), 2 Juneberries, 1 Flying Dragon Trifoliate orange, and 3 raspberries. I won't list the other trees, shrubs, and forbs I've planted. 
But, in addition, I'd ordered and *expected* to get 2 bare-root cherries and 3 thornless blackberries in *early spring*. WELL, I guess some little bird warned me
-- because, on Monday I went out to fill the birdfeeder and didn't come back inside until 3 hours later AFTER I'd "Fall cleaned" the veggie bed along the fence where I'd planned to plant the cherry trees and then proceeded to add compost and to plant garlic bulbs everywhere except where the trees would go, THEN went ahead and added compost and forked and made friable the bed where I intended to plant the blackberries.... WHY AM I SIDE TRACKING LIKE THIS? Because around 3:30 TODAY, just when I thought I was done (fixing up a torn extended season veggie bed covering -- tomatoes and bush beans didn't make it, but the carrots, turnips, daikon, kale, and peas are doing just fine inside), UPS delivered the 2 bareroot cherry trees and 3 bareroot blackberry bushes. 
Was I relieved that the beds were ready for them and all I had to do was dig holes in the soft ground and plunk them in after a little soak in compost tea! Only extra I had to do was to set up a soaker hose for the blackberry bed and even that, tugging at the nearest end of a soaker hose from the pile in the shed yielded a short piece that was just right and all I had to do was screw on a hose end. AND the kids and I'd just finished making a scarecrow so I had plenty of straw left from the bale to mulch the lot.
AANNYWAY. So now I have all these fruit and nut trees/shrubs in the ground and every planting instruction I've read mentions that the young trees (1" diam trunks at most) need to be protected from animals gnawing on them during the winter. The recommended protection methods vary though, and I'm confused
What are your experiences and what do YOU recommend?
Thanks!