Comments regarding St. Lawrence Nurseries

I placed my first order with SLN this winter after reviewing their catalog for a year. They do not have an 800# nor do they take credit cards, but it is not a problem, I ordered anyway because they had the trees I was looking for. My fruit trees and grapes arrived at the most appropriate planting time in my far northern MN area. The trees were large, well wrapped and appear to be very healthy, the prices are reasonable and the selection of hardy organic plants is very good. I strongly recomend this company for northern and southern gardeners who appriciate a good value and strong healthy plants. Thank you SLN and Garden Watchdog.

I found these people to be helpful, responsive and informative. Their selection is somewhat limited, but I was attracted by the cold hardiness necessary for any plant which starts its life in extreme northern NY state. My order was shipped on time, contained what I ordered, and included excellent planting instructions. Recommended.

In February, I ordered a bush cherry (only two companies in the U.S. carry them that I could find). Although travelling from NY to western Washington State, the shrub was huge and healthy. Excellent customer service and instructions. I will do business with them again.

This is a great place to get cold-hardy trees. I am only in zone 5 but that is cold enough that I tend not to trust nursery stock from the Big Guys because they're just not as hardy and poor quality ... and I wanted trees that were used to cold winters and which would bloom late. I ordered 12 raspberries, 4 trees (2 apple, 2 cherry) and a serviceberry this year-- all arrived on time and alive and all are showing growth 2 weeks after planting. All are in great shape. Plus, their catalogue is great and they have a whole lot of wildish native things that you can't get elsewhere. Plus they are a small company not overloaded by orders-- good customer service -- and they've got a great planting guide. OH, and the prices are good. I will order many more trees in upcoming years from these people. They're organic and ethical and I highly recommend them.

Two years ago, I ordered several plum trees and bush cherries (which, by the way, are very difficult to find) from this company. They arrived right on time, and while very small and spindly-looking, settled right in and started to grow. They weathered the winter without any problem at all, and just took off.

Their catalog is focused entirely on truly cold-hardy plants, a blessing for those of us in very cold areas (I'm in MN). I have had the experience of ordering so-called hardy plants from nurseries in warmer areas (MO, OR) and had them be unable to take the cold here. They also raise their plants without artificial fertilizers, a factor that I believe makes the plants more willing to grow in less-than-ideal places.

Note: You have to order very early in the "spring", when it's probably still snowing and your mind is not on planting trees. But it's worth it.

Last year I ordered two apple trees from St Lawrence Nurseries and have been very happy so far. The trees arrived in great condition and have been thriving so far. The catalog is very concise and the people I talked to on the phone were very knowledgable. I also appreciated the detailed and practical planting guide that arrived with the trees. I would also like to mention that this is a great place to get cold hardy trees.

I've ordered currants and blueberries from St. Lawrence Nurseries. I have found them friendly and helpful, both by e-mail and in their informative catalog. They have an excellent selection of "half-high" blueberries, and advice on spacing, planting, and cultivation. (It is geared towards the northern grower, though.) The bushes I received were large and healthy (barefoot), and arrived on a Friday preceding excellent planting weather.

Bill MacKentley and family run this nursery, specializing in fruits, berries and nuts for growers in northern climates. SLN has a good selection of apples, pears, cherries, and plums, as well as lesser known fruits such as saskatoons (juneberries), mulberries, walnuts, and bur oaks. I've been pleased with the quality of plants I've ordered from SLN, and prices are comparable to any of the other fruit nurseries I've ordered from.