You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants!
Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.
Login
If you don't have an account yet, visit the registration page to sign up.
My first order was for their 10 free trees for a $10.00 donation, 10 little sticks arrived. Wow, got burnt on this one. All 10 planted according to directions( with fencing) WOW all 10 sprouted and are doing well( second year) the crabapples are over 4 feet tall already.
Second order ,15 different Azaleas, all died. Called them, got order replaced for free including shipping and all 15 are doing terrific. So I guess I can't complain, except for the amount of promo they send out I am pleased with their products and customer service.
I just don't understand the harshness of many of the comments directed toward National Arbor Day Foundation. Ten trees for ten bucks, what does a person expect for that? I have joined NADF many times. The small seedlings of varying quality are immediately placed in one gallon nursery pots. Generally about 80% live. I leave them in my nursery area from a year to three years and eventually place them in the yard. The plants have done very well over the years, and for only ten or fifteen dollars I supported an important organization, and also ended up with 7-8 trees that eventually made it into the yard as healthy transplants. I've also ordered many trees from the foundation. Those trees are higher quality than the freebies, and are at a very reasonable price. In the next day or two I'll order three of their kousa dogwood trees. I challenge anyone to find as nice a tree for anywhere close to the $6.98 price tag.
We all need to remember that the Arbor Foundation sends bare root plantings. They are often referred by seed companies as "lining out stock" (less than 12") and "whips", up to 3' or so. No body should expect guaranteed success or large potted trees for just a few dollars! I generally order from the Arbor Foundation oak and pine not carried in local nurseries. This is extremely valuable, as most nurseries don't carry some of the best trees, as they can be slow starters or just aren't trendy.
I also research what I will order, finding that some distributors are less frank than others about tree performance, effect of soil, climate and pests. I have learned that the "sticks" referred to by some can be successful if: trees are. planted immediately, as directed. Use of a growth stimulant can make a big difference. So does soil type and initial watering. These are minimal risk offerings where the best results are to a large degree up to the gardener and his/her research and gardening practices. Other
sources have delivered dry root stock to me in poor condition, but I cannot say that of the Arbor Foundation in the last 15 years I have used them in Nebraska.
On May 19, 2009, forsythiasue Goldendale, WA wrote:
Received my 10 free trees as well as a few things I ordered seperately. Had my doubts about the little twigs surviving but after following the included instructions, weathering a horrible snow storm, being trampled by deer, my little "twigs" are doing great!
My 5 free Forsythia are about 3 feet tall, my Rose of Sharon actually bloomed the same summer I planted them. My Red Bud tree is also about 3-4' tall and I have no qualms about ordering from them again. You only have to follow the directions, read the description of what you're ordering so you understand what they are shipping, and water them faithfully. Ordered last spring and all have been in the ground for only 1 year and show substantial growth. I paid my membership and received 5 free Rose of Sharon 2 weeks ago and they are already leafing out. 5-19-2009
On Mar 22, 2009, LadyAethelwyne Harriman, TN wrote:
I became a member of Arbor Day last year (2008). Received my baby trees in a little bag like the kind newspapers are put in, and I was worried as I've never tried planting baby trees before. The tree roots were moist and covered in hydrating gel. I let them soak in water like the book said, then planted them carefully.
This spring, I've noticed little branches sprouting from all of the "twigs", and two have tiny leaves on them. They are doing so well!
I ordered 8 more trees, a bit worried because I read the feedback here and was expecting more "twigs". However, to my delight, I received a box about 5 foot tall in the mail today. Tied to a bamboo stick for support was a 4 ft tall maple, a kousa with lots of little branches and green buds, a budding saucer magnolia, and three arborvitaes that looked like the baby christmas trees bought in a store. Only the Japanese maples looked like sticks, but all of the trees had very long and (in some cases) very thick roots. I thought I would have to nurse these in my garden like the babies, but I'm thrilled that I can go ahead and plant them in my yard!
On customer service, I made my order but forgot the kousa dogwood. I sent an email, and the kind representative cancelled my order so I could do a new one with the kousa included. My new order arrived in just a few days!
