Specimen Trees and Shrubs

I have been searching the Internet for weeks, looking for a site that will sell and deliver "specimen" trees and shrubs...meaning: something that is at least 5 feet tall NOW. Does anyone know where to look??? Am I better off just continuing to troll the landscape stores in my area? I never see anything I like--they all seem to be weirdly shaped or damaged or just too much $$$. Thanks!

Doesn't Forest Farm sell the bigger ones if you want to pay a fortune for shipping?? Legit

Try the webpage for Georgia Green Industry Association. http://www.ggia.org/ Making a few quick calls might lead you to a wholesale nursery that might be willing to sell good quality specimen trees & shrubs if the total sale is right.

Also the Athens Georgia Nursery Growers Association http://www.agnga.com/ You could look through Growit http://www.growit.com/ for material in the size you're looking for. You might find a nursery willing to make a sale the further out of Atlanta you go.

Hope this gives you some leads.

It is actually better to plant smaller-size trees and shrubs rather than large specimens. In fact, smaller specimens will actually become established quicker and outgrow trees and shrubs, of the same species, that were planted in a much larger size. I know it's hard to wait, but the couple of extra years of waiting will be rewarded down the road in a healthier and larger specimen.

It is generally thought that there is approx. one year of "recoup" (establishing) time for each inch of trunk caliper when planting trees.
My .02
Mike

fermina, if you don't mind traveling, Nurseries Caroliniana in North Augusta, SC is right over the Georgia border and easily accessible from I-20. They have an incredible selection of plants and a very helpful and friendly staff. We visited them in October to pick up a few plants on our way to a conference in Georgia and they have some fine "specimen" trees and shrubs in all sizes at reasonable prices for what they're offering. We picked up some 'Ogon' Dawn Redwoods in a gallon pot for $19.99 - an incredible price for a plant that typically sells for $50-$75 at many other nurseries. !Here's the link: http://www.nurcar.com/

I bought a 5 gallon magnolia 'JonJon' from ForestFarm in spring, and even with high shipping and handling, it was still a good deal. I also recieved excellent 1 gallon magnolias (M.sieboldii and 'Galaxy') from Arbor Villiage for 1/2 the price most vendors were asking. And as treelover said, smaller is proving better for me. The 5 gallon tree was at least 5' tall when it arrived. While healthy, it's only about 10-12" taller now. The 1 gallon plants have gone from 12" to 3-4' this summer and I think within a couple of years they indeed will outgrow the larger. Both of the above vendors have a good variety of other specimen plants. Neal

Thank you all SO MUCH for this help! I do believe that I will stay "small" and wait for most purposes. There is just teh one spot that I aim to buy a large guy for, so I will check out the places mentioned.

I agree that it is much preferable to plant young(er) trees/shrubs. The dollar cost and risk of loss rise with the age/height of the item. Probably okay to avoid a hernia , too.

The most interesting procedure I heard about in connection with planting a large tree was the removal of the leaves to prevent the drying out of the tree through the leaves, i.e. death. This forced the tree to put out hairroots to survive................. It worked. (I don't recall if the item was bareroot... and leafing out, or balled with root disturbance)

Bill in SE Newfoundland zone 5a

From a "reformed" B&B buyer, I would now agree that bigger is rarely better. Based on side by side comparisons, the smaller bareroot saplings will most assuredly catch up with and ultimately overtake their B&B brethren within a few years.

OK. Somehow I just decided that I would plant a Tea Olive there. I bought a small one :) Only a foot high. I almost put a camellia there, I found one that was 7 feet tall for only $110.00, but I think it gets too much sun there for that. It gets summer full-blast GA sun from about 10:00 until 3:00. Though there are camellias everywhere around here in the sun that see, fine. The tea olive is still sitting on my porch for now. I haven't planted it...I am haunted by that camellia. Should I give it a try? It is next to a four foot fence, facing South, the next house over is about 10 feet away from the fence. Geez. Maybe I could buy the camellia and keep it in the pot for a year, in that spot, and see how it likes it? But, now I do have the Tea Olive.

I can't sleep at night, between this issue and the issue of the four hydrangeas that I have planted, which all need to be moved because they are in TOO shady a spot, and won't bloom, AND I have two other camellias that I planed that need to be moved. The sasanqua, which I have now learned CAN take "more" sun, is in full shade. The camellia, which I have now learned needs to be in part shade, is in full sun from 11:00 until 4:00. I need to swap them around.

This is the best forum!
Cindy

Fermina, you should check out www.nearlynativenursery.com , they are located in Senoia,GA. They do have some larger plants availible if you can go in person and pick them up.