.edu. The sweet nectar and sap of the sourwood led to early colonists and Native Americans utilizing it for a variety of things. Sourwood grows well in confined soil spaces with good drainage making it a candidate for urban plantings but is largely untried as a street tree. It wont perform well where other rapidly growing trees block the sun it loves. Sourwood Tree Facts: Learn About The Care Of Sourwood Trees By Teo Spengler Sourwood trees offer delight in every season. You might see the trees blooming in various regions also. Honeybees pollinate the flowers and feed on the sweet nectar. This tree can easily be identified by their lush dark green foliage which turns a striking fiery red in . They are similar to lily of the valley flowers, providing an alternate common name. Only 1 terminal bud, smaller than side buds. Blooms are effective for 3 to 4 weeks. Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) grows in the upland forests of the southeastern United States. Grows in Zones 5-9, Deciduous. This article is a comprehensive guide to growing a sourwood landscape tree in your front or backyard. . University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources; Native Tree Series; Sourwood, GoLocalProv Lifestyle: The Best Tree You Can Plant This Spring, University of Tennessee Extension: Fertilizing Landscape Trees, University of Georgia College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences: Pruning Ornamental Plants in the Landscapei, The most important gardening tools you didn't know you needed. The tree has laurel-like alternate leaves that are finely toothed and sour to the taste. Sign up for our newsletter. The Sourwood trees are native to the Black Mountains and Appalachian mountains regions that extend from the south of New York to eastern Canada. Native sourwood trees are beautiful ornamental trees that provide visual interest in all seasons. The tree transplants easily when young and from containers of any size. After the seedlings have developed two leaves, keep only the strongest ones and discard the rest. Locate the tree away from other plants, where its showy characteristics get the attention they deserve. They hang on the tree after leaf drop and lend ornamental winter interest. Sourwood Tree Seedlings produce white flowers during the Summer months. Keep the seedling tray in a warm place and under a fluorescent lamp for 24 hours a day. Once the seedlings appear, apply a diluted acidic fertilizer for seedlings every two weeks. Sourwood Oxydendrum arboreum. Prune out infected branch tips and fertilize. Sourwood products were used to treat urinary problems (increase urine flow / diuretic), enlarged prostate, bowel . Sourwood honey is produced from honey bees extracting the nectar of the sourwood tree (Oxydendrum arboreum) and processing that nectar into honey. For example, equal parts perlite and peat moss are ideal. Most if not all issues that come up will either resolve themselves or be so minor that they can be overlooked as simply a nuisance. In summer, when most trees are done blooming, Sourwood will grace your yard with gorgeous lacy sprays of small, fragrant white flowers that resemble . Full Sun or Shade for a Crimson Queen Maple. Several fungal diseases can affect the growth of a sourwood tree. In its native habitat Sourwood can grow up to 60' x 100'. Twig borers lay eggs in the trees stems, and when the larvae hatch, they feed on new tissue growth inside the branches. He is an arboretum curator with over 30 years of experience. He describes himself as a "tree-hugging dirt worshipper" who is a member of multiple gardening societies and foundations. Deep water by letting a hose or sprinkler trickle water around the base of the tree for several hours. Prune out infected branch tips and fertilize. Learn tips for creating your most beautiful home and garden ever. You can then dig your hole for planting a sourwood tree. In addition, their relatively short stature provides plenty of interest at eye level and can be a great addition to your landscape. Passionate for travel and the well-written word, Judy Wolfe is a professional writer with a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Cal Poly Pomona and a certificate in advanced floral design. There is a second act to the Sourwood season, when, with the onset of cooler weather and shortening days it bursts forth into a breathtaking display of burgundy and red. Small Business. The gourmet honey has a sweet buttery caramel flavor with a slightly peppery aftertaste. It is best grown from small container-grown plants. A sourwood tree can live for 75 to 100 years with