Most of the feedback made me laugh-which is a good thing. I received my free twigs in December of 07. I couldn't tell which was which tree. until i noticed microscopic paint spots on them. I planted them the next weekend, after soaking them per their instructions. Kind of hard to do as they kept floating around. They are in their temporary fenced in area, until or if they survive. Since planting them we have had three snow storms and an ice storm. So I really don't have high hopes for them. If they grow, I'll be happy, if not I hope my donation helps with their cause. No big loss. (They were very quick to reply to my email regarding shipping time, however I think they were shipped much too late.)
On April 12th, 2009, plantgnome added the following:
Well my twigs are growing, my crabapple is leafing out and several of the others are getting buds. Needless to say I am astonished, but very happy. I also ordered a downy serviceberry tree with a free red maple. The serviceberry is budding and the maple is doing fine. I am happy with all their products, will get other trees from them in the future. So never say never until you give it a try. I do baby the "twigs" and have treated them with biological tree growth activator, which probably helped a great deal, whatever the reason, they did make it thru the first winter! On May 18th, 2009, plantgnome added the following:
Out of the ten "twigs" I received eight of them are flourishing, have leaves and have grown taller. So in another year, I can move them to their permanent homes!
On Nov 8, 2008, farrissophie Pocono Summit, PA wrote:
I ordered from Arbor Day, about 6 years ago, I ordered the ten free flowering trees, all lived but two, I left all but one of them at my old house, it is now over 4 feet tall, and last spring was the first time it produced beautiful cherry colored blooms, I just recently gave them my new address, and this time I order ten free Norway Spruce trees, they all arrived very healthy, and with a good root system, I planted the way the told me to, and they are doing great, my yard will have privacy from the neighbours sooner than I expected.
Thanks Arbor Day!
I have been a member since 1992, and have joined in the hazelnut research program too. I have a nice 7' x 5.5' Colorado Spruce that I received as a "smaller than pencil" bare root freebie among redbud and others. I have a hazelnut bearing for the first time this year in my front yard.
I am a satisfied member, still contributing, and appreciating the free literature and online information forms. I am a college horticulture student at present and find their infomation to be accurate, and more thorough than some.
I am a zone 5A resident of IL.
This past spring I placed several orders with the Arbor Day Foundation. I was drawn to them because of their selection and prices. I am also planting in my yard with the intention of enjoying the growth process of the trees/shrubs (ie not looking for full-grown trees for fifty times the price).
All items arrived bare-root, like I often get online. I followed the directions--soaking the roots, digging holes, etc. I laughed a little looking out at the "sticks" in my yard. Within a couple of weeks, however, I was excited to see the first growth.
The most impressive plant so far this year (just over three months since I planted) is the Elberta Peach, which went from an 18-inch "stick" to an amazing tree almost 5 feet tall. The Goldenraintree and Purpleleaf Sand Cherry are doing well, approximately doubled in height. I planted a 50-foot row of privet hedge which started as "sticks" between 6-12 inches long, which have grown to about 2 feet tall and branched out well.
Amazingly enough, the only things I got from them that haven't flourished are the free red maple trees that they send with each order. It has taken them about 3 months to get their first leaves...no big loss since I didn't order them specifically.
I will not hesitate to join again for the upcoming year. It is such a small fee to join, it is a non-profit, and I intend to send next year's "free" membership trees to a local school, since I don't need them right now.
I have been a member for a number of years now and will continue to support this company. I orded 3 nanking cherry bushes and a scarlet spiral willow from them this year--their prices are the best. My willow is looking great out there and has sprouted up about 6 inches in the 2-3 months since I planted it. My cherry bushes--2 arrived DOA. I planted them anyway to see if I was wrong, but they had not passed a scratch test and remained as dead as I had expected. A few weeks after their arrival, I called arbor day. Their policy says they will replace plants at half price if they don't live, but I was afraid of sending good money on top of bad, but figured I'd call anyhow just to see what they said. The man on the phone got my name, linked it to my address and when I said that they had arrived dead, he did not question me in the slightest. Just said he would send replacements right away. They came quickly with great root structures (unlike the poor sticks that had come the first time) and are thriving--as long as the deer leave them alone. Thanks arbor day!
And the trees I orderred were bigger than one's I've orderred from big nurseries! They're a little slow on shipping, but that's because everyone buys trees from them to save a buck so they are constantly backlogged with orders.
On June 6th, 2008, donicaben added the following:
Well, my free trees are turning orange (they're Norway Spruces). :-( I'm still keeping this as a positive though until I see how my purchased trees survive through the next year. I want to believe that this is a good company because it's a non-profit.
