How a food forest stacks native nut trees over fruit trees and berry bushes, how much room and sun each needs, which need a partner, and what to plant first.
Learn
The nursery notebook: choosing, planting and caring for trees
Which native trees and shrubs to plant where, with guides by region, and how to plant and protect them. Field notes on how trees grow and age, and on what a fungus, a gall or a dropped acorn means. Written from primary sources and the nursery's own beds, with every reference listed. Everything here is reviewed and fact-checked by the owner, a naturalist with over 20 years of experience.
Start here
Three to read first
Most trees that die in their first decade were doomed on planting day. The ten mistakes we see most, starting with planting too deep, and the fix for each.
How to tell red oaks from white oaks by the leaf, why the groups differ in acorns, oak wilt and lifespan, and which species fit wet flats, dry ridges or a lawn.
How to tell how old a tree is without cutting it, why the diameter-times-growth-factor rule misleads, and why forest trees outlive the lifespans quoted online.
Seasonal reading
Reading for October and November
Whether to plant trees in fall or spring where you live, how late in the year is too late, and how bare-root, potted and seed stock each keep their own season.
How to tell white oak acorns from red oak acorns, which oaks drop the biggest and smallest, what nuts look like acorns, and how many years until an oak bears.
Why fall leaves turn yellow, orange or red, what the red protects, how frost, drought and a warm fall change the show, and which native trees give each color.
Which eastern trees drop spiky balls, helicopters, long seed pods, nuts and cones, how to tell the look-alikes apart, and which seeds to gather, float and sow.
How to collect sound acorns, nuts and native seed, which sprout at once and which need a cold winter first, where to store and sow them, and the first year.
Why oaks, hickories and beech crop heavily in some years, how red and white oaks keep separate calendars, what mast does to wildlife, and when to collect seed.
All articles, newest first
Why a tree drips or oozes, how to tell insect honeydew from wetwood, rain suds, fermentation or a pruning bleed, what to leave alone, and which signs need help.
Why an old tree dies back from its top, from cut or buried roots and dry years to root rot, oak wilt and borers, how long decline takes, and what still helps.
What borer damage looks like on a trunk, the borers of the East and the trees each one picks, why stress invites them, and how to protect a young tree.
Whether the gray-green crust or the moss on a trunk hurts it, why they favor slow or thinning trees, what a sudden crop means, and why scraping helps nothing.
How cultivars of native shrubs and trees compare with the wild species for caterpillars, bees and birds, which bred traits cost them, and when one is fine.
How to know poison ivy by its leaves, vine and berries, how to tell it from the natives mistaken for it, what it feeds, and how to clear it from a tree safely.
The warning signs of a failing tree, from a new lean and heaving soil to conks, cracks and dead limbs, which trees break most, and what to do after a storm.
Why trees send up shoots from their roots, which natives grow into thickets by nature, when to keep a colony, and how to cut suckers without harming the tree.
How to smother or lift turf without herbicide, when each method works and how long it takes, how to lay out a new bed, and what to plant in sun or shade.
Why a tree's leaves turn yellow in July and August, how the pattern tells chlorosis from drought or soggy roots, which trees are prone, and what to do for each.
How to tell chinquapin oak from chestnut oak by leaf, acorn and bark, how fast each grows, how long it lives, and which suits limestone or a dry, acid ridge.
Why reservoirs and drinking watersheds are surrounded by forest, and what the trees do for the water
Why cities buy and keep woods around their drinking water, how forest soil, roots and shade protect it, how wide a stream buffer should be, and what to plant.
What a silk tent, a web at a branch tip, bags on an evergreen or oaks bare in June mean, why most need nothing, and when and how to step in without spraying.
Why a big tree wilts, scorches and drops leaves in a dry summer, where its roots drink, how long to run a hose, what to skip, and what drought costs next year.
Which native shrubs bloom on old wood and which on new, when to cut each, how to bring back an old, leggy shrub, and which kinds never need pruning at all.
