Experience Purchasing Shrubs/Trees online?

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Casutherland
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Experience Purchasing Shrubs/Trees online?

Post by Casutherland » April 6th, 2017, 11:43 am

Does anyone have any experience purchasing shrubs or trees online? Is it cheaper or logical?

I need about 3 Laurels, and 1 Emperor 1 Japanese Maple. All the garden centers around me seem way over priced, and my local nursery is also very high. However, I have found some decent prices online, but not sure of the quality of the plant.

Suggestions?

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Re: Experience Purchasing Shrubs/Trees online?

Post by chrismar » April 6th, 2017, 11:59 am

I've purchased fruit trees (Adams County Nursery), blueberry bushes (Nourse Farms) and arborvitae (Evergreen Nursery) online. I've been very pleased with the products and customer service from each of those places. Do your research online and purchase from a reputable nursery and I think you'll be ok.

Do keep in mind that what you purchase online will likely be much smaller than what you can get locally.

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Re: Experience Purchasing Shrubs/Trees online?

Post by tlinden » April 6th, 2017, 3:44 pm

We bought all our fruit trees and blueberry bushes online and they've been great. Stark Brothers (trees) True Vine Ranch (blueberries).

While we could buy from the box stores these farms had better quality and it was "fresh". When you buy local it really depends, some locally owned nursery's take care of the plants like the farms do and others like HD aren't properly watering them and you end up buying a half dead plant.

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Re: Experience Purchasing Shrubs/Trees online?

Post by Casutherland » April 6th, 2017, 4:18 pm

tlinden wrote:
April 6th, 2017, 3:44 pm
We bought all our fruit trees and blueberry bushes online and they've been great. Stark Brothers (trees) True Vine Ranch (blueberries).

While we could buy from the box stores these farms had better quality and it was "fresh". When you buy local it really depends, some locally owned nursery's take care of the plants like the farms do and others like HD aren't properly watering them and you end up buying a half dead plant.
I agree..I think im going to try the online purchasing experience. Looking at two different websites right now. "The Tree Center" and "Thuja Gardens" do you know anything about either place?

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Re: Experience Purchasing Shrubs/Trees online?

Post by chrismar » April 6th, 2017, 4:41 pm

Casutherland wrote:
April 6th, 2017, 4:18 pm
I agree..I think im going to try the online purchasing experience. Looking at two different websites right now. "The Tree Center" and "Thuja Gardens" do you know anything about either place?
A quick google search says to avoid Thuja Gardens. I couldn't find much of anything on The Tree Center.


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Re: Experience Purchasing Shrubs/Trees online?

Post by Casutherland » April 6th, 2017, 4:54 pm

chrismar wrote:
April 6th, 2017, 4:41 pm
Casutherland wrote:
April 6th, 2017, 4:18 pm
I agree..I think im going to try the online purchasing experience. Looking at two different websites right now. "The Tree Center" and "Thuja Gardens" do you know anything about either place?
A quick google search says to avoid Thuja Gardens. I couldn't find much of anything on The Tree Center.
Unfortunately, those are basically the only two places that really have what I am wanting online. Kind of in a pickle..don't have a truck or SUV..and all the nursery's are approximately an hour or so from our house. So...basically, it is either take the risk and purchase from one of these guys, or drive 2 hours round trip to buy something at about the same price..

Eh...

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Re: Experience Purchasing Shrubs/Trees online?

Post by chrismar » April 6th, 2017, 5:01 pm

Will they deliver? A local nursery had a beautiful Emperor I Japanese maple but I had no way of getting it to my house (about 30 mins away). I asked nicely, and he said "Sure!". It was only an additional $30, which I felt was well worth it. He also decided to give me a discount on the tree just because I was a "nice guy", and that discount covered the price of delivery. Win-win!

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Re: Experience Purchasing Shrubs/Trees online?

Post by Casutherland » April 10th, 2017, 9:56 pm

So, I purchased a Japanese maple on Amazon, and here is what I got for $50 lol...


Image

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Re: Experience Purchasing Shrubs/Trees online?

Post by MorpheusPA » April 10th, 2017, 10:56 pm

I can't say yes or no on a specific vendor, but as a general experience? I've had pretty good luck. I started a Cleveland pear from a whip, and that's now in its 12th year and is a 30' tall mature tree. It was also only a few dollars as I strongly prefer to start things as small as possible, where I can, so I can train it as it grows.

