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My Oak Does Not Lose Leaves in the Fall

Certain species of oak trees, belonging to the genus Quercus, retain their leaves through the fall months, making them valuable landscaping trees that help keep your property green as other trees drop leaves. Some are evergreen, while others are what botanists call “tardily deciduous,” waiting until the very end of autumn or the beginning of winter before shedding foliage. Where you live in North America plays an important role in when a specific oak tree loses its leaves.

  1. Evergreen Oaks

    • Those oaks termed "evergreen" are unlike needled coniferous trees, such as pines and spruces, in that they do actually shed their foliage each year. However, this occurs during the springtime, and happens within a short period. The live oak, for example, is an evergreen oak that drops its leaves during springtime, while generating new ones to replace them at the same time, according to the Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce.

    Semi-Evergreen Oaks

    • The water oak and the laurel oak are examples of semi-evergreen oak trees. These oaks do not drop their foliage in the fall months as most other types of oaks do. Their leaves do drop off, but not until the autumn months are over or nearly so. The laurel oak retains its leaves until the following spring, much as the live oak does. The water oak’s foliage changes from a dull blue-green shade to yellowish tints before coming down from the branches at the very end of fall or early in winter.

    Geography and Types

    • The live oak is a common evergreen oak in the southeastern United States, where only a few oaks are evergreen or semi-evergreen. Many more species of oaks that are evergreen occur in the western states, especially in the Southwest or along the coastal regions of California or Oregon. Species such as canyon live oak, interior live oak, California live oak, Engelmann oak, silverleaf oak, Arizona white oak and emory oak are all types of evergreen oaks in western North America.

    USDA Zones

    • The northern portions of North America, where winters are much colder, will not support the growth of evergreen or semi-evergreen oak trees. U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones such as zones 3 through 6 are too cold in winter for these types of trees to survive. The warmer zones are where these oaks serve as landscaping tools. Water oak, for instance, keeps its foliage nearly the entire winter in USDA zones 8 and 9. Live oaks are not suitable for regions where the average low temperature in January is colder than about 42 degrees F. USDA zones 7 through 9 fit this description.

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Landscaping Trees
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