Hugo Maes is expert grower of fair and holm oak trees

From accidental find to core business

Some ten years ago, while hiking in a high-altitude southern forest, he became intrigued by acorns of Quercus ilex (holm oak) and Quercus coccifera (kermes oak) scattered on the ground. He decided to take them home and try to grow them up. Today, that project is his core business.

Text Philip Doutreligne   |    Image Hugo Maes

Grown with care

He still travels abroad every year to collect acorns. After all, the plants planted in our country are still too young to produce fruit themselves. Moreover, he only works with acorns from plants with small leaves. As a result, they can be pruned nice and tight and form a dense foliage.

The young plants adapt to our climatic conditions without any problems. They are regularly repotted into larger and larger containers until they reach the desired size. Currently, Maes' range in Quercus ilex embraces plant sizes from 30/40 cm to 100/125 cm. The site on which he carefully cultivates the young plants now covers more than a hectare, but is in urgent need of expansion.

Hugo Maes checks out some young cuttings being raised.

Beautiful and winter goen

Quercus ilex is a particularly beautiful plant, with smooth or toothed leathery and dark green leaves. The underside of the leaves turn silver gray. In May and June, the holm oak blooms with an abundance of soft yellow flowers. The plant easily withstands even the harshest winters and remains largely evergreen.

A plant for the future

Quercus ilex will undoubtedly continue to gain much popularity. On the one hand because it is resistant to diseases and insects, on the other hand because it can tolerate extreme heat and drought once it is well-rooted. For example, the kermes oak can even grow in gravelly soil! Especially with climatic warming and increasingly frequent heat waves in our region, Quercus ilex and coccifera offer great prospects. Moreover, the fairy oak is an ideal alternative to boxwood, which is increasingly besieged by the boxwood moth. Thanks to its small leaves, the kermes oak can be pruned into a spherical shape just as nicely.

Some carefully selected acorns.

For any type of planting

The holm oak is originally a tree that can grow tall in its natural habitat. However, the young plants can be perfectly controlled through topiary and thus form tight, compact and continuous hedges or looser shrubs. Ideal for enclosing the garden, creating garden rooms or as eye-catching massifs. Two prunings a year, in April and September, are sufficient to maintain a tight hedge shape. Quercus coccifera can be perfectly applied as ground cover.

Recognition from professional sources

The pioneering work done by Hugo Maes is gradually bearing fruit, even in professional circles. Many garden contractors and landscapers are already using his plants in their own gardens. They also increasingly specify in their specifications that native Quercus should be planted, instead of imported species. This way, their customers can be sure that the plant can handle our changing climate perfectly.

Also for large projects

Quercus ilex and coccifera are not only suitable for the private garden, they are also increasingly appearing in larger projects such as residential areas, apartment complexes and public buildings. Here, too, considerations such as disease resistance, aesthetics, winter hardiness and limited maintenance play a decisive role. Some striking, recent projects in which considerable quantities of holm and kermes oak have been planted include 'Duinenwater' in Knokke and 'Parkresidentie Ter Vichte Resort' in Anzegem-Vichte.