Tree Descriptions

Evergreen

**General spacing 8 x 8' block, 8 x 10' windbreak (Cedars planted closer)**

White Pine: Michigan State Tree, moderate to fast growing to 120'. Soft, bluish-green needles. Prefers rich, porous, moist to well drained sandy soils, avoid clay, wet soils. Tolerant of shade when young, becomes intolerant as tree matures. Timber, borders, wildlife

Red Pine: Moderate to fast growing to 80'. Needles flexible, 4-6", prefers well drained sandy soils, needs full sun. Timbers, windbreak, wildlife, many songbirds prefer seeds.

Austrian Pine: Moderate to fast growth, to 90'. Needles stiff, 3-6", prefer clay loam soils, tolerate sandy, gravelly soils, needs full sun. Tolerant of soot, smoke, salt. Windbreak, timber, pulpwood.

Scotch Pine: Recommended for Christmas trees, short-lived, non-native, and invasive. Needles stiff, 1 1/2" - 3" long, slightly twisted. Prefers sandy to loamy soil, full sun. Will make wildlife cover.

Blue Spruce: Slow growing to 100'. Needles stiff, 1", silvery, bluish-green. Prefer rich, moist soils, moderate shade tolerant. Wildlife cover, windbreak, ornamental, Christmas Tree.

White Spruce: Slow to moderate growth to 100'. Needles 1", bluish-green with whitish lines. Prefer moist sandy loam, tolerant of considerable shade. Wildlife cover, windbreak, ornamental, Christmas Tree.

Norway Spruce: Moderate to fast growing to 90'. Needles short, 1/2 - 1" long, dark green. Prefer moist clay to loam soils, can adapt to a variety of soils, moderately tolerant of shade. Wildlife cover, windbreak, timber, deer / grouse prefer.

Douglas Fir: Slow growing to 120'. Prefer well drained loamy soils but adoptable, intermediate in shade tolerance. Winter cover for wildlife, can be used as Christmas Tree, windbreak, ornamental.

White Cedar: Slow growing to 50'. Prefer loamy or moist sandy soil, typically grow in poorly drained swamps, will not tolerate acidic soils, shade tolerant. Important winter food for deer, cones eaten by a variety of birds, very effective for hedges, windscreens, once established.

Hardwood

**General spacing 10 x 10' blocks, 10 x 12' Windbreak**

Red Oak: Fastest growing native hardwood, 80'. Prefers well drained clay to loamy sand. Moderately tolerant of shade. Wildlife, timber, acorns eaten by turkey, blue jay, grouse.

Black Cherry: (Wild Cherry) Rapid growth to 60'. *Do not plant near livestock* White flower in May, red to black fruit in June, grows in most soils except swampy or droughty soils, full sun to partial shade. Timber, wildlife, furniture wood.

White Birch: Short lived, rapid growth to 50'. Prefers well drained sandy loam, slightly acidic, moist soils, not tolerant of droughty soil, full sun for crown, protect base from extreme heat & evaporation (grow in clumps), wildlife food, cover.

Black Walnut: Slow growing to 90'. Prefers fertile, well drained soil, full sun. Wildlife (nuts), timber, prized for furniture.

Red Maple: Fast growth on moist soils to 80'. Full sun, low drought tolerance. Timber, wildlife.

Sugar Maple: Long living, moderate growth to 100'. Prefers moist, fertile, well drained clay to loam soils, shade tolerant. Ornamental, timber, maple syrup.

Shrub

**General spacing 4 x 6' blocks, 5 x 7' Windbreak

Ninebark: Dense, slow growing to 9', maple-like leaves, purple spring flowers, orange fall fruit, full sun. Adapts to most soils, high drought tolerance. Hedge row, wildlife cover/food.

Silky Dogwood: Moderate to fast growth to 12'. Yellowish white bloom mid-June, blue fruit, September, twig red in winter. Prefers moist soils, adapts to most soils, moderately shade tolerant. Windbreak, wildlife, food/cover.

Red Osier Dogwood: Upright, some branches arching and broad spreading, to 10'tall & 8' wide. White flowers in June, white fruit in August, twig red in winter. Shade tolerant, more tolerant of wet soils, adaptable to many soils. Windbreak, wildlife food/cover, attracts cardinals/grouse.

Serviceberry: First white flowers in spring, early foliage silvery to red, matures green, edible blue-black fruit in mid-summer. Can be pruned to single or multiple trunked small tree, or grown as large shrub. Requires well drained soils, full sun or moderate shade, often found as understory plant. Wildlife food/cover.

HighBush Cranberry: Tall growing, 10-15' tall, white flowers and edible red fruit, April through August. Provides wildlife food and cover in winter. Tolerates a variety of soil types in sun or lightly shaded swamps.

Fruit Trees

**Even though some apple trees are self-fertile, we suggest that all varieties be cross pollinated with another variety**

Apple: Gala - crisp, firm and juicy with sweet flavor. Cooking apple.