If you're looking for speedy deliveries and high-tech order updates and such I wouldn't reccommend.
On May 16, 2008, BotanicalBoi Carrollton, GA (Zone 7b) wrote:
I can not believe the people who have the nerve to leave negative comments for a NON PROFIT GROUP! People get a grip! The free trees are a thank you for your DONATION. I have actually had a high percentage of the trees that they have sent live. Not too bad being that seedlings don’t always have the best odds.
On Apr 16, 2008, pittsburghTrees Pittsburgh, PA wrote:
It amazes me these negative comments. Saplings have a very low survival rate. 60% of saplings die and 90% do not survive the 1st year in nature. You can hardly blame Arbor day for Mother Natures survival rate of trees. You can improve the odds by planting them with TLC and keeping them safe from animals and competing plants. They sent out 8.7 million trees last year, which is very impressive. I know going into it that the 10 membership saplings are very small and have a low survival rate. It is well documented on the website that these saplings will be very small and need a lot of love in order to survive.
If you want trees with a higher survival rate, you need to stay away from saplings. You can get older trees through Arbor day as well, for a good price. But no one should judge Arbor day for the naturally low survival rate of saplings.
On Dec 23, 2007, CaptMicha Brookeville, MD (Zone 7a) wrote:
For some reason, I received a couple of free Dogwoods from them. I didn't order, sign up or even contact them that I know of.
The packing sure was strange. The instruction sheet (regular computer paper) was in the same newspaper bag like sleeve with the trees so the paper was wet. And that was the extent of the packing. No box, insulation, cushioning or anything.
Even though the trees were packed so poorly, they were dormant and both looked fine with some green and I have them sitting in my garage ready to be planted out when it warms up.
I have personally never had any trouble with this company. I have been a member for several years, and all of the products I have ordered from Arbor Day have been of relatively good quality, especially the fruit trees I ordered in 2005 and 2006.
This is the second, and last, year I will receive dead plants from this organization. Last year the free red maple was the only tree that sprouted. All the fruit trees were DOA. This year, one of the plum trees was dead. I don't mean that they just didn't sprout. I could find no living tissue on the plants. I was not disappointed in the size to price ratio, but I am disappointed that the organization supporting tree planting nationwide would ship dead plants. I won't order from them again.
On March 19th, 2008, Buddy44 changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following:
I am tardy in writing this. Last fall, National Arbor Day Foundation replaced my orders for 2006 and 2007. All the plants were of good size and in good condition. They arrived the first of December, which is pushing the late button. All were planted promptly. They are beginning to bud out now. Thanks NSDF!
I been a member since 1998 and just think about these trees as babies, they just need a tad of love. There are trees that I ordered that died, but then I considered the fact that I may have planted the new fine roots in a rock hard clay. I read the one person said make a hole and add planting soil to just give a good start for the roots and so on. I ordered a lot and there are trees that all you do is just stick it in the ground and leave it alone, but there are less strong trees that require more thought. Overall I think they try their best, I just let it go when one dies. When I get my new shipment soon I'll use the potting soil and I feel that is best for the less shock... Oh yea to the people that said they received trees when the ground was soild, trees and other woody plants transplant the best during winter, I buy plants left over from stores in dec and they do just fine (you may have to think). Take Care and I think anyone that has trees that died to contact Arbor Day and tell them... How else would they know if they are strong or they made a mistake, they can't guess.
On Mar 23, 2007, edalejrfan Williamsburg, OH wrote:
I have been a member of the National Arbor Day Foundation for 5 years and I am renewing my membership for the 6th year this month. I am highly satisfied with the free trees I have recieved I have very big healthy trees for much less than I would have paid anywhere else. They do take time to grow but they are well work the wait. The 2 flowering pears I recieved my forst year are now about 10-15' tall and one of the crabapples has a weeping growing habit. A few trees have died out of the 50 I have recieved most were when I forgot to plant them and they stayed in the house all winter in the bag they came in but amazingly a few did grow. It doesn't matter to me if any die since i am paying to support their mission not to get free trees. I also made a donation and recieved 10 free lilacs which are doing great and bloomed for the first time last year and they were beautiful. I will continue to renew my membership for life.
A small tip: Use a bulb planter to make the holes and fill them in with a mix of purchased top soil and the soil from the holes, and of course don't forget to keep them watered.
