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Edge Of The Woods Native Plant Nursery, LLC

Specializing in plants native to mid-Atlantic ecosystem

October 7, 2020

Nine Reasons to Start Small

Breaking Misconceptions: Planting Small Container Trees and Shrubs

Trees and shrubs are the foundation and focal point of your garden.   They  stand out among smaller,  less impressive plants. They provide structure and architecture, shade for other plants, divide the garden into defined spaces, and create privacy. Whether a solitary specimen or a grouping, woody plants have a large impact in the garden and landscape.

One request we see is for “larger” specimens of trees and shrubs. Most believe that by starting larger, they have a considerable advantage as far as the time it will take for the plant to grow to a mature size.

Why Start Small?

In fact, overall, this theory is a popular misconception. Larger trees tend to take longer to establish their roots on transplant, so may not put on a great deal of new growth above ground for a few seasons. Smaller trees establish their roots more quickly and start putting on new growth in a season. These smaller trees can ‘catch up’ in size quickly.

When shopping for trees and shrubs, of course it is nice to imagine taking home a large plant that will create an instant presence. Aside from the immediate gratification, there really are not many other advantages of purchasing a larger specimen versus a smaller one.

Nine Reasons to Start Small

1.  Economic

Often, a plant that is just a few years younger costs a fraction of the price of an older, larger specimen; this is considerable when planting a quantity of plants.

2.  Less Transplant Shock

Transplant shock can occur when plants are disturbed and replanted in new places. Larger plants usually have more trouble overcoming transplant shock than their smaller, more adaptable counterparts because they have more material to support.

3.  Less Watering

Smaller trees do not require as much water when first planted as their larger counterparts. This is part of the reason why transplant shock rarely affects them as seriously as larger plants.

4.  Growth Rate

It is not uncommon for people to buy large specimens and see them change very little over the next 2 or 3 seasons. Smaller, younger plants tend to adapt quicker and grow faster. While this is certainly not the case every time, it is a common trend. The larger plants need time to establish a lot of roots to support their larger above-ground portions. Sometimes you may even see smaller trees interplanted with larger trees of the same species outgrow their larger ones because they establish faster.

5.  Less Chance Plant is Root Bound

Smaller trees and shrubs, due to their age, naturally have less roots than their older counterparts. Because of this, they tend not to be as rootbound in their pots as older plants.

6. Easier to plant

Smaller specimens are easier to work with. Their roots pull apart more easily when transplanting. Bigger plants have bigger roots which may need to be trimmed or cut to loosen them up. This can cause damage if done too aggressively. The hole you need to dig for a small tree is obviously much smaller and easier to dig, too!

7. Easier to move around

Small car, small tree! Enough said, right?

8. Rewarding

It is SO rewarding, and quite fun to watch a small tree grow into a big tree. The feeling of accomplishment, for example, to watch your little 1-foot tall birch tree grow into a beautiful, majestic 20 to 30-foot tree is indescribable!

9. Get kids involved

Your children, grand-children, nieces and nephews, and other kids special in your life would love to plant a little tree and watch it grow along with them. It’s a very special way to help a child appreciate the natural world and introduce them to the fascinating world of plants.

We have many small trees in stock now!

Below is a list of the  smaller container trees and shrubs in stock now (October 2020). There is still plenty of time this fall to plant them to your landscape.

#1 pot is between .75 and 1 gallon in volume
#2 pot is about 1.5 gallons in volume
 #3 pot is 3 gallons in volume.
A tubling is 3”x3”x10” tall  

Oak  (Quercus species) –local acorns; not ID’d; 8 to 12 inches tall average; tublings
Sweet Birch (Betula lenta) –1-3 feet tall average; #1 and #3
Scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea) – 12 to 18 inches tall average; #1
Pin oak (Quercus palustris) – 2 to 3 feet tall average; #3
White oak (Quercus alba) – 12 to 18 inches tall average; #3
Swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor)– 1 to 2 feet tall average; #1
American beech (Fagus grandiflora)– 3 to 4 feet tall average; #3
Yellowwood (Cladrastis kentukea) – 2 to 3 feet tall average; #2
Fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus) – 1 foot tall average; #2
Osage orange (Maclura pomifera) – 1 to 2 feet tall average; #3
Black gum (Nyssa sylvatica) – 2 to 3 feet tall average; #2
White spruce (Picea glauca) – 1 foot tall average; #1
Red spruce (Picea rubens) – 2 to 3 feet tall average; #2
Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) – 1 to 2 feet tall average; #1
Tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) – 1 to 2 feet tall average; #2
Red pine (Pinus resinosa) – 2 to 3 feet tall average; #2
Pitch pine (Pinus rigida) – 2 to 4 feet tall average; #1 , #3
Scrub pine (Pinus virginiana) – 2 to 4 feet tall average; #3
American plum (Prunus americana) – 2 to 3 feet tall average; #1
American crabapple (Malus coronaria) – 2 to 3 feet tall average; #2