Apple: Honeycrisp - crisp and firm texture; excellent storage life. Honeycrisp ripens about a week after McIntosh and a few weeks ahead of Red Delicious.

Other Items

Dahlia Bulbs: Perennial dahlias generally are purchased as tuberous roots. After the tops have died back due to frost, roots are dug and are over-wintered indoors as tuberous roots. Dahlias thrive in a sunny garden location with fertile, well-drained soil. They begin flowering in July and continue until frost. NEW all profits will go to the Envirothon team (a local high school team that participates in competitions and community projects)

Wildflower Seed: May include Siberian Wallflower, Alaska Shasta Daisy, Lance Leaf Coreopsis, Plains Coreopsis, Cosmos, Sulphur Cosmos, Purple Coneflower, California Poppy, Perennial Gaillardia, Dame's Rocket, Perennial Blue Flax, Perennial Lupine, Corn Poppy Shirley single ix, Red Mexican Hat, Yellow Prairie Coneflower, Black Eyed Susan, Catchfly, Crimson Clover. (1 oz covers 200 sq. feet)

Bird and Butterfly Packets

The bushes in this packet all require full sun for best results.

Butterfly Bush: Showy flowers come in a variety of colors, May - June on new growth. Large bush, arching canes, unkempt growth habit to 5-8'. Best planted in group, not solitaire. Full sun, performs best in fertile soils. Attracts butterflies. Maintenance: if your butterfly bush flowers in late summer or fall, prune hard in spring, with previous year's growth cut back within 2 inches of old wood. If you want quicker growth, leave 6-9 inches of growth, but cut out all the thin, weak twigs. If your butterfly bush blooms on old wood, do not prune until after flowers die. Since this isn't until June, only a little thinning out of old branches is possible. They may become spindly after 5 years, so prune them hard in early April. You will loose one year's flowers, but vigorous, new growth will develop.

Rose of Sharon: Variety of colors - flowers late summer on new growth. Stiff upright shape, multi-stemmed, to 12' tall, 10' wide. Does not bud until late spring. Any soil, except extremely wet or dry. Attracts butterflies. Very little pruning is necessary, but the shoots of overcrowded bushes should be thinned out in spring.

Trumpet Vine: Orange ad red trumpet-shaped flower late summer/early fall. Woody stemmed vine. Prune in late winter, early spring only if plants become too large. Pruning back the lateral growths to two or three buds in the fall, when the foliage has fallen encourages flowering.

Rosa Rugosa: White or pink flowers June to September. A fast growing shrub of the rose family, reaching 1-6 feet in height. Grows well in sandy areas however, prefers full sun an dwell drained, acidic soils. This species has demonstrated an invasive tendency, meaning it may escape from cultivation and naturalize in minimally managed areas.

Environmental Packets:

Trees should be planted 8-12' apart. Shrubs should be planted 4-7' apart.

Blue Spruce: Slow growing to 100'. Needles stiff, 1", silvery, bluish green. Prefer rich, moist soils, moderate shade tolerant. Wildlife cover, windbreak, ornamental, Christmas Tree.

Catalpa Deciduous Hardwood: Rapid growth, medium sized to 60'. Irregular, rounded crown, large leaves, large white bell-shaped flower. June, long bean-like seed pod through winter, soil tolerant, full sun to partial shade.

Ninebark: Dense, slow growing to 9', maple-like leaves, purple spring flowers, orange fall fruit. Full sun. Adapts to most soils, high drought tolerance. Hedge row, wildlife cover/food.

Silver Maple: Deciduous hardwood. Rapid growth to 80', silver underside to leaf. Prefers wetland area in nature but adapts well to wide range of soils & moisture levels Full to partial shade. Because of rapid growth, may be prone to storm damage due to brittle wood if grown in open. Can produce heavy seed - great for wildlife.

Golden Raintree: A deciduous, small, compact oval tree, moderate growth, yellow flowe4rs formed in panicles in June, changing to papery walled seed capsules persistent in winter. Full sun only, tolerant of wide variety of soils.

Sand Cherry: Deciduous shrub/small tree. Rapid growth, 3-6'. Small pink flowers in spring, cherry-like edible fruit, prefers well drained soils, drought tolerant, prefers full sun, light sun tolerance. Songbird cover/food source.

Ponderosa Pine: Moderate growth, max 60-100', cluster of 3 needles from 5-10" long, full sun, prefers deep moist well drained soils, but will grow in wide range, drought and self tolerant.

Forsythia: Deciduous shrub. Upright, spreading, vigorous growth to 12', bloom in April, adapts to many soils, full sun but tolerates partial shade.

Lilac: Deciduous shrub. Upright to 15'. Medium growth rate, fragrant flowers in spring, full sun, prefers well drained, slightly acidic soil, prune after flowering and cut off old flowering heads.

Red Barberry: Deciduous shrub. Rounded shape to 5'. Purple flower, red berry, thorny. Flourish in most well drained soils, best in full sun, will tolerate partial shade. Good hedge, wildlife food/cover.