the proper care and attention. Cooperative Extension, which staffs local offices in all 100 counties and with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Additionally, the native tree does not grow in the wild in other countries apart from the United States. Flowers are fragrant and bloom poorly in the shade. To get rid of webworms, you can cut the webs open to expose the larvae to birds that feed on them. oxydendrum arboretum sourwood Share: facebook twitter pinterest googleplus linkedin James R. Fazio Bees produce a rich and popular honey from the nectar. Sourwood Tree (Oxydendrum arboreum) - 7 Gallon Pot Truly a tree with 4-season appeal, the Sourwood has lovely, lily-of-the-valley-like flowers and long-lasting fall foliage color that rivals the best of the hybrid red maples. Its slow growth rate is appealing as this allows the wood to become nice and strong while staying manageable and making care relatively easy, and the best news is there are no serious pest or disease problems. Plant the trees in full sun. Descriptions and pictures of sourwood flowers, leaves, and fruit will help you see where to plant this stunning specimen tree. Planting sourwood next to black gum (Nyssa sylvatica) makes for a great fall color combination. Trees in poor health seem to be more susceptible. They are dark green in color and have a sour, acidic taste. It has simple, alternate, 3 to 8 inch, elongated leaves with finely toothed edges. In the wild, its bark often looks blocky like that of persimmon. Additionally, use nitrate-based fertilizer because ammonium ones will burn the roots. Sourwood trees are bee magnets! "Sourwood" isn't exactly a household name, but if more people knew about this exquisite ornamental tree's charms, it would be as warmly embraced as Flowering Dogwoods and Japanese Maples. These flowers also provide the nectar for bees and the very tasty and sought out sourwood honey. We offer 3 days to report any problems with your order. Reports show that using stem cuttings to propagate a sourwood rarely succeeds. You may also appreciate sourwood tree information about the flowers, which are attractive to bees. This virtually eliminates damping off as a problem. Small Business. Another great tree that will fill out any landscape! . Sourwood tree flowers are a creamy white color and bell-shaped. Sourwood Honey ~ Pure, Raw, Delicious. A study by Markus Glocker at the University of Vienna, Austria found that sourwood honey is effective against "the opportunistic pathogen Enterococcus hirae", which can cause infections in people with weakened immune systems. In autumn, you can recognize the sourwood tree by the rows of brown fruit standing erect on curving stems. However, according to the Virginia Cooperative Extension at Virginia Tech, the sourwood tree can be difficult to start in your garden: "Despite its grace and beauty, sourwood trees are. Sourwoods are notorious for bad transplanting, so it's vital that you adequately water the newly planted tree. The new growth that appears is a bronze color with large, dark-green leaves that turn orange and scarlet in color in the Fall. It prefers normal moisture but has some drought tolerance. Sourwood Trees have a reputation of being very difficult to grow in domestication. Shop products from small business brands sold in Amazon's store. Sourwood trees offer delight in every season. Juice from its blooms is used to make sourwood jelly. 96. If you plant ten trees, four or five will die and half of the survivors will be unthrifty. Heat tolerant. Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) is a small deciduous tree in the heath family Ericaceae. Origin: US native - Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee - grows along stream banks. Sourwood tree fruit persists on the tree until winter. To propagate a sourwood tree from seed, you need a seedling tray filled with a moist potting medium. The sourwood is the only species in the genus Oxydendrum. Sourwood has no serious disease or pest problems. Pests are usually not a problem for Sourwood. The Sourwood Tree has few disease or pest problems and it can be treated effortlessly for the ones it does come across. They bloom during mid-summer. Sourwoods are not drought-tolerant plants and require plenty of moisture during the growing seasons. Leaves contain oxalic acid and acidic to taste. The tree transplants easily when young and from containers of any size. This site was last updated on March 3, 2023. Too much cool air, humidity, and ground moisture can cause leaf spot fungi to affect foliage. In mid-summer, small, white, urn-shaped flowers mature on