New! 2019 Spring Tree Order Form

 Russia, 1880. Skin is clear yellow and the flesh is white. Precocious  and productive tree. Best used for cooking. Heavy producer. Pick before  maturity for better storage life. Scab resistant. 

 A red selection of 'Duchess of Oldenburg'. Very hardy, medium to large  size red apple. Fruit is tart and juicy. Good for eating, but best for  pies and sauces. Abundant fruit, annual bearer. Short storage life. 

 ('MN447' x 'Northern Spy') University of MN, 1978. Medium-sized red  striped apple with crisp, juicy texture. Excellent sweet, unusual flavor  - like cherry candy. Outstanding dessert apple. Fire blight resistant.  Can be slow to come into bearing - better on dwarf rootstock. MNRC. Good  success in zone 3b. 

 ('Keepsake' x unnamed seedling) University of MN, 1991. An exciting  apple that is exceptionally crisp and juicy. Flavor is sweet but  well-balanced. Excellent storage life, up to 7 months. Has been rated  equal to or higher in overall quality than 'Haralson', 'Honeygold' or  'Keepsake' in winter storage trials. Ripens in late September in MN and  stores like a late season variety. Has become an outstanding commercial  and home orchard variety because of its explosive crispness, flavor and  storage life. CPBR #1007, C® 

 ('Mantet' x 'Oriole') University of MN, 1978. Medium-sized red striped  fruit. Flavor is sprightly tart and good for eating and baking. Good  texture, semi-acid to sweet. All purpose apple. One of the better early  apples for northern locations. Short storage life. MNRC 

 Wisconsin, 1875. An old variety, hardy and long lived. Best known for  its large size - up to 5" diameter fruit. Color is pale yellow to green  with carmine-red blushes and stripes. Primarily used as a cooking apple. 

 ('Fameuse' x 'Detroit Red') Ontario, Canada, 1870. A well-known older  apple that has a sprightly flavor and a medium storage life. Nearly  solid, bright red skin. Heavy bearer. Good for eating and baking. Fruit  tends to drop when ripe. 

 ('Rescue' x 'Melba') Saskatchewan, Canada, 1979. One of the earliest  summer apples to ripen. Well suited to very cold regions. A natural  semi-dwarf tree that is precocious and productive. Attractive color,  small to medium fruit. Good cooking or eating apple. Very hardy. Keeps  about 16 weeks in cold storage. Fruit must be picked before full  maturity for storage or use. 

 ('Delicious' Golden x 'Daniels Red Duchess') University of MN, 1970.  Medium sized yellow-red apple. Crisp and juicy, sweet but mild flavor.  Very productive and bears at an early age. Good for eating, pie and  sauce. Resistant to fireblight. Hardy. 

 ('Dolgo' x 'Wealthy') University of MN, 1957. Blooms mid-May. Large  crabapple (1.75 -2 inches). Red over orange. Excellent flavor for fresh  eating. Short storage life. Hardy. 

 Illinois, 1869. Fruit is yellow with red stripes. Good for eating and  pickling. Hardy, vigorous, heavy bearing tree. Short storage life. 

 1934 University of Minnesota introduction. Open-pollinated seedling of a  Manchurian pear. Large, yellow-bronze fruit. Fine grained, tender and  juicy. Upright and vigorous grower. Pollinator for 'Luscious' 

 MNRC - Recognized for many years as the hardiest pear from the  University of Minnesota, released in 1985. Free of fire blight. An  annual bearer. Fruit is pyriform in shape, 2.5-3" in diameter and 3-3.5"  long. Blooms early in May. The fruit should be harvested in mid-August  when crisp and still green with a red blush. Fruit harvested at that  time is sweet and crisp, and may be stored up to 2 months. Use either  'Parker' or 'Patten' as pollinator. 

 Deep, dark red fruit 1" in diameter and excellent for baking and fresh  eating. The fruit is much sweeter than other sour cherries. Extremely  hardy buds. 

