Topic
Articles on planting trees: the ten mistakes that shorten a tree's life, when to plant, how to move a young tree without losing it, and how to cage it early.
Everything we sell ships dormant, as a seedling, sapling, acorn, nut or seed. The planting-site check says whether a species will take the spot you have in mind, and the watering calculator sets the first summer's schedule.
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.
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.
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 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
A Mid-Atlantic guide to the Coastal Plain, the Piedmont and the mountains: which native trees suit wet ground, sand, clay and cold, and which pests to expect.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Most trees that die in their first decade were doomed on planting day. Here are the ten mistakes we see most, starting with planting too deep, and the fixes.