panicles. Sourwood Tree Seedlings or better known as Oxydendron Arboretum. Flowers on sourwood trees are panicles of creamy-white, urn-shaped flowers that grow on one side of the stems and bloom in June and July. And the honey made from the flowers of the sourwood tree is prized by beekeepers and is often sold at a higher price. Flowers are quite attractive to bees and the honey is highly sought after. Sourwood tree (Oxydendrum arboreum) with red leaves in the autumn. Lumber is used for tool handles and was once used to make wagon sled runners. This tree has vivid red autumn foliage and tiny, woody fruit that persists into fall. Dig a hole twice as wide as the tree's root ball, ease the tree from its nursery pot, untangle its roots and center it in the hole. The ideal soil is moist and rich in organic content. It is not snobby like some ornamentals which require fussing and tending. Discover more about the small businesses partnering with Amazon and Amazon's . Mix peat, composted pine bark or other organic material into the removed soil and begin refilling the hole, stopping halfway to water the roots and let the tree settle. To take care of sourwood trees, dont stint on water. Sourwood is an attractive tree with white flowers that bloom in early summer and excellent fall color. Similarly, the edible white sourwood flowers have a fresh, acidic taste. The sourwood grows in acidic, loamy, moist, sandy, well-drained and clay soils. Its place in the ecosystem as an understory tree really allows it to be the understated underdog while making a visual impression that will be sure to win your heart. This tree will not tolerate dry, compacted, alkaline soils or deicing salt, and is sensitive to root disturbance, so it is not ideal for urban areas. Sourwood has a deep and fibrous root system and has a reputation for being difficult to transplant or move. Native Americans utilized sourwood branches for arrow shafts. An Equal Opportunity University. Pests are usually not a problem for Sourwood. RM R8WEF4 - Sourwood tree, used by the Cherokee for arrow shafts, Qualla Reservation, North Carolina. The leaves provide a tangy, tart flavor to stews when cooked. Sycamore Diseases. Ewing is located in USDA Zone 6b. The slender clusters of bell-like flowers measure 4 to 8 (10 20 cm) long. Fruits on sourwood trees are small oval, egg-shaped capsules with a yellowish or greenish color that mature to grayish-brown color. Their trunk will grow as large as 50 cm in diameter. Click here, then click on your county either on the map or from the list of counties below it. Also called the sorrel tree, a unique feature of the sourwood tree is that its the only species in the Oxydendrum genus. U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness, Different Types Of Sorrel - Learn About Common Sorrel Varieties, Sorrel Plant Uses - Tips On Using Sorrel Herbs In Cooking, Using Sorrel Herbs - How To Prepare Sorrel Plants, Growing Hostas In Colorado And The Southwest US, Problems With Butterfly Bushes: Common Butterfly Bush Pests And Diseases, Pears And Fire Blight: How To Treat Pear Tree Blight, Hardy Kiwi Diseases: How To Treat A Sick Kiwi Plant, Feeding Amaryllis Plants Learn How And When To Fertilize Amaryllis Bulbs, Home & Garden Marketplace: Advertiser Info. If you are thinking of planting sourwood trees, youll want to learn more sourwood tree information. After filling the hole, press down the soil to remove air pockets and thoroughly water the ground. Twig blight kills leaves at the branch tips. The forest floor is covered in fallen leaves, which break down into leaf mold; this is the fungal material of decomposing leaves. Fragrant white blooms in July in elongated clusters. Her thousands of published articles cover topics from travel and gardening to pet care and technology. Steve Nix is a member of the Society of American Foresters and a former forest resources analyst for the state of Alabama. For questions about home gardening, landscaping or commercial horticulture production, please contact your county extension agent. When fully grown, these products can reach 30-60 feet and prefer well-drained soils. List of pests, diseases and tolerances: There aren't any serious insect or disease problems. Trees grow best in moist, well-drained acidic soils in full sun to light shade. Alternate, simple, finely-toothed, glossy green leaves (3 to 6 inches long to 1 to 3 inches wide) entire to serrate margin shiny and glossy, reminiscent of a peach or laurel leaf. Additionally, its helpful to remove any suckers or branches that grow near the trunks base. Young sourwood trees with green and