Trees, shrubs, perennials for US ordering

[HausOfEggwards]

Hi everyone!
What is your favorite site for ordering trees and perennials? Specifically trees/shrubs/perennials for an edible garden. This year it's probably too late to get trees ordered and planted, but I'm wondering where you've had the best experience ordering trees and perennials so I can make a solid plan for next spring. We only have a half acre so I'm definitely looking for trees that are worth the foot print. I'm in zone 5B, but looking for any websites with high quality and selection so definitely looking for feedback from all over. Also lmk if there are any perennials you REGRET planting, and any you LOVE.

Trees I'm currently eyeing:
-Flying dragon hardy citrus
-American Hazelnut
-Bay Laurel
-Witch Hazel
-Chicago Hardy Fig
-Fruit Cocktail tree from fast trees

 

[Acre4Me]

@Sally PB @Iluveggers @aart are all in the colder zone 5 areas, and might have suggestions.

I’ve ordered fruit trees from Stark (in the south) and Grandpas orchard (in MI). Stark has good selection, but really hard to find something in stock, and they cancelled part of my order when it was not in stock, luckily I saw the email bc the one lone tree needed a pollinator. We bought 2 Asian pears from them. So, that’s when I looked around and found Grandpas orchard. We ordered 4 trees last year: two plum, two apricot. They grew well. This year we ordered two peach. It will be a few years before fruit is produced, so I cannot speak to that.

Fig: extensive roots, do not plant near a foundation. We planted Chicago Hardy. It grew well, produced a few figs year 2. That’s when I learned about the roots, and it was near my foundation. Very true-extensive roots and I’m really glad I ripped it out. My neighbor planted 2 of the same last year towards to back of his yard. They grew well last year, so it will be interesting to see what they do this year. The above ground limbs die back, and it resprouts from the ground. @Sueby and @WeeFarmerSarah grow various things like this in pots and protect them in their garage overwinter.

Hazelnut trees can grow very large, but with pruning can be managed as a smaller tree if pruned.

I’m 6b and have never tried citrus.

 

[Iluveggers]

We have a fig tree bought locally from a friend with a landscaping & tree business. In 5b it was recommended to bring it indoors in the winter, just an FYI. Best trees around me are apple, pear & plum. Raspberries and blueberries do well.

I am not too familiar with much else, as we just finished a big house project and are now slowly adding bigger purchases like trees & such. Raspberry bushes were on property when we moved but overgrown so now working on making a path to them. We make 95% of our plant purchases locally, so no recommendations for online ordering.

Maybe @SheaLoner would have some advice, shes also zone 5 I believe. Good luck!

 

[Sueby]

@Sueby and @WeeFarmerSarah grow various things like this in pots and protect them in their garage overwinter.

Yes, I have/had fig & citrus (grapefruit, lemon & lime) in pots that overwinter inside, the fig goes dormant & stays in an unheated room. I don't think any citrus would make it outside in 5B, but I've never tried.

There are ways to bury a fig so that it will survive outside too, but I just bring it in.

 

[HausOfEggwards]

Yes, I have/had fig & citrus (grapefruit, lemon & lime) in pots that overwinter inside, the fig goes dormant & stays in an unheated room. I don't think any citrus would make it outside in 5B, but I've never tried.

There are ways to bury a fig so that it will survive outside too, but I just bring it in.

So I've never tried this fruit, but apparently this 'flying dragon' citrus can grow in zones 5-10 https://www.fast-growing-trees.com/products/hardy-orange-tree-flying-dragon

Also it just occurred to me that I'm thinking about shopping online because I'm new to Lansing. Hopefully I'll have local connections by next year, but I still like having options to browse now

 

[Sally PB]

-Flying dragon hardy citrus
-American Hazelnut
-Bay Laurel
-Witch Hazel
-Chicago Hardy Fig
-Fruit Cocktail tree from fast trees

Well, I was just about to whip out my credit card and get a Flying Dragon. Then I read that the fruit isn't that great: quite tart and full of seeds. Ok, gonna pass on that.

I had 2 hazelnut trees, and Japanese Beetles killed them. (Part of my war campaign on JBs is because of this.) You need two different varieties to get nuts. I don't recall where I ordered them from, but maybe Stark...? I got maybe two nuts because the squirrels got them first. Then the JBs stripped them bare of leaves the next year and they died.

If I were to buy anymore fruit trees, I'd get them from Jensen's Garden Center in Greenville. 6162 S Greenville Rd, 616-754-5340. We've gotten two Montmorency sour cherries there, and they are doing well. It's only their second year, so we haven't gotten fruit yet. Hopefully this year!

I've gotten blueberry bushes from Flowerland and TSC. Check your soil first. They like really acidic soil, like pH 4.5-5.5. When I picked out bushes, I went for ones that had good looking leaves, not lots of flowers. Get a healthy bush, and don't expect fruit the first year.

A BIG thing for us with young trees is protecting them from deer. They munch the young branches down to nubs, if they can reach them. I put a big ring of 2x3 welded wire fence around them, and then arched chicken wire over the top. That seems to have done the trick.

 

[SheaLoner]

I've bought native trees and bushes from our local Soil and Water conservation, Also our DEC - Department of Environmetal Concerns. They do native nursery sales for cheap each spring here. This year I picked up 10 American Elderberry and 25 basket willow.
I haven't tried any of the fusier fruit trees yet. Too much deer pressure and for citrus I have no indoor space to overwinter them.
Common Witch Hazel can become invasive if not maintained properly and will shade out any undergrowth.

Becareful on placement if you do any nut trees. Some can make the soil toxic for garden plants. And they tend to leave a mess with squirrels and dropped nuts.

 

[Sally PB]

Some can make the soil toxic for garden plants.

I'd read black walnut can do this. What other kinds, do you know, @SheaLoner?

 

[SheaLoner]

I'd read black walnut can do this. What other kinds, do you know, @SheaLoner?

Black Walnut WILL do this. Could never grow cukes in my yard do to a centralised large specimen even with raised beds and shipped in soil. And you needed a hard hat to walk in the back yard 3 months a year.
All walnuts produce some jugelone?sp? Black walnuts are just the worst. And I believe most nut trees produce something similar to some degree or other. Its just generally best to plant nut trees to the outer edges of your property unless you like mowing over golf balls. And stepping on rotting dropped nuts.

 

[TheDandyLion]

Check out Wild Type Plant Nursery in Mason if you are interested in natives. Local resource that is fun to browse, and the owner is often there to point you in the right direction. Fruit bushes (elderberry, blueberry etc), I've had amazing results from plants from Nourse Farms (online vendor).

I too am interested in the best vendor for apple and pear trees.