Comments regarding Musser Forests, Inc.

I've ordered from Musser 3 times now, and also purchased from them at the Mother Earth Fair in Seven Springs, PA. Their prices are great. Their quality is amazing. I've had a few issues, but not contacted the company as I accept at least partial responsibility. As I see in another review, my red cedar trees didn't make it. Some were brown (red) upon arrival. I hilled in 25 and planted the other 25 very quickly. About 5-10 are still green. I don't know what the issue was, but I will try again. I ordered persimmon trees, instead of 12-18 inch trees, I got 24" tall, thicker than a pencil trees. Right off the bat I was concerned with the root systems. They seemed too cropped, not enough smaller feeder roots for the overall large size of the roots. These also were hilled in and some potted. so far, out of the 50 trees, only about 10 have started to leaf out, but the weather has been unseasonably cold, so that could also be a consideration. The paw paw I ordered this year seems a bit dry and I'll have to wait and see how those do. I still give Musser a positive review because had I called them with these concerns, I'm sure they would have refunded or replaced the order. I also ordered Gingko, Pawpaw, sugar maple, osage orange, echinacea, juniper, and other things. All of those are alive and well. Their pricing is the best that I've found, and when I have found a slightly lower price, Musser still beats anyone once shipping is taken into consideration.

I've ordered over 200 trees from Musser. All have arrived in good order. Most that I planted have lived.

These guys are good, especially for the price.

Posted on May 17, 2017, updated May 17, 2017
A Stellar positive review for Fall 2016 order:

October 2016 I ordered over 350 seedlings of Red Maple, Silver Maple, Black locust, Eastern Red Bud and Eastern Red Cedar, Ginkgo and Mulberry.

Delivery: With in 2-3 days and I have never seen bare root plants plants as healthy as these, seemed like they were picked yesterday. Roots packed in wet paper and covered well with plastic in nice large card board boxes. All the plants looked healthy and taller than I expected.

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I waited till spring to do the review so I can see how many of the seedlings survived.

I am happy to report about 80% survival rate on all except the Red Cedar. My Red Bud, Maple and Locust are growing vigorously and look really healthy. I did coat all the roots with root dip and added a fertilizer tablet when planting in fall. I can not really tell if good success was due to the root dip, fertilizer tablet or just plain good stock of the trees.

Cherry on top: I called them to tell them about the good results and inquire as to why none of the red cedar survived and they instantly gave me credit. I opted to get white Pine to be shipped in Fall 2017.

All in all a great experience and I would recommend them highly.

I ordered quite a few varied trees from them two times now and have had the best experience. Their trees are in wonderful shape and they even put in 1 or 2 extra in case any were damaged in transit. I would recommend them to anyone for trees. I didn't think their prices were out of line especially for the quality of trees they ship!

I order from these folks regularly. With the exception of some holly I bought last fall, all plants have done very well. I had ordered holly from them before and was pleased, so was a bit disappointed that the fifteen seedling I got last fall all passed on. But, that's fifteen out of probably 200 or so plants I've bought from them. The quality is really good in general. I'm very happy with them.

My one complaint is that they tend to lose orders - I'll place an order and wait and wait and wait ... then I call and they tell me it will ship in a day or two. Not a big deal, since they don't charge you until they ship, but when you order in the winter for a spring planting, you'd do well to remember in the spring to drop them a line.

Posted on March 20, 2005, updated June 15, 2015
This is the third time I've ordered from this company. Thus far no complaints. This spring's order consisted of four potted trees and one bundle of bare-root kousa dogwoods. The potted trees were all in superb condition and the height advertised. The dogwoods had crooked tops, as if they'd been grown sideways for one season. I don't find this troublesome as it's easily corrected in one season with some ties. More important was that the dogwoods were all healthy with great root systems - they even included an extra one for good measure. All trees were experty packed - the pots tied down and the bare-root dogwoods adequately moist. Will do business with them in the future.

At this early stage, the order looks good. A half dozen each of chestnuts and catalpas arrived with healthy root stock that should enable them to thrive next spring. The rooted rhodie cuttings in pots were a real surprise. They were not just sticks in a mud cup, but healthy, vigorous and well rooted specimens that will do well in their new setting. The order was placed on Sunday evening and arrived Friday morning. The packing was thorough and effective in keeping the cuttings in their pots without any damage. If you have the patience to deal with smaller plants, or even enjoy the process of watching young specimens grow, this is a an economical way to go.

