Festival Sweetgum Tree
Liquidambar styraciflua 'Festival'
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Festival Sweetgum Tree - 4x4x6 Container 2-3 Feet is backordered and will ship as soon as it is back in stock.
Plant Sentry™
Plant Sentry™
Plant Sentry is designed to protect both consumers and the nursery trade from invasive plant pests and diseases. Sites that display the Plant Sentry protection badge are protected from consumers buying and nurseries shipping material carrying invasive pests and diseases.
This proprietary eCommerce software prevents the shipment of a restricted plant to each state. The Plant Sentry system includes a shipment certification program. The Plant Sentry Compliance Officer works closely with NatureHills.com and each nursery or fulfillment center to ensure only compliant plants are sold to customers.
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Delivery and Shipping
Delivery and Shipping
Shipping
To obtain a more accurate shipment time-frame, simply enter your zip code in the “Find Your Growing Zone” box to the right. Our plants are grown all over the country and lead time on items may be different because of this. Once your order is placed, you will also receive the specific shipment time-frame information as part of your order confirmation. Once an item ships, you will receive shipment notification and tracking numbers, so you can follow along while your plant travels to your doorstep. We use FedEx, UPS, or USPS at our discretion.
Due to winter weather we have put a hold on shipping to the areas shown below in grey. You can still order now and we will ship the plant to you during an appropriate time for your zone.
Standard Shipping Rates
At Nature Hills we handle, package and ship the products you order with the utmost care to ensure healthy delivery. Shipping and handling charges are calculated based on the tables below. Please note that some items include an additional handling surcharge, these will be noted on the item's product page.
| From | To | S&H |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $19.99 | $24.99 |
| $20 | $49.99 | $29.99 |
| $50 | $69.99 | $34.99 |
| $70 | $99.99 | $39.99 |
| $100 | $129.99 | $44.99 |
| $130 | $149.99 | $48.99 |
| $150 | $150+ | Approx 28% |
Click here to see our full rates
Understanding Plant Options
Nature Hills offers plants in two main formats:
- Container Plants: Grown in pots with soil, sized by container volume and plant age
- Bare Root Plants: Dormant plants without soil, sized by height measurements
Container Plant Sizes
Container sizes indicate plant age and growing capacity rather than liquid volume equivalents. Our containers follow industry-standard nursery "trade gallon" specifications, which differ from standard liquid gallon measurements.
Young Plants (6 months to 18 months old)
| Container Size | Actual Volume | Metric Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 2" x 2" x 3" | 0.18 - 0.21 dry quarts | 0.20 - 0.23 dry liters |
| 4" Container | 0.31 - 0.87 dry quarts | 0.35 - 0.96 dry liters |
| 4.5" Container | 0.65 dry quarts | 0.72 dry liters |
| 6" Container | 1.4 dry quarts | 1.59 dry liters |
| 1 Quart | 1 dry quart | 1.1 dry liters |
| 5.5" Container | 1.89 dry quarts | 2.08 dry liters |
Established Plants (18 months to 2.5 years old)
| Container Size | Actual Volume | Metric Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Quart | 2 dry quarts | 2.2 dry liters |
| #1 Container | 2.26 - 3.73 dry quarts | 2.49 - 4.11 dry liters |
| 5" x 5" x 12" | 3.5 - 4.3 dry quarts | 3.85 - 4.74 dry liters |
Mature Plants (2-4 years old)
| Container Size | Actual Volume | Metric Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| #2 Container | 1.19 - 1.76 dry gallons | 5.24 - 7.75 dry liters |
| #3 Container | 2.15 - 2.76 dry gallons | 8.14 - 12.16 dry liters |
Large Plants (3-5 years old)
| Container Size | Actual Volume | Metric Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| #5 Container | 2.92 - 4.62 dry gallons | 12.86 - 20.35 dry liters |
| #6 Container | 5.25 - 6.01 dry gallons | 23.12 - 26.42 dry liters |
| #7 Container | 5.98 - 6.53 dry gallons | 26.34 - 28.76 dry liters |
Bare Root Plants
Bare root plants are sold by height from the root system to the top of the plant. Plants may exceed minimum height requirements.
