Cork Oak Nursery Stock

[luvinthemountains]

I was at a local nursery looking for native scrub oak stock, and came across this cork oak, q. suber, with an interesting trunk. Initially I thought I had found my scrub oak because the leaves are so similar, but the bark is anything but. I'm happy.

I am posting a photo of my preferred front, with a shoot strapped in an dupward direction at a future chop point. Thoughts?



Here is an alternative front. The movement is more attractive, but it would not hide the chop as well.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Go with more attractive, there are a number of ways to hide the chop. You can chop lower, or you can carve the chop, hiding the chop with foliage is a time honored trick too. Always use the most attractive side as your front.

While the chop may be unattractive today, new back buds and new branches will in the future help hide it in the long run.

In the long run, you can carve or re-cut the chop so it faces the back of the tree. Don't worry too much about today's appearance.

 

[BrianBay9]

These guys heal over large wounds pretty rapidly, at least for an oak. So I agree with Leo. If the chop bugs you in the short term, I've even seen people save some of the bark from the discarded portion of trunk and stick it to the chop site to disguise it.

 

[Potawatomi13]

First see what surface rootage is. May vastly change angle and front.

 

[luvinthemountains]

I chopped lower in the late winter, and the tree is just starting to take off! The heavy first branch may come off in favor of one of the multiple sprouts emerging on that bend.