How to tell bur oak from white oak by leaf, acorn and bark, how fast each grows, how long it lives, and which suits limestone, prairie wind or a woodland yard.
A leaf chart for 45 oaks: how to tell red oak leaves from white oak leaves, which oaks have no lobes or only teeth, and why the hairs beneath settle hard cases.
Native trees for the Great Plains: Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, the Dakotas, eastern Colorado and Wyoming
Which native trees suit the Great Plains from Iowa to the Front Range, when to plant against wind and drought, and which pests and diseases to plan around.
Which native trees suit Cape Cod sand, rocky hills, Champlain Valley clay and the cold north, why spring planting is safer up north, and which pests to watch.
Which native trees suit Gulf Coast salt spray, river swamps, chalk prairie and pine sand, which ones stand hurricanes, and when to plant them in the Deep South.
Which native trees suit Ozark glades, chert hills and river bottoms, how zones run in Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma, when to plant, and the pests to expect.
Which native trees suit Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, the Carolinas and north Florida: swampy, sandy, heavy or alkaline soil, and the season to set them out.
Which native trees suit Appalachian limestone valleys, rich coves, dry ridges and high peaks, how height shifts the zones, when to plant, and the pests to know.
Chinquapin vs chestnut: how a bur, a nut and the underside of a leaf tell the two chinkapins from the chestnuts, what blight does to each, and which to plant.
How much weight ice puts on a tree, whether a bent or split tree can be saved, which native trees hold up in ice storms, and what to cut or leave for spring.
Which native trees root deepest and on what soil, how deep pine and spruce roots go, why a taproot fades, and how to plant a taprooted tree so it stays put.
How to tell white oak acorns from red oak acorns, which oaks drop the biggest and smallest, what nuts look like acorns, and how many years until an oak bears.
What causes winter burn on evergreens, how to tell it from natural winter bronzing, road salt or needle disease, when to prune, and how to prevent it next fall.
Which native fruit and nut trees bear soonest, which need two trees or a male, how they fare without sprays, and whether to plant a seedling or a grafted tree.
The native shrubs and trees that fix nitrogen, by partner and soil, why honey locust and redbud do not, and how much a fixer gives the fruit trees nearby.
Why no tree can drain a soggy yard, which native trees and shrubs take standing water or seasonal floods, and what to grow in each part of a rain garden.
Which native trees to plant for a memorial, a new baby or a wedding, how tall each one grows in twenty years, and how to mark the tree without harming it.
Which live Christmas trees survive planting outside, how long one can stay indoors, how to ready the hole in fall, and why a fresh cut tree will not grow.
How to tell tree of heaven from sumac, white mulberry from red and Norway maple from sugar maple, which invasive seedlings to pull and what native to plant.
How to identify oak, walnut, hickory, maple and redbud seedlings by their first leaves, why nuts keep their seed leaves underground, and which weeds to pull.
Which eastern trees drop spiky balls, helicopters, long seed pods, nuts and cones, how to tell the look-alikes apart, and which seeds to gather, float and sow.
Why acorns, buckeyes and moldy black walnuts poison dogs and horses, what the signs look like, who to call, and which wild nuts and berries a child can eat.
How fast each oak grows, how soon it fruits and how large its acorns get, plus the oaks that suit a small yard, soggy clay or a planting for deer and turkey.
Green acorns on the lawn before fall: the four reasons oaks shed them, the sign each leaves, whether an early crop means a hard winter, and what acorns to sow.
Which tree seeds grow true to their parent, whether an apple seed or a store-bought walnut will sprout, how long nuts take to bear, and what to sow instead.
How long a tree can stay in a pot before planting, how to pot up a sapling and keep sun off its roots, how to overwinter it, and the signs it waited too long.
Why lightning strikes some trees more than others, how to read the scar a strike leaves on the bark, and what to do while you wait to see if the tree survives.
