I've only done minor vegetable gardening. I have been studying flowering trees as I really want to plant one of each of these trees this season. I live in Milwaukee, WI Zone 5. I am wondering if it is a good idea to order trees online? I've never planted a tree and I don't know much. The Royal Empress is suppossed to grow rapidly and give lots of shade. The lilac tree looks beautiful! Does anyone have any positive or negative feedback on mail ordering trees? Do you have a site that you like? Dislike? ANY feedback would be much appreciated. I've been too shy to post :/Royal Empress Tree & Katherine Havemeyer Lilac Tree
I am a beginner I've only done minor vegetable gardening. I have been studying flowering trees as I really want to plant one of each of these trees this season. I live in Milwaukee, WI Zone 5. I am wondering if it is a good idea to order trees online? I've never planted a tree and I don't know much. The Royal Empress is suppossed to grow rapidly and give lots of shade. The lilac tree looks beautiful! Does anyone have any positive or negative feedback on mail ordering trees? Do you have a site that you like? Dislike? ANY feedback would be much appreciated. I've been too shy to post :/
I've only done minor vegetable gardening. I have been studying flowering trees as I really want to plant one of each of these trees this season. I live in Milwaukee, WI Zone 5. I am wondering if it is a good idea to order trees online? I've never planted a tree and I don't know much. The Royal Empress is suppossed to grow rapidly and give lots of shade. The lilac tree looks beautiful! Does anyone have any positive or negative feedback on mail ordering trees? Do you have a site that you like? Dislike? ANY feedback would be much appreciated. I've been too shy to post :/
The Royal Empress tree, also known as the Princess tree and Paulownia, is considered to be very invasive. There is some detailed information at this site:
https://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/pato1.htm
I don't know anything about the other tree you mentioned.
Although I buy many things online, I prefer to buy plants at local nurseries. That way, I'm able to check the health of the plants, including for evidence of pests and diseases, which if present, might infect other plants I own. I can also ask about a plant's preferred growing conditions and learn how to care for it.
It's important to realize, also, that because of the expense of packaging and shipping, plants bought online or from catalogs are going to be very small and young. I remember one time when I gave in to the lure of some lilac shrubs in a catalog. They arrived in 2" pots, and none of the shrubs was taller than 4". Every one of them died within a couple of months.
It may be a bit more expensive to buy locally, but if you buy from an independently owned nursery or garden center near your home, you will get a plant that will thrive in your zone, and if a problem develops with the plant, you have someone you can discuss it with face to face. A businessperson in your local area has much greater incentive to make every effort to ensure that his/her customers are happy with their purchases. JMO.
You might find, as I have, that there can be "fringe benefits" to establishing a good, ongoing relationship with a local nursery or garden shop. The ones where I have become a regular customer often give me extra pots and flats at no charge.
https://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/pato1.htm
I don't know anything about the other tree you mentioned.
Although I buy many things online, I prefer to buy plants at local nurseries. That way, I'm able to check the health of the plants, including for evidence of pests and diseases, which if present, might infect other plants I own. I can also ask about a plant's preferred growing conditions and learn how to care for it.
It's important to realize, also, that because of the expense of packaging and shipping, plants bought online or from catalogs are going to be very small and young. I remember one time when I gave in to the lure of some lilac shrubs in a catalog. They arrived in 2" pots, and none of the shrubs was taller than 4". Every one of them died within a couple of months.
It may be a bit more expensive to buy locally, but if you buy from an independently owned nursery or garden center near your home, you will get a plant that will thrive in your zone, and if a problem develops with the plant, you have someone you can discuss it with face to face. A businessperson in your local area has much greater incentive to make every effort to ensure that his/her customers are happy with their purchases. JMO.
You might find, as I have, that there can be "fringe benefits" to establishing a good, ongoing relationship with a local nursery or garden shop. The ones where I have become a regular customer often give me extra pots and flats at no charge.
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
I have bought trees on line and have it work out well. Reputable companies should tell you how big a tree you are getting. Most often that is between 1' and 3' depending on growth rate of the tree. And it will be pretty much a whip with little branching. So at the best you have to have patience to start with a little tree and wait a few years until it starts looking very tree like. If you want to start with a bigger tree, you do need to shop a good local nursery.
I think I am going to wait for the lilac tree and buy it locally, but the royal empress I may just go ahead and buy it online. It's supposed to be indestrucable and easy to grow in my area. It grows at a rapid rate, like a weed. So starting off small is no concern to me at all.
We bought our house in 2004 and we cut down a huge tree in the back yard. That was a mistake as our yard is now so sunny in the summer that's it's hard to enjoy it. I'm hoping the royal empress grows as quickly as I've read because I'm looking forward to getting some shade back. Plus it flowers in the spring so that's a plus for me as well. The lilac tree I want for the front of the house
We bought our house in 2004 and we cut down a huge tree in the back yard. That was a mistake as our yard is now so sunny in the summer that's it's hard to enjoy it. I'm hoping the royal empress grows as quickly as I've read because I'm looking forward to getting some shade back. Plus it flowers in the spring so that's a plus for me as well. The lilac tree I want for the front of the house