red leaves. Plant Clinic Manager. Site design : Academic Web Pages. The Sourwood tree (Oxydendrum arboreum) is also known as the lily of the valley because of its beautiful flowers. Pennsylvania to Florida, west to Louisiana and Ohio. You can find them growing in oak-heath forests, near riverbanks, and along roadsides. PLANTFILES. Sourwood has no serious pests or diseases. The tree does reasonably well in dry, neutral soils. The Sourwood Tree is a tree that grows in the Appalachian Mountains of North Georgia, North Carolina, and parts of Tennessee. Native geographic location and habitat: . The flower panicles are long and slender and can curve upward, with the urn-shaped flowers dangling downward. A native tree of North America, the sourwood is one of the few endemic trees that is not found in other continents unless planted and has no related species. Sourwood, also known as Lily of the Valley, is renowned by beekeepers for the high-quality honey that their pollen lends. Fall foliage is red to reddish-purple. In autumn, sourwood leaves develop colorful fall foliage in vibrant shades of crimson red to burgundy and purple. Let your sourwood establish for a year before fertilizing. (sourwood), leaves, fall color, Oxydendrum arboreum (L.) DC. Provides great fall color, with leaves turning crimson, purplish-red and sometimes yellow in the fall. Sign up to get all the latest gardening tips! First, the trees dont tolerate urban pollution and wont thrive in city environments. Native to the rocky hills and understory of the Appalachians, the sourwood enjoys the cooler weather of the upland eastern seaboard but can also do well as far south as Louisiana. The amazing honey from sourwood blossoms has a spicy aroma, sweet caramel taste, and pleasant aftertaste. One of the first trees to color in the fall it . Join in The Morton Arboretum's mission to plant and protect trees for a greener, healthier, and more beautiful world. Another reason why the sourwood is so valuable as an ornamental tree in the landscape is because it does get seriously damaged by any insects or diseases that take up residence. Julie Janoski. The bell-shaped, 1/4- to 1/3-inch white flowers crowd into panicles up to 10 inches long which dangle from the tips of drooping branches in midsummer. Help trees thrive in the Chicago region and around the world. The leaves are dark green in summer and change to red or a mix of red and orange in fall. It prefers normal moisture but has some drought tolerance. Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum). Its vital to prune a sourwood tree when its young to help develop an attractive shape. With proper care, sourwoods can be ornamental overachievers. Prepared by Mary P. Tucker for the Georgia Native Plant Society. It is the ideal ornamental tree when it reaches maturity when it can bloom after about its fifth season. last year. Culture: Sun to part shade. Unfortunately, this feeding habit causes new sprouts and stems to die back, resulting in poor growth. Because of this, it is adaptable to various light conditions which makes it incredible versatile as invaluable in ornamental horticulture. Sourwood thrives in low-saline, acidic soil with a pH between 3.7 and 6.5 with consistent moisture and good drainage. It is tolerant of shade and dry soils and moderately tolerant of salt. Buy this plant from 2 Gardenality Business Profiles . Bare root plants need to be planted within 2-3 days of receiving unless weather-related problems prohibit planting. Those panicles age into sweeping sprays of 1/3-inch oval, greenish-brown seed capsules which turn a silvery gray by . This plant blooms in early summer, and blooms up the axis. The sourwood spends most of its time in the understory of the forests, draped in the shade of huge canopy trees like oaks and maples. Techniques have been described for sourwood seed collection, storage, and germination (2,5,14). Most of the critical pruning for sourwoods is when the trees are relatively immature. It is home primarily in the woodlands and along the water. Birch Trees: Types, Leaves, Bark - Identification (With Images), Types of Trees With Thorns (Pictures and Names) - Identification Guide, White Oak Tree: Leaves, Bark, Fruit (Acorn) (Picture) Identification, Tree Fertilizers: When and How (Including The Best Tree Fertilizers), Sourwood Tree (Oxydendrum arboreum): Leaves, Bark, Flowers Identification Guide (With Pictures), panicles of creamy-white, urn-shaped flowers, Small or Dwarf Weeping Trees for Landscaping, Small Trees for Landscaping Compact Spaces. The best way to get rid of caterpillars is to handpick them and kill