What a root flare looks like, how to find it on a potted, burlapped or bare-root tree, the signs of a tree planted too deep, and how to dig a buried one out.
What herbicide damage looks like on tree leaves, why weed-and-feed and drift reach a tree, how to tell it from insects or frost, and whether the tree recovers.
Why a newly planted tree wilts, yellows or drops its leaves, how the soil check and the scratch test tell shock from a dying tree, and when to stop waiting.
Why mulch helps a tree, how deep and how wide to spread it, how far to keep it off the trunk, and what volcanoes, rocks, fabric and rubber do to the roots.
Which mushrooms at the base of a tree mean root rot and which are harmless, how to read a conk on the trunk, and what to do when one grows from the roots.
When to start pruning a new tree, which leader to keep and how to shorten its rival, why narrow forks split, and how to raise the crown over the years.
Whether to plant trees in fall or spring where you live, how late in the year is too late, and how bare-root, potted and seed stock each keep their own season.
What the dark stripes on beech leaves mean, how far beech leaf disease has spread and what treatment can do for a yard tree, and whether to plant beech now.
Which native trees suit Great Lakes clay, dune sand, prairie and river bottoms, how the lakes shift the zones, when to plant, and which pests change the choice.
When trees photosynthesize most, how a new leaf spends stored sugar before it earns any, what drought and short days do, and what evergreens do in winter.
Which native trees take road salt, drought and compacted soil, how wide a tree lawn must be, what can grow under power lines, and who must approve planting.
Why a root takes the same nutrients from either bag, how organic and synthetic fertilizers differ in release, salts and soil life, and when a tree needs any.
What makes knotty burls grow on oak and maple trunks, why cutting one off hurts more than leaving it, and how to tell a burl from a gall or canker by the bark.
How many feet a year native trees grow, how long a tree takes to reach full size, what soil, sun, weeds and deer do to the rate, and how to read a twig.
Why a bald cypress goes brown and bare each fall, what summer browning means, why a Leyland cypress browns, and how to tell if a conifer is really dead.
Natives for a clipped hedge, a year-round screen, a bird hedgerow or a windbreak: the spacing for each, how many rows a windbreak needs and which grow fastest.
Which native replaces burning bush, barberry, privet, Bradford pear, boxwood, butterfly bush or forsythia, why each is being replaced, and where sale is banned.
Which native shrubs and trees deer usually pass by, why deer-resistant lists contradict each other, and which natives need a cage because deer favor them.
Which native trees and shrubs thrive in dry, sandy soil and full sun, which take salt spray, and how to plant, mulch and water them through the first summer.
Which native trees and shrubs grow in heavy clay, why floodplain trees cope best, how to test your drainage with a bucket, and how to plant them in clay.
Why oaks drop small branches in summer and fall, how the cut end shows whether a squirrel, a beetle or the tree itself did it, and what to do with the twigs.
Why little grows under maples and beech, how to plant beneath a tree without harming its roots, and which native shrubs still flower in dry or moist shade.
Why a holly has no berries or a persimmon bears nothing, how to tell male flowers from female, how many seedlings to plant, and when frost or shade is to blame.
Why a black walnut kills tomatoes and azaleas, how far and how long its juglone reaches, what to do with leaves and hulls, and which natives thrive under it.
What 2-0 and caliper mean on a tree listing, why age and height say less than stem and roots, and how bare-root, potted and burlapped trees differ when you buy.
Why a tree grows sun leaves and shade leaves, why a young tree scorches after a move into sun or stalls in shade, and learning light tolerance before planting.
How to identify a tree in winter by bark, buds, twigs and pith, where the opposite-branching shortcut fails, and two tables of winter signs for native trees.
How much and how long to water a new tree, when guards and wraps go on and come off, when to make the first pruning cut, and how to tell it is growing.
Why a young tree’s bark splits or dies on its sunny side in winter, which trees are at risk, what a trunk wrap can and cannot prevent, and how cracks close.
