The pin oak is a native oak widely used for landscaping due to its pleasing habit, relatively fast growth rate and ease of transplanting; the latter two characteristics are uncommon for the oak genus. However, the pin oak prefers acidic soil and is intolerant of alkaline soil to the point of potentially severe chlorosis. In the generally alkaline soils of northeastern Illinois, substantial soil amendment may be required for a pin oak to thrive. Identifying features of pink oak include deeply cut leaves and branches that are drooping at the bottom of the tree and ascending at the top. Fall color is variable with shades of yellow, orange and red present all at the same time.

The genus Quercus includes more than 600 species of the oak tree, of which 90 are native to North America; the Chicago Botanic Garden's collection contains more than 60 varieties and over 1,000 individual trees. Twenty oak species are native to Illinois.

Oaks are slow growing, long lived, hard wood trees that produce fruit we all know as acorns. Within the white oak group, acorns mature annually; in the red oak group, acorns take two years to mature (biennial). Oaks are often imposing shade trees at maturity and provide habitat and food for a variety of wildlife.