them in soapy water. Oxydendrum arboreum, or Sourwood, is a deciduous smalltree that may grow 20 to 30feet tall and a trunk 8 to 12 inches in diameter. Sourwood is a tree for all seasons, rewarding you with year-round beauty, according to native plant enthusiast Helen Hamilton of Williamsburg. Digital photograph. If you are thinking of planting sourwood trees, you'll want to learn more sourwood tree information. Full sun to partial shade. UF/IFAS Electronic Data Information System, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Because sourwoods grow well in partial shade, they are excellent under-story trees. Sourwood honey is very popular where this tree is found in abundance. Also, keep a 5-foot (1.5-meter) clearance beneath the canopy by removing limbs from the tree. Occasionally young specimens have a more open spreading habit reminiscent of Redbud. Send mail to cgcass0@uky.edu with questions about this site. Terminal inflorescences resemble the elongated, bony fingers of a witch. Come discover lush, green landscapes, and find respite and inspiration in the shade of towering trees. Tom Potterfield / Flickr / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. On first-year shoots, the bark is often bright red. The scientific name for sourwood comes from the Greek words oxys (acid) and dendron (tree) and refers to the sour taste of its leaves. A sourwood faced with combined heat and drought drops its leaves. Fertilize sourwood by adding aged compost to the dripline at least once a year. It is of little value as a timber species but the wood is heavy and is used locally for handles, firewood and in mixture with other species for pulp. In time, the flowers produce dry seed capsules that ripen in autumn. That being said, here are a few of the rare cultivars to have actually made it into cultivation in the trade: Pruning the sourwood is a pure joy as it is very slow-growing, and the only worries you should have are pruning the tree for structure and establishing a single leader. Grows to 25'-30', 20' spread. If you encounter issues loading this site, please refresh the page by using Ctrl + F5 if on Windows or Cmd + Shift + R if on Mac. (sourwood), bark. Size: City trees are usually about 25-30' at maturity. Blooms from June to early July, with fragrant white flowers on drooping stalks that look very similar to lilies-of-the-valley. It would be best to trim off weak-looking branches to leave five to eight evenly spaced branches. Although they will tolerate partial shade, youll get less flowers and the fall color will not be as bright. Once the tree is established you can taper the supplemental watering off and let nature take over. It produces small, persistent, tan, dry capsules. The bark is red-brown with deep vertical furrows that separate flat, pointed ridges. Branches droop toward the ground forming a graceful outline when planted as a single specimen. Individual sourwood flowers are small, regular, symmetrically shaped, fragrant, and showy. The largest known sourwood in North America is in Robbinsville, N.C. Find on the Map. Leaf spot and twig blight infrequently occur on the Sourwood tree. The brownish capsules measure up to 0.5 (1.2 cm) long and provide visual ornamental interest contrasting with the vibrantly colored red foliage. I'm in the earliest stages of planning a house. . Capsules contrast well with the red fall color and provide continuing ornamental interest after leaf drop into winter. Just like the leaves, these flowers also have a fresh, acidic taste. Moderately resistant to deer damage. The trees typically grow 25 feet (8 m.) tall in your backyard but can shoot up to 60 feet (18 m.) tall in the wild. The flowers are attractive to butterflies and other insects. The best way to deal with canker diseases is to prune and destroy infected limbs. Pests are usually not a problem for Sourwood. After filling the hole and. Silvery seed capsules continue well into winter, after the scarlet- and-orange autumn leaves drop. Sourwood tree's beautiful white flowers are also edible. Flowers have a 5 lobed calyx and an urceolate corolla that is finely downy, white, 5-lobed, and minute. The best care you can give it is knowing what it likes and doesn't like. After the danger of frost has passed in spring and the seedlings are at least 6 (15 cm) tall, place the seedling tray in a shaded area in your garden. Excellent fall color. Sourwood thrive along road cuts, often sprouting from stumps left behind. Sourwood Honey is one of the most sought after honeys in the world. Choose a location with well-draining, slightly acidic soil to plant a sourwood tree.