Hello everyone. A couple of years ago I became a member of the foundation. I received ten free flowering trees, I don't recall when I received them but I'm thinking some time around spring. The trees were bare root and they were moist and in good condition. I never had the chance to actually plant them. So I can't blame NADF for my lack of responsibility.
Later I had ordered two apple trees, red and yellow delicious apples. I ordered them for a friend and they are doing well, they haven't produced apples yet, which takes a couple of years anyways. I also received a free Maple tree that I planted in a pot. It is doing good as well. Of course I had to figure what was best for a bare root plant. They do seem to work better if you plant them in a pot their first year, however, I have not yet transplanted my maple yet. I plan to do this in the spring.
Overall I have had a good experience with them and plan to order again. Only this time I know what to do and what not to.
If you have no knowledge of what bare root is, do your homework before ordering from them. Because the reward is worth it.
We were disappointed by the blue spruce trees we received for planting in the spring-they arrived moldy and really too late for planting in our area so they did not live. We read the comments on your forum and decided to contact the National Arbor Day Foundation Member Services department. This Department was very accomodating in settling our complaint about the trees to our satisfaction.
If you have any problems with the National Arbor Day Foundation, please contact their member services department which we found to be fantastic.
My advice to anyone who is unhappy with any org that calls them is to firmly but politely ask to be placed on their do not call list and to get on the national do not call list if they are not already. It is a very effective way of culling out telemarketing calls especially from orgs you have an affiliation with after the fact.
I do not expect too much from the foundation or the free trees but am looking forward to the one of many opitons they offered me for free intro membership trees. I received the options after writing an e-mail to them about my free tree order. There are actually many many more free tree packages than are listed on their web site.
On Jun 29, 2006, csl Jonesborough, TN (Zone 6b) wrote:
In my opinion, these trees are nice for the small amount of $ that you spend. Yes, the trees are small. I have found that they grow better if you start them off in a pot first. Some of them take a long time to start growing, but I have ordered several and I'd say 95% have lived. Overall, a positive experience.
On May 19, 2006, Spookycharles Langley, WA (Zone 8b) wrote:
I joined the National Arbor Day Foundation late ’04 and later that winter my ten free trees arrived. Yes they are shipped in a plastic bag but despite the lack of presentation they are kept moist and none of mine were at all damaged by the shipping method, which surely helps to keep the cost down.
Even though a few had questionable roots I went ahead and planted all of them. These trees are seedlings and do of course require extra care to grow into trees. Their small size, however, is to be expected for a dollar a tree including shipping and membership cost. It really is a splendid deal and a fun way to get to try out varieties that one may not be willing to spend the bigger bucks on for a larger specimen.
While they were a bit slow to start all but a few of the trees did begin to grow by early summer. When I confirmed that a few were indeed not going to be coming out of dormancy I contacted Arbor Day inquiring about having replacements sent.
They responded quickly and were exceptionally polite, helpful and more than willing to replace not only the trees that had not come up, but when the shipping for my area came along I received ten additional trees as replacement. They were planted this winter and only the goldrains still show no sign of life, the rest look lovely and the ones from the previous year are already showing dramatic growth.
While I was initially questioning ordering trees from Arbor Day based off how small their free trees were, their customer service in regards to my concerns regarding ‘free’ trees was more than enough to convince me that if there were a problem with my order that they would be more than helpful in correcting it.
I signed up for their hazelnut project program and ordered three paper birches, a Pararifire, a smoke tree and a tulipifera. With that came a free red maple and two forthysias. While still of course not huge trees, the trees that one gets from purchasing from their tree store are notably larger than their free counterparts.
I was expecting a little bag of trees in my mailbox but rather I received a rather large, carefully packed box. All the trees arrived safely and looked wonderful. The free red maple was a beautiful three foot plus specimen with good branching structure which by this time has leafed out as have all the rest.
The only questionable items were the forthysias. One looked fine, but the other I was certain wouldn’t make it. Despite that certainty I planted them both and they both have leafed out fully and are already growing larger.
The above mentioned trees however all arrived very shortly after I had ordered them while the hazelnut project trees were nowhere to be seen nor was the calendar that I was supposed to have received for renewing early. Again I contacted the company and again I was extremely pleased with their responsiveness and quick effort to correct the issue.