 Yellowish orange fruit, 1.5 " diameter at maturity, has a firm texture  and a less sweet flavor making it better for canning, but it is also  good for fresh eating. Freestone fruit ripens in late July.  Self-fruitful, however yields improve with cross-pollination. 

 Cultivar developed in Morden, Manitoba 1937. Fruit is bronze gold,  blushed with red. Good for canning and jam, fair for eating. Blooms  early May. Produces more fruit with a pollinator. 

 The first English colonists to explore eastern Virginia in 1607  mentioned the abundance of both mulberry trees and their fruit, which  was eaten, sometimes boiled, by the native Powhatan tribes. Today,  mulberries are eaten raw, used in fruit pastries, and fermented into  wine. The wood may be dried and used for smoking meats with a flavor  that is mild and sweet. 

 Red - Excellent for jams, jellies, canning and sauces. Early bearing  cross that yields fruit the second year after planting. Good pollinator  for other varieties. 

 Red - South Dakota Experiment Station introduction, 1913. Produces well  the first season after planting. One of the best market plums. Fruit is  large, red, sweet, juicy and of good quality. 

 Red - (P. salicina x P. nigra) 1923. Brookings, SD. Good dessert plum. Yellow flesh, sweet and juicy. Large size, pointed fruit. 

 Jack Pine: 30–72 feet tall. Some jack pines are shrub-sized, due to poor growing conditions. They do not usually grow perfectly straight, resulting in an irregular shape. This pine often forms pure stands on sandy or rocky soil. It is fire-adapted to stand-replacing fires, with the cones remaining closed for many years, until a forest fire kills the mature trees and opens the cones, reseeding the burnt ground. Unusually for a pine, the cones normally point forward along the branch, sometimes curling around it. That is an easy way to tell it apart from the similar lodgepole pine in more western areas of North America. They open when exposed to intense heat, greater than or equal to 122 °F. The typical case is in a fire, however cones on the lower branches can open when temperatures reach 81 °F due to the heat being reflected off the ground. Additionally, when temperatures reach −46 °C (−51 °F), the cones will open, due to the nature of the resin.

 

Ponderosa Pine: 100-200 feet tall, is a large coniferous pine (evergreen) tree. The bark  helps to distinguish it from other species. Mature to over-mature  individuals have yellow to orange-red bark in broad to very broad plates  with black crevices. Younger trees have blackish-brown bark, referred  to as "blackjacks" by early loggers. 

During Operation Upshot–Knothole in 1953, a nuclear test was performed in which 145 ponderosa pines were cut down by the United States Forest Service and transported to Area 5 of the Nevada Test Site,  where they were planted into the ground and exposed to a nuclear blast  to see what the blast wave would do to a forest. The trees were  partially burned and blown over. 

 Red Pine: The ideal soil does not have to be well-watered since the red pine does thrive in drought-like conditions. However, it should be loose and be able to promote drainage. Sand is an example of loose, well-draining soil. In the modern era, manufacturers have used red pine for structural and mining timbers, railroad ties and telephone poles.  The bark  is thick and gray-brown at the base of the tree, but thin, flaky and  bright orange-red in the upper crown; the tree's name derives from this  distinctive character. Some red color may be seen in the fissures of the  bark. The species is self pruning; there tend not to be dead branches  on the trees, and older trees may have very long lengths of branchless  trunk below the canopy.  It is intolerant of shade, but does well in windy sites; it grows best  in well-drained soil. It is a long-lived tree, reaching a maximum age of  about 500 years.

 

 White Pine: It was the white pine that brought loggers to this area in the late 1880s and provided the lumber that built the homes of our great-grandparents. Over the next 100 years, the number of white pines decreased by 75 percent. White pine grows well on a wide range of soil. Avoid the extremes of heavy, continually wet soils and gravelly, drought-prone soils when selecting planting areas.  It prefers well-drained or sandy soils and humid climates, but can also  grow in boggy areas and rocky highlands. In mixed forests, this dominant  tree towers over many others, including some of the large broadleaf  hardwoods. It provides food and shelter for numerous forest birds.  Eastern White Pine forests originally covered much of north-central and north-eastern North America. Only one percent of the old-growth forests remain after the extensive logging operations of the 18th century to early 20th century.  Mature trees are often 200–250 years old, and some live to over 400 years. A tree growing near Syracuse, New York was dated to 458 years old in the late 1980s and trees in Michigan and Wisconsin were dated to approximately 500 years old.