How far tree seed can move north or uphill, why seed source changes how a tree grows, what trials and seed zones show, and what to ask a nursery before buying.
How deep and wide tree roots grow, why the taproot fades, where to water and mulch, what trenches and fill do, and how far from a house to plant a tree.
How long a transplanted tree takes to establish per inch of trunk, why a small sapling catches up with a big one, and when a bigger tree is worth the price.
Why oaks, hickories and beech crop heavily in some years, how red and white oaks keep separate calendars, what mast does to wildlife, and when to collect seed.
What a USDA hardiness zone measures, why a tree rated for yours can still fail in summer heat, wet ground or a late frost, and how to choose the spot and seed.
Why fall leaves turn yellow, orange or red, what the red protects, how frost, drought and a warm fall change the show, and which native trees give each color.
Why native trees become rare, from ice-age relicts and scarce soils to blight and lost fire, what G-ranks mean, and ten rare eastern trees and shrubs to grow.
Bare-root trees on arrival: checking roots, soaking, heeling in, depth and backfill, cages, watering, and how late a first spring can run before a tree is dead.
What deer and wild turkeys eat, how many years each oak, hickory and fruit tree takes to bear, where cover and openings go, and what a food plot cannot do.
Which native trees take Mid-Atlantic stream banks, Piedmont yards, dry sand and mountain coves, how zones and heat set planting time, and the pests to plan for.
How to collect sound acorns, nuts and native seed, which sprout at once and which need a cold winter first, where to store and sow them, and the first year.
Which native trees fit a small yard, how far to set one from the house, the wires and the septic field, and three plants to put where one lawn tree stood.
263 tree terms in plain words, from abscission layer to tylosis: root flare, included bark, marcescence and mast, most linked to the article that explains it.
Why standing water kills roots, how bottomland trees get air to theirs, what cypress knees do, why fill kills an upland tree, and what to plant in a wet spot.
Where the green layer under bark sits, why wet bark shows it, how much of what it fixes is carbon the tree itself has respired, and when it matters most.
A bloom calendar of the native trees and shrubs that feed native bees and honey bees, month by month from willow to witch hazel, and the bees tied to one plant.
Native trees and shrubs for birds: caterpillars, fruit, mast, nests and winter cover, month by month
Which native trees and shrubs feed and shelter birds in every month, why native fruit and native insects beat ornamentals, and how to plant a yard for birds.
Which native trees and shrubs feed the most caterpillars, ranked by genus, which butterflies and moths need a single host, and how to plant and keep them.
Which native trees and shrubs feed and shelter mammals, reptiles and amphibians, which matter most, and how to plant a yard or woodlot so the animals show up.
Which native trees and shrubs feed the most insects, the keystone genera ranked from oaks down, and what dead wood, leaf litter and dark nights do for them.
How big a Chinese chestnut gets and how fast, what its bark, leaves and nuts look like, and the differences from the American chestnut it stands in for.
Trees carry sleeping buds in their bark for decades. A broken top, hard pruning or sudden sun wakes them. What the sprouts mean and what to do with them.
Trees cannot run, so they fight with resin, thorns, tannin, latex, thick bark and stump sprouts. A tour of the defenses, with the debated parts flagged.
Vines and shrubs topple canopy trees and stop a forest from regenerating. Free the trees first, then the shrubs, then keep after the seedlings for years.
Why a floor of fallen leaves feeds a tree and holds water in a drought better than a bed of wood chips, how to make one in a yard, and where chips still belong.
The copper-brown leaves rattling on beech saplings and young oaks in January are marcescence. What it is, why it might happen and why it needs no action.
A trunk that looks like one stem can be two or three that grew together with bark trapped inside. How clumps form, why fused trunks fail, and what to do early.
A conservation easement is the tool most private forest owners end up using. What it does and does not do, the weaker tools, and what to ask a land trust.