I got my Miss Kim lilac online as a baby, cheap. Plus my old-fashioned lilacs, now in their second year and already six feet tall.

I get my annuals seeds online as well and that works out perfectly most years. I think I've only had one major failure, an Aurora marigold from a vendor I wasn't familiar with.

Disclaimer: I throw things in soil and they root and grow and attempt to strangle passing children for the nitrogen in their blood. Your mileage may vary.

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Re: Experience Purchasing Shrubs/Trees online?

Post by Casutherland » April 10th, 2017, 11:21 pm

MorpheusPA wrote:
April 10th, 2017, 10:56 pm
I can't say yes or no on a specific vendor, but as a general experience? I've had pretty good luck. I started a Cleveland pear from a whip, and that's now in its 12th year and is a 30' tall mature tree. It was also only a few dollars as I strongly prefer to start things as small as possible, where I can, so I can train it as it grows.

I got my Miss Kim lilac online as a baby, cheap. Plus my old-fashioned lilacs, now in their second year and already six feet tall.

I get my annuals seeds online as well and that works out perfectly most years. I think I've only had one major failure, an Aurora marigold from a vendor I wasn't familiar with.

Disclaimer: I throw things in soil and they root and grow and attempt to strangle passing children for the nitrogen in their blood. Your mileage may vary.
Sounds good brother. I'm almost scared to try and get this Emperor Japanese maple to grow. My soil is mostly builders infill in the mulch beds. I've been trying to mend it with compost, but when I get down to the planting level, it's super thick clay mud. I did my best to mix in some compost at the bottom of the hole, but I just hope it does ok. I'm new to tree planting, and want to make sure I keep it watered etc. I may just be a wimp and try to plant a 6 footer there or something. Just hate that this soil holds so much water. It's not good for growing things yet :(

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Re: Experience Purchasing Shrubs/Trees online?

Post by MorpheusPA » April 11th, 2017, 10:44 am

You'd be shocked at how tolerant those Japanese maples are. Although not fans of clay, they can adjust to it as long as it's not continuously waterlogged. Moist is good. Puddling water is not. Half sun to full sun is necessary, though.

Organic feeding can be done at any time. Synthetics can be used from leaf out until (for you) late August to give any new growth time to harden off for winter. There's no need to feed synthetically until the tree adjusts, but an organic feeding can be done whenever you want.

Treat it well and those things get much bigger than expected.

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Re: Experience Purchasing Shrubs/Trees online?

Post by Casutherland » April 11th, 2017, 11:56 am

MorpheusPA wrote:
April 11th, 2017, 10:44 am
You'd be shocked at how tolerant those Japanese maples are. Although not fans of clay, they can adjust to it as long as it's not continuously waterlogged. Moist is good. Puddling water is not. Half sun to full sun is necessary, though.

Organic feeding can be done at any time. Synthetics can be used from leaf out until (for you) late August to give any new growth time to harden off for winter. There's no need to feed synthetically until the tree adjusts, but an organic feeding can be done whenever you want.

Treat it well and those things get much bigger than expected.
Its funny that you should say that. I transplanted an emerald green arborvitae from the back to the front this weekend, and when I lifted it out of the ground, it sounded like I was pulling a kid out of the swimming pool. There was about an inch or 2 of water at the bottom of the hole. My back yard is on a slope, so you would think that the water would be running off downhill, but since we have this thick dense clay builders infill, i guess its possible that it is holding too much water, or the water table is higher up.

Any suggestions for that? Or is that just part of new construction?

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Re: Experience Purchasing Shrubs/Trees online?

Post by Swamp_Fox » April 15th, 2017, 3:21 am

Online tree shopping is a gamble. As someone else already pointed out the plants purchased are smaller, sure you can buy a 5-6 foot tree but they do not have any caliper to them (trunk diameter) as a previous posters photo illustrated. An online retailer that does interest me is Bower and Branch. They appear to sell some larger trees, but more than anything they sell some pretty rare varieties which interests me. I've been wanting a Princeton Elm for my home and I'm going try using B&B for that tree. On the downside their site is quite a bit more expensive than most other retailers.

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