 

 Black Spruce: Is also called bog spruce, swamp spruce, and shortleaf black spruce, is a wide-ranging, abundant conifer of the northern parts of North America. Its wood is yellow-white in color, relatively light in weight, and strong. Black spruce is the most important pulpwood species of Canada and is also commercially important in the Lake States. Black spruce usually grows on wet organic soils, but productive stands are found on a variety of soil types from deep humus through clays, loams, sands, coarse till, boulder pavements, and shallow soil mantles over bedrock. In the Lake States and adjacent Canadian provinces, it grows on soils of the order Histosols: peat bogs and swamps that have formed on old glacial lakebeds and in muck-filled seepages on peat deposits that range in thickness from 0.5 to 6 m (20 in to 20 ft.). The most productive black spruce stands are on dark brown to blackish peats, which usually have a considerable amount of decayed woody material. Stands of low productivity are usually found on thick deposits of partially decomposed sphagnum peat.

 

 White Spruce: This tree has often been heralded as a beautiful tree, whether lining the banks of a North Country river or gracing someone’s front yard. But the white spruce is more than just a pretty face. Commercially it, it is a mainstay of the pulp and paper industry and well-used for construction lumber. In landscape, it is a lovely specimen tree or grouping, a sturdy option for windbreaks and buffer strips, and serves as a great visual screen.  White spruce is extremely hardy to low temperatures, provided the plant is in a state of winter dormancy.  Throughout the greater part of its range, white spruce routinely  survives and is undamaged by winter temperatures of −50 °C (−58 °F), and  even lower temperatures occur in parts of the range. as relatively resistant to attack by insects and disease, white spruce  is far from immune to depredation. Important insect pests of white  spruce include the spruce budworm.

 

 Norway Spruce: Norway spruce is a familiar sight in much of the United States, but it’s really a tree of Europe. Throughout the globe, this tree has many uses including lumber, pulpwood, Christmas trees and landscape specimen trees. Its dense branching pattern and tolerance of soil variations has also made it a popular tree for windbreaks.  It was the first gymnosperm to have its genome sequenced, and one clone has been measured as 9,550 years old.  The Norway spruce grows throughout Europe from Norway in the northwest  and Poland eastward, and also in the mountains of central Europe,  southwest to the western end of the Alps, and southeast in the  Carpathians and Balkans to the extreme north of Greece.  

 

 Colorado Blue Spruce: Popular ornamental conifers, the Colorado blue spruce (or simply, blue spruce) is a truly magnificent sight. Its silvery blue-green coloring and perfect Christmas tree shape make this tree a great landscaping focal point on commercial and residential properties. It is also widely used for privacy or a windbreak.
It is native to the Rocky Mountains  of the United States. Its natural range extends from northern New  Mexico through Colorado and Utah to Wyoming and into far southwest  Montana, but it has been widely introduced elsewhere and is used as an  ornamental tree in many places far beyond its native range. 

 White Cedar: This medium-sized tree grows to a height of 25 to 50 feet, and a diameter of 1 to 2 feet. The small, oblong cones stand erect on flattened branchlets that are covered by overlapping, scale like leaves. The thin bark sheds in long, narrow strips. Sometimes referred to as the "Swamp Cedar" it typically is found growing on limestone soils in moist to boggy habitats. Its soft but brittle wood is used for fences, shingles and small articles. The tree also is used in ornamental plantings. White-tailed Deer use Arborvitae thickets in winter, and smaller mammals as well as birds feed on its seeds.