Posted on April 29, 2009, updated October 17, 2014
I'm very please with the package I just opened from Musser Forests. In order to take advantage of their "50 Frasier Fir seedlings for $1 with any order", I ordered a 1-2 foot sawtooth oak. The sawtooth oak is a tad shy of three feet, has many leaf buds and looks healthy and ready to grow. The fifty supposedly 4-8" seedlings are all over a foot tall and are healthy and pliant. They were packed in such a way that they could not move about in the box. So I have a three foot oak tree and a bunch of foot-tall fir trees, all for under $20 including shipping. Very nice!

I have ordered from this company several times since the late 1990s. Most of my orders were for potted stock for birthday party favors. The only problem I had was with some Rudbeckias that were a little small. I let them grow for a couple months longer and they were fine. All of the trees and shrubs were very healthy and a good size. I always have friends giving me updates on how big their seedlings have become. I am very happy with my orders overall.

Posted on April 23, 2011, updated October 23, 2012
Posted on April 5, 2011, updated April 23, 2011
They did a good job for me. The (3 year?) bareroot seedling trees were well packaged, and the roots were moist. Smallish, but cheap and healthy, with nice roots - exactly what I wanted.

The potted plants look good. No wilting at all, though a couple of pots were cracked, probably during shipping, and the soil in those was dry. My pots were in little individual plastic bags, with tie-tags closing them at the tops. That seems to have kept the soil where it's supposed to be. The mountain laurel are tiny (but hey, they're $6 or $7, not $25 from the local nurseries...). The potted birch were a surprise - bigger than I expected.

A good experience overall. My only concern is that they're in a slightly colder zone than I am, and they also were running a little behind this year. So I ended up planting the bareroot seedlings a little later than I'd like. Just something to be aware of if you're in a warmer climate. I'd still order from them again.

I took advantage of Musser's offer of 20 plants for $20.00. I ordered 10 boxwood and 10 shamrock holly. They arrived on the exact day I requested and were extremely well packed. .My bargaion plants were large (for the price) and healthy looking. I potted them all up waiting for better weather to plant my hedge. I noticed one of the holly plants began to drop leaves. It shortly went completely bare. I decided to plant and discovered that the roots of the holly plants, tightly rootbound on arrrival, had not extended beyond the original pot size, inspite of my efforts to loosen them up before planting. I was worried about the health of the remaining holly plants and contacted Musser. I received an answer from them the very next day saying that they will replace any plants that fail to thrive.
Seems like a company that is doing everything right. I hope my plants will grow but I am confident that Musser will stand by their word if they don't.

Very pleased with my 100 periwinkle plants...seemed a little dry at first but after a few hours in water, perked right up. Individual plants are many runners with rubber band around the roots...easy to plant. Happy ;)

I got a Chinese Dogwood from Musser's for $5.95 plus S/H. It was securely packaged in a long narrow box and I received it fast in 2 days. The dogwood was about 2 feet long when I got it. I live in central Pa so shipping may take longer for other people. I was able to plant it immediately and it's been doing quite well in my yard for the past few weeks. I will be buying from them again in the future.

I placed an order on Monday and everything arrived by Friday. I called and asked for a UPS tracking number and they sent it by email the next day. They said this wasn't automatic and is the one thing I wish they would begin doing.

I ordered 2nd year potted seedlings of the following types; 2 Ginkgos, 2 Chinese Chestnuts, 4 Hybrid Poplars and a few non-plant items. The seedlings were securely packed and strapped in place so they wouldn't be shaken from the pots while in transit. Everything looked good except for the Chinese Chesnuts which appeared to some frost burn on them and I chalked that up to the late frost we had in PA. The plants in my yard were also affected by this late frost and I had one Holly drop all of it's leaves because of it. All the seedlings seemed to have good root systems.

I would order from Musser again in the future and am already planning a fall order.

My father and I have ordered stock from Musser for decades. Their product is first rate and prices are very competitive. Few offer the ability to order for mass plantings they way they do. When ordering 100 - 1000 plants to see all of them healthy and ready to go is a welcome sight. They have been in business for a long time with good reason.

In the past I have ordered carya ovata seedlings and recently as last year ilex verticillata seedlings. I have been impressed with the quality of material I was getting, considering what the service is. All of my holly did well, except for those chomped on for chew toys by rabbits. This year I ordered some Hicks yew and they all came in great condition yet again, and are all growing. For inexpensive ways to get mass quantity of planting stocks I cant recommend anyone but musser.

Order came very promptly; well packed and plants in very good shape. Plant sizes as advertised.

I ordered from Musser for the first time this year; I ordered some white spruce seedlings and the sugar maple special of 30 two-year seedlings for about $37. I am very pleased with all aspects of this purchase: the packaging was excellent and the trees were in good shape for the low price. Of course they are small--they are seedlings after all--but all of them seem alive and well. The best part is that their root systems are completely intact with no damage; whoever dug them up did it properly. I expect rapid growth as a result.