While no response was given to the lack of calendar (which I assume they simply ran out of), it turned out that the hazelnuts were a filling mistake which they rectified immediately and I received my hazelnuts a couple of weeks ago. They arrived much smaller than the other trees I ordered, rather the size of the free trees, but from my experience transplanting hazelnuts and dealing with their taproots, I definitely feel much better about the likely survival rate of these small hazelnuts as opposed to if they had sent larger specimens with too short of roots.
If looking for instant landscaping trees, certainly one ought to look elsewhere and expect to pay a great deal more. However if in no hurry or planting for the future on a crunched budget, the Arbor Day Foundation has a wonderful variety of small, healthy trees that are a real joy. I’m exceptionally happy with what I have received from them, their customer service and as a bonus they have a lot of tree related projects that they support. I will certainly order from them again.
On May 14, 2006, oathkeeper5000 Owings Mills, MD wrote:
What I find is that with this company, people order from them expecting huge, bought at the nursery plants, this is not true. I signed up and they sent me an assortment of trees that do well in our area for free. They were small, about a foot or so, but they were alive, that's the good thing, I remember two red-buds had pretty heart shaped leaves. They really are just seedlings, and I had the mistake of planting them where the deer would get them. All the trees in my " tree nursery" where I was letting them grow, were grazed to the ground and no signs of coming back. It's a shame, but they really are trying hard here to help spread planting trees, they just give things that are more high matienence on our parts. I will give them a positive for their efforts, and I reccomend people put the trees in small pots until they are large enough for the landscape.
Like most of us, I received a mail offer to join the National Arbor Day Society. For a $10 donation, I would receive 10 free trees. I mailed my check off and then I read this forum. When my trees arrived, about a month later, I was not surprised to receive 10 little twigs--I had already known what to expect by reading this forum. As promised, I received 2 redbuds, 2 dogwoods, 2 hawthornes, 2 crabapples and a crape myrtle. They were packaged in a rooting gel and, ahthough very tiny, they were alive and the roots appeared healthy. Each tree was identifiable by a paint color (or lack of one) dabbed on the tiny twig. Since I could not immediately plant them, I heeled them in a garden bed and intend to plant next week when it warms up. I am going to follow the instructions and plant them in worked up soil in a garden bed and leave them there for two years before transplanting to their new home. My yard is not yet fully landscaped and in just about two years, I will be ready to create some new beds along the sides of my property. I am hoping that my little twigs will thrive and be ready to move to their permanent home at the same time! Yes, they are very small, but the NADS is a good organization, so if my trees make it, great, if they don't, I will feel that I have simply made a donation to a worthy cause. Actually, I'm not unhappy that they are small--I was not ready to give them a permanent home. I really don't know where I would have planted them if they were larger. I think that with a little planning (like my plan for the new beds in two years) the Arbor Day Society can work for you. If, however, you are looking for nicely sized trees to plant now for gratification in the next year or so, that is not what you will get. These are very young saplings, mere twigs, of approx 12-15 inches and 1/8 to 1/4 in diameter. The crape myrtle is even smaller and I don't believe it will actually grow in zone 5 unless it's a new hardy variety. To summarize, I'm not sorry I joined. I like a good challenge, love to watch things grow and will be delighted if my trees make it and a little sad if they don't. They also give me the opportunity to do a little "dreaming" about my future beds and how I can incorporate my new trees into them!
On April 8th, 2006, ElizabethK added the following:
I wanted to add this comment, but forgot: I have a friend who joined a few years ago. She was offered butterfly bushes and other shrubs for her $10 donation. I am happy to report that they survived and grew in the two years since she received them. She has transplanted them to their permanent homes and last summer they all bloomed and looked beautiful!
On Feb 19, 2006, Windy Belleville , IL (Zone 6b) wrote:
I have a number of trees that I got from National Arbor Day. I liked the free trees as a bonus and now after a few years actually have good sized tree to show for the effort of joining.
Last year I ordered several of the smaller sized trees because I am in no hurry to see big trees and benefited by getting a lower price. They are all doing fine as is the free maple they sent with my order.
I don't have any complaints about their products. You get what you pay for. If you want big trees there are plenty to choose from locally at the nurseries.
It is much like growing from seed, you do have to baby them as saplings until they can be set out to grow as the big guys.