 

Red Cedar: is a dense slow-growing tree that may never become more than a bush on poor soil,  he oldest tree reported, from West Virginia, was 940 years old.  It is found in eastern North America, from Maine, west to southern Ontario and South Dakota, south to northernmost Florida and southwest into the post oak savannah of east-central Texas.  It is commonly found in prairies or oak barrens, old pastures, or limestone hills, often along highways and near recent construction sites. 

American Larch: Also, known as tamarack, this open, pyramidal tree has horizontal to drooping branches. The needles are pale green, turning yellow in the autumn before falling. Intolerant of shade and pollution. Grows best in moist, well-drained, acidic soils. Excellent planted in groves in moist soil. A species of larch native to Canada, from eastern Yukon and Inuvik, Northwest Territories east to Newfoundland, and also south into the upper northeastern United States from Minnesota to Cranesville Swamp, Maryland; there is also an isolated population in central Alaska. The word tamarack is the Algonquian name for the species and means "wood used for snowshoes". 

European Larch: is native to central Europe.  Common uses include veneer, utility poles, fence posts, flooring, boatbuilding, and construction lumber. Heartwood ranges from yellow to a medium reddish brown. Narrow sapwood  is nearly white and is clearly demarcated from the heartwood. Flatsawn  sections can exhibit a lot of character and interesting patterns in the  growth rings. Knots are common but are usually small. Even though European Larch is a conifer,  it’s deciduous—it looses its leaves (needles) in the fall—and can have a  pleasing growth form that somewhat resembles a branching gymnosperm. The trees are commonly planted as ornamental trees in Europe. Ammonia fuming larch produces a darker colored wood surface; “fumed larch” veneer is sometimes used as a decorative veneer.

 Balsam Fir:  Most cold-hardy and aromatic of all firs. It seems to gladly suffer the Canadian cold but is also comfortable when planted in mid-latitude eastern North America. Normally grows to a height of 60 feet and can live at sea level to 6,000 feet. The tree is one of America's most popular Christmas trees.

 

 Hemlock: Large pyramid-shaped evergreens. The branches are pendulous, and cones are smaller than spruce or pine and more abundant. Foliage does not change color in autumn but does have a light green to yellow color for new growth and a dark green for old growth. Used for a variety of things. An important part of the lumber industry, used for paneling, flooring and furniture, rayon yarns and tanning. Landscaping is another major use of hemlock trees. The USDA also states that hemlocks are used in prevention of stream bank erosion, tanning, basket-making, wool coloring, children's items and lining for pits were some of the uses Native Americans found for the wood. Other uses include poultices, liniments, windbreaks and structural support. 

 Frasier Fir: Widely used as a Christmas tree. Its fragrance, shape, strong limbs, and ability to retain its soft needles for a long time when cut (which do not prick easily when hanging ornaments) make it one of the best trees for this purpose. The Fraser fir has been used more times as the White House Blue Room Christmas tree than any other type of tree. 

 Black Walnut: Native to the US prized for unequalled hardwood. Entire forests in the north-east were cut down to build the cabinets in the homes in our founding cities. During the civil war, Black Walnut was the wood of choice for soldier’s gunstocks. With no major replanting plan in place until after the 1970’s, this tree became a hot commodity. Growing ram-rod straight and up to 100 feet tall, this amazingly stately tree will be standing for your great-great grandchildren to enjoy.

 Paper Birch/White Birch: This very hardy birch is very desirable of all the white-barked birches. Stems are a beautiful red-brown when immature, a perfect chalk-white when older. Fall color is an outstanding landscape feature. AKA “canoe birch”, is among the most utilized of all ornamental trees. Rounded shape when mature with a bark that makes it stand out in any season, especially in autumn when its leaves turn brilliant yellow. Native Americans made extensive use of this tree. 

River Birch: Also known as black birch, river birch, water birch in native to the Eastern United States from New Hampshire west to southern  Minnesota, and south to northern Florida and west to Texas. It is one of  the few heat-tolerant birches in a family of mostly cold-weather trees  which do not thrive in USDA Zone 6 and up.  While its native habitat is wet ground, it will grow on higher land, and  its bark is quite distinctive, making it a favored ornamental tree for landscape use.