There are 600 varieties of oaks in the world (130 are cultivated in the nursery).
The originality of this genus is its diversity: there are oaks with willow leaves, oaks with chestnut leaves, ... Some of them have a large development; they will live 500 years, 1000 years and can reach 40 meters high. Others are of small development. With a long life expectancy of 300 to 400 years, the smallest of these oaks will reach 2.50 m and the largest 5-6 m; they are ideal for small gardens.
The Quercus bivoniana, the olive leaf oak. It can reach 8 to 12 meters depending on the soil and climate. It is a very useful oak to make a visual screen (hedge) in case of opposite because, on the one hand, it has an evergreen foliage (its thinness gives it an air of olive leaf) and, on the other hand, it can be led in vines (not only in high-stem), by keeping the branches at the base of the trunk. In this configuration, the plantation is made every 2,50 m between feet, and a pruning is made every year so that the trees are very well furnished.
It is possible to choose its rootstock according to the soil that will receive it: calcareous, wet or dry.
Its acorn is very decorative: larger than that of the common oak, its cup looks like a flower with many petals.
Quercus alba 'Longigemma', an American white oak. It is an oak that can reach a height of 15 to 20 m. In spring its young shoots are reddish pink, and turn green during the summer. In the fall, the foliage takes on beautiful autumn colors, wine lees. The leaves dry but remain in the tree (marcescent tree). It is also a grafted tree that can adapt to many types of land.
Note: not all oaks produce acorns, so grafting is used as a method of reproduction.
