For me, the best oak hybrid is one that I grew from an acorn I picked up from under a swamp chestnut oak/q. michauxii. I assume it's a hybrid, since the leaves are uniformly different from the mother oak, and the most informed people on this forum thought it was a hybrid, probably between q. michauxii and q. lyrata. Many other types of oaks grew around the mother tree, so hybridization could easily have occurred. This tree has grown faster than the other swamp chestnut oaks that I grew from acorns gathered at the same time, also faster than the trees I raised from acorns I gathered from a bluff oak at the same time.
My second best hybrid is Compton's oak, a naturally occurring hybrid between q. virginiana and q. lyrata. For me, it grows faster than either of its parents, it's evergreen like q. virginiana, and the leaves are an attractive combination of the two parents.
Oikos sells a lot of hybrids, mostly suited to northern conditions. I think any oak hybrid would be worth planting, since my experience is that they grow faster than either parent - hybrid vigor must be rampant with oaks.
Sherry

There's no shortage of oak hybrids. Gleason & Cronquist Manual, which deals with NE US and Canada lists 60. The vast majority of these are likely to be of botanical interest and not readily available in the trade.
Bartram's Oak = Q. borealis X phellos. There's a remarkable tree in front of the Bartram House, leaves intermediate between the parents and red fall color. See Link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bartram's Oak

When will chimney fire or birthday candle be available? Or something similar?

Sherry- I have never ordered from Oikos but from what I read on this forum they have some good hybrids. Am interested in your or anyone else's favorites from there.

Buckeye- I'm not a big fastigiate fan so I haven't tried those you mentioned. I have tried the others - Taco is suppose to be an unbelievable grower. Mine is still rooting. When asking about some of the cultivers he discusses in his book, Guy wrote "Some of the cultivars you mention are being grown now in Europe (but it's difficult to import plants back here from there), and a few are just starting here in the US. We are not yet propagating the Q. xfernowii. You might contact the following nurseries here in the US to get on their waiting lists:
McCracken Nursery in North Carolina,
ArborVillage in Missouri
Neither probably has stock available for sale yet, but I've sent them some propagation material so they should be ready in a couple of years. Guy S."

Arborvillage is right down the road from me, so I have picked up several cultivers there over the past few years. They use to have a huge catolog of cultivers, but they seem to have really trimmed thier list.

John

If you order from Oikos, get the smaller trees. The three and four footers I got were very, very spindly and weak, with tiny, tiny winter buds. Several died back and sprouted from the base. Three never leafed out. But all the small ones did fine.

--Spruce

John, I've never ordered any Oikos hybrid oaks, I've just seen them offered for sale in their catalog. I've seen it mentioned a lot on this forum, so I figured a good many people must have ordered from them and can give you some advice, like Spruce just did.
Sherry

This an old thread but I wandered if Missherry is able to post a up to date pic of your Comptons oak. I have 3 that are 2 years in ground ( Give or take a few months) They are doing good. I realize as Hybrids ( Q. Lyrata X Q. Virginiana ) they can favor either parent more or less. There are a few pics on;line of the hybrid trees, one in Colonial Williammsburg, Virginia and another one in the same general area ( east coast). I just wanted to see your Comptons, how it's done and how it looks. Just something to loosely guess how my tree will develope over the next couple years. You are further south so yours may grow faster, but if you can post a pic of your Comptons oak after 4 years of growth, I can guess at mine. I spoil mine with compost tea etc. so soil fertility is okay here. Rain is okay so far. Hope you still check this forum. Thanks.

i like bur-gambel oak for colder zones , very
hardy , slow growing in zone 4a , takes a few
years to grow above the deer browse .

Interesting stuff - I just started researching all the oak hybrids today.

What are some that have good growth rate and at least decent fall color by oak standards, that can perform on a heavy, neutral pH soil, that drains reasonably well, in central Ohio?

Just wandered what happened to some regular posters from a couple years ago, and of course are there any new interesting oak hybrids? I will be needing to replace a tree or 2 and wandered what's new out there, that others have tried and love. Is Bebbs oak a decent speed of growth tree? Anyone have Cherrybark oak? I may just go with Q. Alba from local acorns, but is there anything new worth trying?

Someone came up with a Scarlet Oak/Willow oak hybrid I'm curious about.

I got a procera oak (english x swamp white) seemed to grow 3 feet over night last year

This is a picture of a rare Quercus x picea I saw in the woods.

A sprucoak?