 

 

 

Article by Brandon Everett / Native Plant Maintenance, Plants

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22 hours ago

Want some blueberries this season? We have some beautiful blueberry bushes that will bear fruit this year.

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1 day ago

We just released gallon-sized native deciduous and evergreen azaleas/Rhododendrons. Color of flowers is noted after the botanical name :)

Azaleas (deciduous):

Flame azalea (R. calendulaceum) ORANGE
Pinxter azalea (R. periclymenoides) PINK
Piedmont azalea (R. canescens) PINK
Rose shell azalea (R. prinophyllum) PINK
Onocee azalea (R. flammeum) ORANGE
Swamp azalea (R. viscosum) WHITE
Sweet azalea (R. arborescens) WHITE
Coast azalea (R. atlanticum) WHITE

“Rhodies” (evergreen):

Great laurel (Rhododendron maximum) WHITE
‘Roseum Elegans’ (Rhododendron catawbiense ‘Roseum Elegans’) MAGENTA-PINK
‘Boursalt’ (Rhododendron catawbiense ‘Boursalt’) MAGENTA-PINK

We also have limited amounts of some in larger containers:

Great laurel (R. maximum) WHITE
Sweet azalea (R. arborescens) WHITE
Coast azalea (R. atlanticum) WHITE
Flame azalea (R. calendulaceum) ORANGE
Swamp azalea (R. viscosum) WHITE

We also have plenty of mountain laurel left (Kalmia latifolia) including:

Straight species
‘Olympic Fire’
‘Elf’ (dwarf)
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Climate-Wise Landscaping

Replace the seasonal non-native plantings that need to be replaced every few months with native perennial borders. And instead of wide spaces of mulch between the plants, place them close together so that there is little room for weeds. This practice is part of climate-wise landscaping because it reduces soil disturbances, which reduces the carbon released to the air and it reduces the large footprint of repetitive production and transport to supply new plants every season. The perennials will last for many seasons and require much less labor.
www.climatewiselandscaping.com
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2 weeks ago

Trees, trees, and more trees! Oh, and shrubs, shrubs, and yes, more shrubs! We have a wonderful selection of native trees and shrubs available now. Woody plants provide interest all year long, height to the garden, vital habitat for wildlife, and years of satisfaction as you watch your plant grow into a mature specimen! They are the foundation of our greater, forested ecosystem spanning most of eastern North America, which historically covered nearly 100% of Pennsylvania’s landmass. Today, forested land still makes up the majority of Pennsylvania’s total land area, at about 58% coverage. Below are some of the trees we have now, keep an eye for another post soon about shrubs :)

Available now:

*Trees*

Shagbark hickory
Shellbark hickory
Red maple
Sugar maple
Red oak
Willow oak
Black oak
Shumard oak
Pin oak
Beech
Sycamore
Fringetree
Red bud
Carolina silver bell
White pine
Red pine
Virginia pine
Pitch pine
White spruce
Red spruce
Eastern Red Cedar
American linden
Sassafrass
Bald cypress
Franklinia
Sweetbay magnolia
River birch
‘Heritage’ River Birch
Yellow Birch
Mountain ash
... See more

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I love this place. The staff are the most helpful and knowledgeable. Native is the way to go with landscaping and this is absolutely the best place to purchase plants. I am definitely addicted to this place

Lori

Edge of the Woods Native Plant Nursery, LLC
A WBE Certified Woman Owned Business
Promoting Native Plants Since 2003

2415 Route 100, Orefield, PA 18069
(610) 395-2570
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