Common Sizes:
- Trees: 1 foot, 2 feet, 3 feet, 4 feet, 5 feet, 6 feet
- Shrubs & Perennials: 1 foot, 18 inches, 2 feet
Important Notes
Container Volume Specifications
- Trade Gallon Standard: Our containers follow industry-standard "trade gallon" specifications established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI Z60.1) for nursery stock
- Volume Variations: Actual soil volume may vary due to plant root systems and growing medium settlement
- Age Indicators: Container size primarily indicates plant age and maturity rather than liquid volume equivalents
Growing Conditions
- Plant size can vary based on variety and growing conditions
- Container size helps indicate plant maturity and establishment level
- Larger containers generally mean more established root systems and faster landscape establishment
Seasonal Availability
- Bare root plants are available seasonally when dormant
- Container plants are available throughout the growing season
- Specific varieties may have limited availability in certain sizes
Questions?
For questions about specific plant sizes or availability, please contact our plant experts who can help you choose the right size for your landscape needs.
Plant Highlights
Festival Sweetgum Tree highlights at a glance!
Specifications
Specifications
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Brand
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Botanical Name
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Growing Zones
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Mature Height
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Mature Spread
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Sun ExposureFull Sun
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Moisture
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Soil
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Growth RateMedium
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Flower Color
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Fall Color
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Pollinator Friendly
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Pollinator Required
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Pruning Time
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Bloom PeriodLate Spring
Growing Zones 5-9
The name says it all, this beautiful shade tree delivers a festival of fall colors! A highly regarded selection, Festival Sweetgum Tree (Liquidambar styraciflua 'Festival) is both tall and very narrow in form, making it ideal for modern and urban lots. The spring flower clusters become persistent spikey seed balls that birds love!
This tree boasts a perfectly straight trunk and interesting, corky ridges that run all along the bark. But its most outstanding feature is the spectacular early fall color! The Festival Liquidambar's beautiful glossy star-shaped leaves turn a mix of oranges, reds, and yellows with hints of purple in the fall.
The color comes on slowly, so the progression is an ever-changing display of fall color that lasts well over a month. This fall color is particularly appreciated in milder climates of USDA growing zones 5 to 9, where dazzling fall color is not as common! Use this fabulous improved native variety in your warm-weather yard but be prepared! You'll have to host a Block Party every year to celebrate its beautiful fall leaves.
Planting and Application:
Festival Sweetgum's size and narrow form make it ideal to line a driveway or to provide shade from the hot afternoon sun in a smaller yard, or side yard! Smaller urban lots light up with the addition of these stately and colorful specimen trees!
Host guests around a backyard bonfire just as the leaves begin to set off their own fiery colors! Or shock all the neighbors with a specimen planting on a berm as a crown jewel to your front yard curb appeal! Create naturalized groupings that attract songbirds and wildlife!
Lovely shade trees in backyard seating areas, using a mulched bed around the tree so you won't have to worry about the ornamental spikey seed balls getting into your lawn or underfoot. Loving higher moisture, plant Festival Sweet Gum in Rain Gardens and moist soil locations along streambanks and ponds.
- Star-Shaped Green Foliage
- Beautiful Fall Colors
- Stays Narrow for Modern Yards
- Bird-Friendly Seedpods & Sheltering Strong Branches
- Perfect Accent Tree, Shade & Specimens
#ProPlantTips for Care:
Sweetgum trees are pest and disease-free and easy to grow and care for! Best in full sun and well-drained, moist, and slightly acidic average soils, but can tolerate wetter soils and periodic drought for a short time, including salt, alkaline, and clay sites. Establish your tree with careful watering, and thereafter, water regularly to protect your investment.
Apply a 3-4 inch deep layer of pine bark or pine straw mulch to young trees, and spread it three feet outside the canopy. Spread the mulch out further for mature trees to keep the spiked seedpods from getting into the lawn. You will find that your Sweetgum has such a great form you will need to do little or no pruning, but if you do prune it is best to trim in the spring.
- Easy Care Native Cultivar in Full Sun
- Tolerates Periodically Wet & Dry Well-Drained Soils
- Widely Adaptable to Many Well-Drained Soil Conditions
- Pruning Best Done In Spring
- Easy Care & Pest & Disease Resistant
Gorgeous color, slim profile, and easy native hardiness, the Festival Sweetgum Tree will bring the festivities to your landscape with ease! Order now at Nature Hills!
Vibrant Fall Color for Warmer Zones
Liquidambars - also known as Sweegums - have long been an important source for flavorings, perfumes, and folk medicines. Now, they are a popular group of shade or accent trees. These are widely distributed native trees growing throughout the Eastern and Western seaboards and into South Texas.
Festival was one of the 3 Liquidambar selections released by the Saratoga Horticultural Institute in the late 1950s. These specially selected trees were improvements over the native Sweetgum. Much improved color and reduced seed production were the happy results.