On Jan 21, 2006, WigglyPaw Hastings, MI (Zone 5b) wrote:
I joined Arbor Day as a contribution. I read a comment from years ago for people to quit whining about the "free" trees and stuff. Hear Hear!
Arbor Day is wonderful. The programs that they support and train for around the United States are quite the lifeblood of america.
Ja, I am a "tree hugger" and proud to be one!
PS I don't mind if the stems they ship grow or don't grow. The little free things are fine, and they are sweet for attempting to send some gifts. I am happy and thankful for this
company and their attributes. Please give them a break and support them, not berate them.
I have been a member of this organization for better than 10 years now and feel very positive towards it. The free trees I have recieved have always been twigs - some better than others but always twigs(small bareroot stock). Please keep in mind that this is not a gardening supplier or business but an educational charity - realistically, what do you expect for a
$15 donation - Stop whinning.
I just thought I would relate my experience. I got the 10 trees and yes they were what appeared to be twigs. I put them in the ground just like I was supposed to do and they grew inspite of me. I watched a rabbit bite three of the twigs off even with the ground and they still came back and grew a couple feet before winter came. Its now winter and the 10 "twigs" now range from 2 feet to 6 foot tall. Arbor Day is alright with me and I'm hard to please. You just have to take care of the little guys!
On Apr 24, 2005, cchiovitti Lochbuie, CO (Zone 5b) wrote:
I haven't recieved my 10 "free" trees yet, but I did recieve the several that I ordered. They were actually a bit larger than I expected, and healthy looking. Oddly enough, the largest and healthiest tree I got was the "free bonus" red maple. 2 free Forsythia's they included are little more than soft wood cuttings with marginal roots, but they were free so if they grow, that's a bonus. All trees were at least as big, if not a bit larger, than the catalog descriptions and were packed well with plenty of moisture gel surrounding the roots.
I just got the membership trees. They are indeed small. But i think because I read this forum (After I placed an order for some pear trees and the membership). My expectations were not high to start with. With that said, i was surprised to see that the little trees actually did not look as bad as I thought. I am a novice in tree planting, but these actually look like what I have been reading from various sources viable trees. Of course, i just planted them so who knows how they are going to turn out. I have to say, it is difficult to id them even with the paint key. But i guess because i am treating this as a learning process and a donation, any surviving trees would be bonus.
I received my pear trees a week earlier (with a free maple) THey looked ok at first. They were bigger than i thought they might be (but according to the published sized). However, 1 of them does not have a very good form, i actually think it was cut/pruned/ prepared incorrectly. One of them has a big gash on the main trunk. I told the foundation and they have agreed to replace both trees for me. I planted them anyway, so lets see what would happend. The customer service was very helpful and prompt with reply. I just felt like i should speak up for them. THen again, i still have not seen the replacement nor withstand a TExas Summer with the trees i got from them so...stay tuned...
I do have to say, they do take a long time...I place the order for the membership trees around March 20 or so, and the pear trees 3 days there after. Around that time, the weather was perfect here in texas, not too cold, not too hot, plenty of rain and plenty of sun...I did not know it would take about 1 month for them to deliver the trees because now it is already getting a little hot and not as much rain...I think I might have missed the best time to plant...but Like I said, the overall expereince has thus far been pleasant...we shall see...
On Mar 18, 2005, CathysFlaRoses Lake Worth, FL wrote:
After reading all the neg. on the foundation I was very worried about the order I placed. I have to say the trees are just as described and very much alive. I am glad to support the foundation and am very happy with my purchase.
I purchased a membership and also ordered a dozen dwarf Montmorency cherry trees which were about 4ft. tall when I received them. I potted the trees as soon as they arrived @ a month ago. The nail scratch showed green bark. I've watered them once a week and checked them yesterday and leaves are breaking out of the buds. The foundation will replace any that don't grow for half price, but at this point it looks like they delivered good quality trees. If they don't live, it will not be the foundation's fault. I'm very pleased with the quality of the trees I received and especially the price. I'm trying to grow them in upper zone 8, so it's a gamble to begin with. I wouldn't hesitate to order from them again.
I have recieved many little seedlings - these are an incentive to give to a worthy cause. Granted, most did die from neglect. Even when they live, it takes good pruning to get these little guys to grow into shapely trees.