I'll definitely order from them again and would recommend them to someone who wants large quantities of small but healthy seedlings at very good prices. Getting 10 (ended up with 11) white spruce and 30 (ended up with at least 35 in the bundle) sugar maple for about $70 including shipping is a great deal in my book.

I placed a nice order with Musser's. All the plants arrived in a very secured manner and all very viable. I have had to pot many of the bare rooted plants as the planting area has not been cleared due to the wet and cool weather we have been having. All the plants have budded out and are very healthy in their pots.

My father and I have ordered from Musser for years (at least 15), and we have been relatively happy customers. They were the first nursery in our area, to my knowledge, to offer bulk seedlings of Concolor, or White, fir, and each year have a few unusual pine, spruce, or fir offerings that can be had at a decent price in amounts as little as 5, or even individually, in pots. They have been the only commercial catalogue we have ordered from for bulk tree seedlings beyond our state nursery in Pennsylvania. Over the years, for sure, they have fallen short a couple of times, in supplying seedlings that were definitely at the lowest end of their scale in terms of height. However, on the average, they have been quite good regarding the material they supply and the time they ship.

This year's order included 25 bareroot Concolor fir, and smaller amounts of Lodgepole pine, Serbian spruce, Southwestern White pine, potted Austrian pine, and a smattering of individual potted trees. Although the Lodgepole pines were on the small side, the others were beyond expectation, and all looked healthy, fresh, and ready to grow.

We are quite happy to have Musser as a resource for quality seedlings. I look forward every year to their newest offerings.

I ordered 5 Eastern White Pines on 3/29/09. When I got off their website I went cruising the 'Net looking for pictures of my soon-to-be grown up trees. To my horror, I realized that I had ordered the wrong type of tree. It was a Sunday, and I left a rather long-winded message regarding my mistake. I was contacted at work the next day and we discussed my requirements at length. After several trips for the customer service rep to talk to a botanist, we determined what tree to order and what the shearing requirements would be. Well, those babies came last night and they are wonderful. Packing was done carefully, pots were moist, and I only had to tease the roots a little bit before they went in the ground. I will definitely order from Musser's again ! Pamspace

I have ordered hundreds of trees from musser's and have never been dissapointed. They send what you order. Out of those trees I can count on my hand how many didn't make it. They have saved me so much money reforesting my property.

Musser Forests is a Superior tree farm. Been planting their trees and shrubs for 15 years. One week delivery time after ordering(fast). Just keep your plant roots moist and plant right away on arrival. Water regularly the first season. You'll be rewarded with lush stands of trees or shrubs as I have. A stand of palowuania is now 40' high, and the seeds have spread, with trees everywhere on my lot. My evergreens are over 30' high. Redbuds have seeded and appear everywhere. 12' wegeilias. More forsythia than I can transplant all from one bush from musser. You got to never let the roots dryout when transplanting ordered stock or dividing your own, that is the key to success. Best to plant early spring or late fall, my plants always survive.

Jan. 6th ordered 10 spratan trees recieved today 12th . They are in good shape and hope they all thrive where I plan to grow them as a hedge. Will plant them 3 ft apart. we still have wokable soil here in n.e.ar. plan to buy more evergreens from them.

Beautiful garden center with extremely helpful staff. Decided to visit them in Spring and was able to get some incredible deals. If you get a chance to go some time, it is definitely worth the trip.

On the whole I am pleased with Musser. Last year the bayberries they sent were healthy and immediately went to work; however the Annabelle hydrangea died upon impact! I buy only potted treesbecause I've had less luck with bare-rooted stock. Most of my little trees are better than expected, more vigorous and ready to grow.

I ordered 100 Norway Spruce last Fall. I didn't plant right away and then took too long to plant them when I had them in the field. I still had about a 80% survival rate. Not too bad. For the price, Musser's can't be beaten for bulk orders. I expected a certain amount of loss since I simply dropped the seedlings into the ground with a shovel-full of top soil. In about 75 years, the living screen that I am aiming for should be majestic.

I used to live relatively near Mussers and would visit the farm on occasion. It is a well run operation with a real desire to do things right in their niche which is trees. They haven't tried to be All-things-to-all-people.

Love this company, which is a godsend to the underfunded tree lover:-) Not every tiny tree I ordered from them has lived, but 99% have, and I can't fault Musser if I try to grow Nyssa sylvatica in my highly alkaline soil! I have a beautiful hemlock hedge, though, despite the alkalinity. And 2 of 5 notoriously difficult to establish yellowwoods have made it.

