Quercus warei Chimney Fire

Quercus x warei 'Chimney Fire' is a variety of hybrid oak cultivated for its high resistance to mildew, narrow silhouette, and brightly coloured autumn foliage. It is a medium-sized tree with a dense and regular columnar habit, particularly useful for adding verticality to the garden. Its deciduous foliage, widely lobed and tough, is a shiny dark green and turns fiery shades of red-orange and yellow before falling. Perfectly hardy and long-lived, this tree tolerates both drought and temporary flooding. It can be grown in any deep, fairly rich soil in full sun.

Quercus x warei 'Chimney Fire' is the result of an interspecific cross-breeding obtained by Guy Sternberg at the Starhill Forest Arboretum in the United States. The Quercus belong to the family of Fagaceae. This variety, 'Chimney Fire', has a dense and narrow conical habit that reaches a height of 12 m and a spread of 9 m at maturity. The leaves are smooth, tough, generally oblong and divided into 6-8 lobes on each side, slightly pointed. Shiny dark green with silvery down on the underside in summer, they take on magnificent autumnal hues, ranging from yellow to bright red, passing through orange-red, and persist on the branches until winter. This oak flowers insignificantly in spring, then produces brown ovoid acorns with silver caps, 2.5 cm in size. It is a fairly fast-growing oak with a good lifespan.

This hybrid oak Chimney Fire thrives in any acid, neutral, or limestone soil that is well-drained, deep, and rich, preferably not too dry. It can be grown as an ornamental tree in medium to large gardens. It will express its full potential when planted individually, in rows, or as an informal hedge, where its narrow and dense habit, as well as its autumn foliage, will provide depth and verticality. Dare to combine this characterful tree with other deciduous trees with contrasting silhouettes (maples, ashes, limes), or with shrubs and tall woodland perennials.