I had the most success when I planted the seedlings in one gallon pots, grow them out for a year or so, then plant the trees in the fall. My redbuds spent some time in one gallon pots, then spent the summer in the vegetable garden where they recieved frequent waterings. In the fall I pruned them as I moved them to the front yard. I have nice, healthy hazelnuts and redbuds doing well in my front yard from the Arbor Day Foundation.
If you wish to give to a good cause and try new trees, this is fun. If you need shade and trees in your yard ASAP, buy trees in three gallon or larger containers at your local nursery. The trees will be better shaped, acclimated to your environment, and larger. Then, after planting your tree, send a check to Arbor Day because it is a worthwhile organization.
I joined and received ten free educational seedlings in the mail. They were sent by bulk mail since it's financially impossible to send free things by UPS or Priortity Mail. I wanted to learn about growing bare-root trees before I placed a big order and killed them all. Well, I put the trees in pots and fertilized them and kept them indoors over winter because I didn't want them to freeze. They all died and I emailed the company, furious. The company informed me that planting instructions were contained with the trees and that I would have had success if I would have bothered to read them. They sent me another package and most of them grew. I then ordered from their catalog and had good success because I ordered in February and received my trees in April. The customer service rep advised me to order early because as a non-profit foundation they don't have the quick turnaround like the more expensive commercial bigboys.
If you're ordering late or expect something for nothing then you should probably go elsewhere.
I got the membership with the 10 trees, all of which came tiny and in questionable health, however all of them are doing great! They look truly healthy and happy. The reason I am neutral here is that I ordered 45 privet plants, and a PG hydrangea. The PG is also doing great, but most of the privet died. However, I wrote back to them, told them what I had done, and they sent me a new shipment. Most of that is doing just fine (I may have lost 3 or 4, but at .85 each, it was a good deal. But also, I joined through the mail, responding to some paperwork that didn't say anything about a 6 month membership. So I recently got a renewal notice, however, I had only joined 4 months previously. So once again, I wrote to them and explained the situation and they just re-upped my membership. It took some runaround, but out of it, I have some pretty nice looking, cheap, while small plants. I would order from them again for sure.
On Apr 20, 2004, nmartens Pleasant Prairie, WI wrote:
I've been a member of the NADF for several years. Yes, the membership trees are small, seedlings to be precise. But they do tell you this and they tell you to baby them for the first 2 years. Most of the decidious seedlings have started for me but you have to give them tender loving care. Another tip is to have them send you what ever trees you order for spring time delivery. I say this because one year I ordered several of their nursery trees (which are larger than the membership trees) for fall delivery. We had an extremely cold fall and almost no snow cover during the winter. By the time I got the trees the ground was starting to freeze. I planted them anyways but none survived. Roots need a certain amount of warmth to grow. So, I ordered another batch to arrive in the spring and all of those are growing nicely. Just recently I received an order of nursery trees with a free red maple thrown in. One of the trees, a Kousa dogwood, was a DOA. I called NADF and they will be sending me a replacement. The man I spoke to was polite and gave me satisfactory service. So I can't complain. Sure, I can go to my local nursery and spend alot more on larger potted trees but it's fun getting baby trees to grow and it's for a good cause. That's why I still order from them. I'm giving them a positive rating because they promote programs to educate kids and adults on the importance of planting and preserving trees and forests.
On Mar 14, 2004, jewelee123 Doniphan, MO (Zone 6b) wrote:
I ordered the 10 flowering trees last year in Spring, and all but 3 died. I emailed them and told them that 7 of the trees died, but I wasn't sure which ones they were. They replied right away, and told me they would send replacements in the Fall. And they did replace them. Not just 7, but all 10 of them. I planted them, but of course I couldn't tell if they were going to make it, until Spring. But about three weeks ago, all 10 trees have started to bud out, and are doing great. The 3 trees that lived from the first order (2 of them got chopped down to 1 inch last Summer, by the lawn mower, but they sprouted right back up again) are about 4 feet tall now, and doing wonderful. I think the first time around was my fault anyway. I'd never planted trees before, and I didn't go by the instructions at all. Just stuck them in the ground, and watered them. I guess I just figured they would grow no matter what. But I think when you get bare root trees from mail order, they need a little extra attention, and babying (they've been through a lot). As they say, they look dead, but they aren't. With proper care and the right conditions, you'll have nice trees. I really like this company, and will order from them again!