Voles, rabbits, deer and squirrels each leave a signature on a young tree. Each has a fix: hardware cloth, cages, pulled-back mulch and guards removed in time.
Cut just outside the branch collar, never flush and never leaving a stub. How to find the collar, use three cuts instead of one, and pick the right season.
How to tell red oaks from white oaks by the leaf, why the groups differ in acorns, oak wilt and lifespan, and which species fit wet flats, dry ridges or a lawn.
Why a sapsucker drills rows of small holes in bark, the wasps and hummingbirds that drink from them, when the damage matters, and how to guard a small tree.
White mulberry, lacebark elm, willow, silver maple, tuliptree and Callery pear each have a specific problem near a home. A native alternative for each one.
Leaf litter, stick piles, an exposed root flare and uncompacted soil keep a tree alive for centuries. Nails, straps, fill and parked trucks quietly undo it.
Move a tree while it is dormant, set the flare high, water deeply for two summers and cage it from day one. Small transplants usually outgrow big ones.
Oak apples, bullet galls, wool sower galls and woody twig knobs are all grown by the tree around a tiny wasp. They look like disease and almost never are.
An abandoned field in the East goes from goldenrod to redcedar, sweetgum, tuliptree and black locust in a decade, and to oaks in a century. How to steer it.
Well under one percent of eastern forest is old growth. The six outward signs of an old tree, where old stands hide, and how to steer a woodlot back toward it.
The order in which an eastern woodland leafs out, why two oaks ten feet apart can break bud two weeks apart, and how to tell a late oak from a sick one.
Most native range maps are hand-drawn 1970s outlines, copied ever since. Why they are coarse, the kinds of errors they carry, and what to trust instead.
Hollow trunks, torn-out limbs and shelf fungi look like the end. Trees can live for decades or centuries in that state, and a few signs say when it matters.
How to tell how old a tree is without cutting it, why the diameter-times-growth-factor rule misleads, and why forest trees outlive the lifespans quoted online.
Most trees that die in their first decade were doomed on planting day. The ten mistakes we see most, starting with planting too deep, and the fix for each.
Why the tangent method overstates big hardwoods by ten to thirty feet, how the sine method with a laser fixes it, and how tall eastern trees really get.
Why spring oak and maple leaves open bronze-red, what the red pigment shields while each leaf is built, how long the color lasts, and the signs of real trouble.
Reference tables
The fourteen reference tables on this site as CSV and JSON files under one open license: plant facts, growth, lifespans, native range, bloom and more.
One row for each of the 423 trees and shrubs we grow: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and soil, bloom and fruit months and years to a first crop.
The least distance each of our 423 trees and shrubs needs from a house, overhead wires, a septic field, pavement and a property line, with its spacing, in feet.
How long each of the 119 native trees and 13 shrubs we grow lives, A to Z: the usual span for its species, the oldest on record and the source of each figure.
The state quarantine and ban rules that name a tree or shrub we grow, state by state, with the plants each covers, from the National Plant Board’s summaries.
The wild habitats each of our 423 trees and shrubs grows in, from floodplain forests to dry uplands, which the companion tool reads to match the plants.
Growth factors for 88 tree species, each the years per inch of trunk diameter at breast height, with its publishing source and whether our estimator uses it.
Other common names of the 423 trees and shrubs we grow, regional names and old trade names, with the botanical name, so a tree known by another name is found.
Dormant, spring or fall: when to set out each of the 423 natives we sell, by its guide’s word, plus the Morton Arboretum’s rating of how hard each is to move.
The states where each of our 423 trees and shrubs grows wild as a native, by its own page’s rule, and where it was introduced or spread, one row per species.
The growth rate of the 423 trees and shrubs we grow, all native but one, A to Z: slow, medium or fast, the feet each adds a year and its years to 20 feet.
Next up
In the works
One article in progress, roughly in the order we expect to publish them. Ask for one to move up the list.
- Why a tree colors early: what August red on a black gum or a sourwood means