I've ordered from this company many times over the last 10 years, while living in three different states (military moves). They are my first choice for trees and shrubs, period. I usually order items in multiples of 5, and almost invariably, they send 6. Most things I've gotten are bare-root, which arrive with the roots wrapped in wet newspaper and then in plastic. I've never gotten a plant with dry roots, or which appeared damaged. The rare times I've had a problem with a plant, they sent a replacement or gave me a credit, with no hesitation or questions asked. I'm working on trying to establish a coniferous tree screen along one of my lot borders, which is very shady; a tough spot to start trees. Musser's small trees are so cheap, I can experiment with several varieties to see which will establish themselves. The "losers" I can afford to throw away after they've died. This spring's order arrived, as usual, in perfect condition with every plant healthy and viable. I've dealt with many mail order nurseries over the years, and these guys get my top rating.

Was in Indiana on Saturday, so I had to stop. Excellent selections including perrenials,very knowledgeable help. Great shopping experience. For those of you who say, I could have bought a bigger plant locally, why didn't you? I use mailorder only for odd hard to find items, that I can not get locally.

I've ordered from them twice. The first order was for
some potted deciduous trees. They arrived in great
shape and are still doing great [cherry birch, alder
and arrowood]. I then ordered a two batches of
evergreens (hemlocks and arborvitae). I choose 2 day
air being that it was getting into May. They arrived in
great shape. The young arbs looked better initially, due
to the more regular growth habit. However, the young
hemlocks new growth is now lengthening and filling
them out. They look like they'll pull through the summer
heat [with plenty of watering]. Planting 10 bareroots
takes awhile, so I heeled them in (5 per pot) in large well
drained containers of pine bark fines and kept the mix
moist and in a shady spot. This worked so well that they
showed new growth while I was getting the various holes
prepped. I've ordered bare root from other places where
dieback and stump sprouting from dormant buds seems
to be more the norm. I will definitely order from Musser again.
PS Don't skimp on shipping. Be there and be ready when the trees arrive.

I ordered 10 potted Green Giant Arborvitae, which arrived last week. The plants were robust, very well packed, and, something important to me, were uniform--all were nearly exactly the same size. This place seems like a good source for trees in bulk. Prices are very reasonable and at least in my experience, stock is good.

I ordered five Lynwood Gold Forsythia that were so inexpensive it's hard to believe. Were they small? Yes, but this cultivar grows fast. I have a lot of time and patience when it comes to gardening and saving money. Were they rootbound? Yes, I cut ends off the longer roots, untangled the rest and spread them out over a small mound like a bare-root rose. No problem, they are growing beautifully. Were they well packaged? Absolutely. The only better packaging I've seen is from Logee's and Marj Gossler (that lady runs an incredible nursery). Were these small plants well branched? Yes, all except one had multiple branches. Was it worth a little over $20.00 (including S & H) for five beautiful plants? Duh, I challenge you to find them for less. These were potted not bare-rooted. Would I buy from them again? Definitely.

Packaging was A++ the trees are healty and a generous size. I would not hesitate to order from this company again.

Ordered or the first time from Musser (5 bare root Hetz Wintergreen) and must say was quite impressed. The trees were all larger than ordered and had healthy root systems. They were packaged very well and arrived in VA healthy and moist. Planted them upon arrival yesterday and now it's just wait and see!

hi, i just joined and want to tell you that last spring i bought 10 rosa rugosa. when they got here i had to call them because they were 2ft long sticks. they were extremely friendly and advised me to just plant and wait i have to say by the time fall had crept up here in zone 7 they were HUGE! blooming and even full of hips. i am sold on them. do not be discouraged by the fact they are bareroot and look like twigs there are roses in there!! thanks musser my front yard will be gorgeous again this year im sure.

I have ordered many times from Musser over the years. While their upper PA climate has little in common with mine in the deep south the results have always been satisfactory. The best "deal" from them is the potted plants. I recently bought two potted bald cypress trees. Both had extremely healthy root systems. I also purchased two chinese dogwoods. Since we were in the middle of a drought I planted the trees in clay pots until conditions improved. When I finally got around to planting the trees, about three months later, their roots had filled the pots! Be more cautious about the bare root trees, but I would have no hesitation ordering any potted tree from them.

I ordered Canadian hemlocks from Musser last year and they were in good shape when I received them. They were not huge, but were a reasonable size considering the cost and were packed well. I would order from them again.

I ordered 2 Bald Cyprus and 5 Catalpa trees in Spring of 2005. These trees survived the first year and are doing great this year. Musser's Forest is a company that I will use in the future for buying trees. I have had no problems with this company.