Kate Sessions Trees

How to get a Tree

Select a Healthy Tree

To grow healthy trees, it’s important to choose high quality trees from the start. They will grow into healthy trees if planted with good root systems, strong form, and no evidence of pests or wounds.

Select a healthy nursery tree. Trees should be inspected for nursery standards, and not accepted if they have circling roots, roots filling the entire container, or trunk form that cannot be corrected by light pruning.  More info about buying high-quality trees. You can also grow trees from seeds.

Get trees in 5-gallon containers. These smaller trees are recommended (instead of 15-gallon or larger sizes), as trees in small containers adjust much better to their “new home” site than trees than have grown longer in containers at the nursery. Trees in 5-gallon size are also easier to transport and plant, as a smaller hole needs to be dug!

Planting “giant” or “huge” trees is not recommended, although some local nurseries promote this. Those trees have been growing in “boxes,” have constricted root systems and large canopies that cannot be supplied with sufficient water and nutrients from the stunted roots.

Avoid trees from “hardware” or “big box” stores. While large store chains may include trees in their garden departments, they generally have limited selection and uncertain local suitability.  Low quality trees (with poor form and root structure) of any size often develop problems that require extensive maintenance and reduce the tree benefits, and they may even die within a few years.

Certified arborists have worked with local retail and wholesale nurseries to stock locally-suitable 5-gallon ornamental and shade trees priced about $50. Call your nursery of choice in advance to visiting them to check what’s in stock. Fruit trees should be planted as bare-root seedlings, and many nurseries stock them in January and February.

In addition to these local nurseries, private tree sales from respected organizations are also available at certain times of the year or by appointment. Visit these websites for details and contact information:

“Free trees”