# Questions, answers and a way to reach us > Answers about shipping, pickup, plant sizes, planting seasons, acorns and guarantees, plus a form to ask Blue Whale Trees about availability or your own tree. Blue Whale Trees, a native tree nursery in the United States. Web version: https://bluewhaletrees.com/support/?plant=sweet-birch Availability, pricing, seed, bulk plantings, or a question about a tree you already have. The form goes straight to the nursery; email [captain@bluewhaletrees.com](mailto:captain@bluewhaletrees.com) works too. ## Frequently asked ### Do you ship, and where? Yes. We ship within the contiguous United States, priced by zone (currently Mid-Atlantic and Rest of contiguous US). Live plants ship in February, March, April, May, October, November, when they are dormant; acorns, nuts and seed ship year-round. Rates and the current shipping window are on the [shipping and pickup page](https://bluewhaletrees.com/shipping/). ### Can I pick up locally? Yes. Local pickup is free: choose it at checkout and we will email you when your order is ready and agree a time. ### What sizes do you sell? Most plants are sold as seedlings and young saplings, grown from seed here; some are sold as acorns, nuts or seed packets instead of or as well as plants. Each product page lists the sizes on hand and their prices, and sizes change through the season as stock sells and grows. ### Bare-root or container? It depends on the species and the time of year. The product page for each plant says which form it ships in. Whichever form arrives, unpack it the day it lands, water the roots, keep it shaded for a day or two and plant as soon as the ground allows. The [ten planting mistakes](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/ten-planting-mistakes/) article covers what to do next. ### When should I plant? In the dormant season, from leaf drop until bud break, and never into frozen or waterlogged ground. That gives the roots months to grow before the tree has to support leaves. Container plants can go in through the growing season if you commit to watering; the first year of watering decides whether a tree establishes. The [watering calculator](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/watering/) turns trunk size and the week's rain into a schedule. ### Is there a minimum order? No minimum for online orders. Shipping is priced per package, so a single small plant costs proportionally more to ship than a box of several; combine plants where you can. ### How do I order and pay? Plants with a price: add them to your cart and pay by card at checkout. Payment is handled by Stripe; your card details never touch our systems. Plants without a price yet: send the form on this page or email captain@bluewhaletrees.com with the species, quantity and size you are after, and we reply with what is ready and current pricing. Orders are tied to your email address; sign in with a one-time link from the [account page](https://bluewhaletrees.com/account/) to see them. ### How long do acorns stay viable, and how should I store them? Acorns are alive and cannot be dried like vegetable seed. White-oak-group acorns (white, swamp chestnut, chinquapin, post and bur oaks) start rooting within days of falling and should be planted or potted at once. Red-oak-group acorns (red, cherrybark, scarlet, willow and pin oaks) need one to three months of cold, damp storage before they germinate: keep them in a loosely closed bag with barely damp peat or sand in the refrigerator, not the freezer, and plant in spring. Discard any that float, have a small exit hole or feel light. ### What is your guarantee? Plants are inspected before they leave. If a shipment arrives damaged or a plant is not as described, email us a photo the day it arrives and we will sort it out. ### Are your trees seed-grown, and what are the parent trees? Everything we sell is grown from seed, not grafted, so each plant is genetically distinct and a planting of ten carries real diversity. Where we collect from a named individual tree, chosen for size, form, vigor, health and hardiness, the product page names it, such as the Wye Island cherrybark oak line. Read more on the [about page](https://bluewhaletrees.com/about/) and in the [specimen lines](https://bluewhaletrees.com/shop/specimens/). ### Can you help me choose? Yes. Tell us your USDA zone or nearest town, the soil and sun where the tree will go, and what you want it to do: shade, screening, honey, fruit, a wet corner, a dry bank. We will suggest species and say what is ready. For tree questions, a photo of the whole tree, a close-up of the problem and a note on when it started help us answer quickly. Or start with the [tree finder](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/tree-finder/) and the [habitat bundles](https://bluewhaletrees.com/bundles/). ## Write to us We reply by email, usually within a few days in season. ## What helps us answer quickly - The species, or the job you want done: shade, screen, honey, fruit, a wet corner, a dry bank. - Roughly how many, and what size: seed, seedling, or a larger sapling. - Where you are, so we can talk about hardiness, pickup and shipping. - For tree questions, a photo of the whole tree and a close-up of the problem, and a note on when it started.