Illustration
Northern Red Oak
Quercus rubra
Also called red oak, american red oak, eastern red oak and mountain red oak
Northern Red Oak blooms from May through May.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Northern Red Oak
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–8. Expect it to reach about 63 ft tall and 63 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 12 years (a house reading).
Is Northern Red Oak toxic to dogs?
- Listed as toxic to dogs by Royal Horticultural Society.
- Not yet checked for cats.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
What was checked
Nine facts were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Soil, diseases, pests, toxicity and the plant's own names have not yet been read for this plant, and its trait tags are the ones a feature uses rather than every word a page prints. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Northern Red Oak
Plant Northern Red Oak in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 5, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 8, spring means April to June and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms in May.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 5, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 5 in April. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Northern Red Oak get?
63 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult63 ftwideSee Northern Red Oak in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Northern Red Oak
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Give Northern Red Oak about 63 ft of clear ground in every direction, measured from its center. It is one plant with room around it, not a row, and a raised bed is too small for it.
Add Northern Red Oak to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Northern Red Oak's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags were checked against 8 published sources on October 23, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- NC State Extensionheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- mckaynursery.comMcKay Nurseryheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water and bloom months and color
- campustrees.umn.eduUniversity of Minnesota Campus Treesheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and bloom months and color
- Chicago Botanic Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and bloom months and color
- The Morton Arboretumheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water and trait tags
- woodyplants.cals.cornell.eduCornell Universityheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water and trait tags
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societywater, bloom months and color and trait tags
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Where it grows wild
Native to 34 states and 5 provinces
United States: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and 22 more
Canada: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec
Recorded growing wild in 1,349 counties.
Range data from the World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 4.0, adapted) and USDA PLANTS. How the native range is credited.
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.