Tree sale today!

There was a notice in last Sunday's paper that there would be a big tree sale today in Huntsville. It opened at 8 am and closed at noon. Due to the condition of our road we didn't leave home until about 8:30. We got down there about 9:30. The paper listed about 20 different varieties for sale for a dollar each and pecan trees for two dollars.
Well, they only have oak varieties and plum and dogwood and cypress left when we got there. We didn't need oak. It grows wild here and I cut the little shoots out of the yard all of the time. We bought two plum and two dogwood. They are small, about 18" to 24" tall and very skinny. The man said to just plant them in the ground so we will do that tomorrow. We'll have to put a little fence around them so the dogs don't grab them and pull them out or run over them. There were no pecan trees left. The man said you had to get there at 0 dark 30 to get them. No wildflower seeds either, but they did give us two bags of wood chips for mulch. I wish the weather hadn't messed things up so we could have been there when they opened. dr sent a donation to the Arbor Foundation and they are supposed to send us ten small trees. The paper said they would be between 6" and 12" tall. dr says those we will plant in buckets or tubs and let them get a little more root to them before we put them into the ground. He said there would be redbud, dogwood, crepe myrtle and ....I forget the others. I think all flowering ones though. So, we should have trees in a couple of years anyway because I planted 5 little crepe myrtle last fall. We have some oak and cedar and youpon in the yard already. But no to shade the house in the back so we'll plant as many as we can in the back yard.
dooley

 

Well Dooley, it sounds like you are going to be quite busy for awhile now with planting.
It is nice when you can plant things at your new home--it just makes it feel more like home, doesn't it?
BTW---do you recall the type of plum trees that you got?

 

I wish they had such sales here! I did spot an ad in my local paper that was selling 4' Sugar Maple's for $15 on Earth Day. They need to be pre-ordered so I think I'll order 6. Proceeds go to a local charity.

 

There were two plum trees listed, Mexican Pllum and Chickasaw plum. The bag only says plum so I don't know which they are. I don't know much about either one. dooley

 

Both are smaller fruited plums. Neither has to be prostrate like prunus maritima. Fruit color is variable. All are IMO real yummy as jam-jelly.

All prunus are understory trees, so 12' to 15' spacing should be big enough.

 

Thanks, Toni! I would like that and so would the neighbor on either side of us who wanted one too. If you would I would trade you a tote bag or a kitchen or barbecue apron.
I would use the plums for jam/jelly. dr says they were the chickasaw plums. He saw the name on the bags. It said they had over 3,000 trees and the money goes to Walker County for spring cleanup.
dooley

 

Oh, I would have gotten into trouble if I went to that tree sale because I would have bought so many trees and have nowhere to plant them. I know you will enjoy them. I hope they grow nice and tall and produce excellent fruit for you.

 

Good luck with your new trees!

 

We planted them in five gallon buckets for now. They are pretty small and the dogs would just run them down or pull them out. I put the buckets inside of the big tubs. Tomorrow I will put mulch on them. I'll keep them watered and when they are bigger I will plant them. They were only a dollar each so we won't be out much if they don't grow, except I really hope they do okay.
dooley

 

There seem to be enough dogs in this neighborhood to keep squirrels occupied. Maybe they will grow and produce pecans here, too. Thanks, Toni!
dooley