Northernmost sightings and reliability in cold hardiness of the Sweet Gum Tree?

[Stagemomma]

Originally Posted by TinaMcG

They are ALL OVER the Kansas City area, and everyone who has them HATES them. As Stagemomma says, the gumballs are a nightmare. Once you've collected them though, they are great slug and snail barrier, and if you mound them high enough around things rabbits love to eat, they'll stay away as well.

Not much beats a sweet gum for fall color though, and the leaf shape is very elegant and beautiful.

We opted for the much smaller and less offensive Black Gum.

Well, now, maybe the universe is aligning, because the second most annoying nemesis in my yard is the critters that ate my blueberries and/or live under my bedroom. I might be able to work this out........

[Isleofpalms85]

[quote=no kudzu;37035591]why would anybody want to grow a sweet gum tree when there are so many other beautiful choices. I broke some bones in my elbow a few years ago after tripping on sweet gum balls and you haven't lived through pain until your older brother and his friends pummeled you with sweet gum balls. They should be outlawed.[/QUOTE

. How about that a reasonable explanation that they produce some of the most varied and beautiful fall colors here in indianapolis that few other trees types seen in indianapolis can beat, many if not most sweet gums in the circle city provide colors ranging from lemon yellow through various shades of orange red burgundy and even purple,....all on the same tree in numerous cases in indianapolis, it is also available in fruitless varieties now so that is another bonus for people like you.

[denverian]

[quote=Isleofpalms85;37046501]

Originally Posted by no kudzu

why would anybody want to grow a sweet gum tree when there are so many other beautiful choices. I broke some bones in my elbow a few years ago after tripping on sweet gum balls and you haven't lived through pain until your older brother and his friends pummeled you with sweet gum balls. They should be outlawed.[/QUOTE

. How about that a reasonable explanation that they produce some of the most varied and beautiful fall colors here in indianapolis that few other trees types seen in indianapolis can beat, many if not most sweet gums in the circle city provide colors ranging from lemon yellow through various shades of orange red burgundy and even purple,....all on the same tree in numerous cases in indianapolis, it is also available in fruitless varieties now so that is another bonus for people like you.

I'll admit they have great fall color. Where we lived in Orange County, they would hold their color for over a month. But I don't plant anything just for the fall color because it comes and goes so fast. I'm more concerned with what a tree looks like when it's green.

[southernnaturelover]

Originally Posted by denverian

I grew up in KC and we had one. HORRIBLE tree! Besides the sticker balls, the roots tore up a quarter of our back yard.

Living in Denver now, I've never seen one here, even though we're near the same latitude as KC, and much further south than Detroit. I wonder if they don't like higher elevation? Not that I care, because I hate them!

You see them a lot in the Los Angeles area. My guess is because they're about the only tree that turns colors there in Fall. Most deciduous trees, if planted where it never freezes, don't do well or turn colors.

I hike in the Smoky Mountains often, and I've always noticed once you get to the higher elevations (above maybe 3,500ft) the Sweetgums gradually disappear.

[North 42]

There's a fair amount of Sweet Gums here in the Windsor area.

[Port North]

"Moraine" dooes well on the Niagara Peninsula of Canada. The regular sweetgum is a bit stunted there and leafs out super late.