Frank P Matthews
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A compact, deciduous tree with deeply-lobed, mid-green leaves, turning bright orange-red in autumn. Read more
Description: 'Gum Ball', also called Sweet Gum Gum Ball is the perfect tree for small gardens! Mid green, maple-like leaves persist for a long time and turn shades of yellow, orange, red and burgundy before falling in winter. Inconspicuous greenish flowers in spring develop into spiny, spherical, green fruit during autumn. Usually forms a ball-shaped canopy with little or no pruning, but can be pruned in winter, when the deeply ribbed grey bark provides some extra interest.
History: A dwarf cultivar of the North American native deciduous tree Liquidambar styraciflua it was discovered in Tennessee in 1965 and grafted onto a clear stem to create an attractive round crown.
Liquidamber Growing Tips: Liquidambar should be planted in full sun to achieve their best colour, in neutral to acid soil that is moist but well-drained. Once the trees mature, they tolerate occasional drought as well as periodic flooding. Protect from frost when young.
Height and Spread (after 10 years): 3m x 2m
Sweet Gum
Green star-shaped leaves, edged in white margins. Autumn red/purple colours. Upright growth, typical corky bark.
Shining maple-like green leaves turning rich, blackish crimson-red in autumn. Height after 10 yrs up to 6m.
Glossy green summer leaves with distinctive deep purple and red autumn colour.
A fine, slender, columnar tree. Deeply lobed, star-shaped, dark green leaves turn shades of yellow, orange and red in autumn.
Your tree will have been pruned prior to despatch so there should be no need to prune straight away. The only exception is a bare root maiden which will not have been pruned. Some varieties will benefit from being pruned later – please see the variety specific information.
We would advise watering your tree when planting and then regularly during the first summer in the ground. Thereafter the level of watering will depend on the soil and weather conditions. It is best to not let young trees dry out.
A free booklet with simple instructions will also be included with your order.
You can also find more information in the ‘Advice’ section of our website. Click here for ‘How to Plant a Container Tree’ and here for ‘How to Plant a Bare Root Tree’.
Trees should always be planted as soon as possible. The only exception would be bare root trees if the soil is very frozen or waterlogged, in which case heel the trees in until the ground is ready. Bare root trees must be planted before new growth appears in spring, this is usually in March.
If your tree is to be kept in a container, then we’d advise repotting into a larger container as soon as possible. Please check to see whether the tree is suitable for a pot before purchasing.
Yes, you can collect the trees from the nursery. Please select the ‘Collect’ option when placing the order. We will email you as soon as your order is ready for collection, we will then need at least two working days to prepare your order.
The delivery charge is calculated according to the number of boxes needed to send the trees. One container grown tree will need one box; bare root trees vary but we can usually get about three in a box. The total delivery cost will be shown when you place the order.
We currently do not deliver to any addresses outside of mainland Great Britain.
We will notify you by email when your order has been despatched. It will usually be delivered within three days from notification.
Our boxes are 2 metres tall and 30cm square.
We are unable to offer a scheduled delivery service as we cannot guarantee an exact delivery date. We can aim for a specific week if you let us know.
Our courier company will leave the package in the safest place if there is no one there, so there is no need to sign for the delivery.
Container grown trees are available from August and bare root trees are available from November. We always aim to deliver your order as soon as every item is ready for despatch.
If the whole order is ready when purchased, it usually takes between 5 and 10 working days to arrive.
See below for a guide on when bare root trees are usually ready for despatch.
Early November – Two year old plums, cherries, apples and then pears.Late November – One year maiden plums, cherries, apples and then pears.Late November/Early December – Ornamental prunus, sorbus, thorns, malus and then pyrus.
This is an estimate as the lifting of bare root trees is very weather dependent.
If you are unhappy with your tree when it arrives, please email sales@fpmatthews.co.uk within five working days and we will get back to you as soon as possible.