I remember reading a similar complaint about them about a year or so ago.

Good luck with your "twig". It does seem to have a good size set of roots on it. Maybe it will do better than you expect after all. We can hope, anyway...

Meig, have you contacted the site? Who knows, maybe it would be worth the email. The 4 dogwoods I received are doing beautifully - have leafed out and happy. Sorry you were disappointed. suz

I've never heard of this site that you're refering to, but everything that I get from the Arbor Day Society is a twig with roots, and they're all growing fine.
Annie

you payed $6.95 and you are going to complain?!! they arent very big, admittedly. but at that price who cares. 4 annuals could easily cost more than that. ~Ryan

I ordered the redbuds and ginko.
They are budding out nicely! The ginko was actually leafing out on top when I got it. They are small, but they sure seem to want to grow! A friend of mine has ordered many lilacs from this site. He loves it! Everyone of them are growing nicely. I didnt know what to expect either, but I'm not dissapointed.

MonaRae

The bag looks like an oven too.

I got much the same from Arbor Day, I threw some out because I can recognize infected Lilac when I see it... Got plenty of powdery mildew thanks, don't need to introduce more in a new spot....

Hey Meig,
Not to worry! The Size and health of the root ball is far more imp. than the size of the "twig" part. Many young bareroot trees are sold like this; I remember asking my bro-in-law if we needed the van to come pick up 25 Lombardy Poplars we had ordered...and the shock I felt when he smiled and pulled out an aarmful of rootted "twigs" from his sub-compact trunk!
Your bushes look lovely. The ball is in your court now: lots of organic matter &/or compost mixed into the planting hole, careful attention to deep watering, yikes, I'm running my mouth (keyboard) off agin. You prolly know all this stuff.

I hope you will enjooy your bushes in the years to come.

Donna

I would encourage you to revisit the website and read about the valuable work these people are doing. They are giving the neglected -- both human & plant -- a wonderful opportunity to thrive & grow. They have a responsive customer service and a 60 day free replacement guarantee. It seems that other posters above do not share your opinion on the potential & value of your shipment. You may wish to give your new plants a chance to prove themselves before maligning the reputation of this nursery. Although your feelings of disappointment are valid, perhaps it would be kinder to express them to the senders first. No doubt they would appreciate the feedback and the opportunity to resolve this to your satisfaction. Please post again, I'm curious to see how they respond to your complaint.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mission statement & guarantee

I ordered ginko trees from them...yes, they were bareroot 'twigs' when I got them but within days they started to leaf out and are doing very well now. I know that it will take them at least two years to get to be of any 'real' size--but to purchase the size they will be in a couple of year it would have cost me considerably more. For the price they were charging for the item and shipping, I wasn't expected full-fledged trees.

I wasn't surprised at the size......a lot of 'bare-root' plants I purchase or order are that size...especially at that price. I know lots of people that try to go the 'seed' route for trees/bushes....definitely economical but very slow going. It depends on how much 'instant gratification' you need/want and what you are willing to pay for it.

Some plants, no matter how 'great' a price they are, should probably be bought at a nursery, unless you have endless time and patience....

If you have a concern, you should contact them...perhaps they do need to be more specific in their information so others would not expect larger specimens, especially those not used to ordering a lot of bare-root plants in this price range.

Maybe this was an isolated instance.....

I posted my experience w/FTP on the other thread before seeing this -- now i feel better about the little dormant lavender bits I got! As a new gardener I've never really dealt w/bare root plants before, I'm the sucker who buys the pretty seedlings already in the pots and blooming. somewhat related, now that I've gotten my hands dirty so to speak I want to get my act together next winter to grow from seed. It's really so cheap and relatively easy. It kills me to pay for potted annuals now. So much to learn. I'm getting alot from these forums. B

We all expect at least something substantial when ordering plants, even dormant or bareroot. You should read the rose forum about people getting bareroot roses...they're tough GW's on that forum.
As pointed out, if the roots are good and the small trunk alive...it will thrive in the right conditions. Don't let them get crowded out or have to compete with larger plants. Give them ideal conditions as can be to get a good start.
Lots of plants/trees/shrubs from my garden have come from inexpensive mailorder twigs and plugs. The majority have grown into large, healthy specimens. I've also ordered those dollar pee gee hydrangea "shrubs" and they've come as single brown twigs in the mail. Three years later, though, those once brown twigs are blooming heavily and have given me at least 10 new shrubs from the cuttings.
Good luck with your new plants :)

I ordered the blue hosta from them, but I figure they can't give you less than one eye, right?
Anything has to be better than the daylilies I got on eBay last year. I didn't think it was possible to make a division that small!!

Greetings dhana....

Give your plants a good soaking the day/night before planting...I find that a solution of 1 part hydrogen peroxide (YES, the stuff you get from the drugstore for cuts) to 3 parts WARM (not 'hot', definitely NOT cold) water works wonders.

To be honest, lavendar can be tricky...and depending where you live, not all varieties are winter hardy (and some that are, if you are in zone 5 and below, need to be coddled and mulched like mad). I feel lavendar really is something best bought locally from a nursery that grows their own and can tell you what works well (and what doesn't) in your area.

Keep in mind that plants are living things, and as such, are subject to whims and variables beyond anyone (except the good Lord's) control. No company can really guarantee that their plants will live/grow...they can guarantee to replace them if they don't, but some times, no matter how hard you try, what you do, or even how experienced or knowledgeable you are, or where you got the plant...a plant just is NOT going to make it.

Even the BEST gardeners, on occasion, 'bury' (or compost) their mistakes...

I just had two bad experiences in a ROW with a so called 'trustworthy' source of roses (Fork and Spade)...and this place charged way too much for both the plants AND the shipping to have plants arrive in the condition they did...(BOTH TIMES). From a place like this, YES, I am definitely upset....

From a site such as this, which is dealing with overstocks from other nurseries/companies, and is not charging exorbidant prices (at ALL!), not to mention the fact it provides jobs to those that otherwise might have trouble finding employment...I will cut them some slack compared to the fancy-shmancy-charge through the nose nurseries...

I was actually pleasantly surprised at what I got. The ginkos were larger and are now growing like gangbusters... The shasta daisies have started to leaf out and will be transplanted into my garden this weekend.

Just in case anyone is looking for the web site as I was, it is www.freeTREESandPLANTS.com (not www.freeplantsandtrees.com, which is one of those multi-popup sucker sites).

Here is a link that might be useful: Free Trees and Plants . com

About 10 years ago, I ordered hybrid poplars from Michigan Bulb Co. (I know, I know). My hubby and I almost fell over laughing at the twigs we received! But being optimists, we planted the little things and kept them watered for a couple of weeks. I know poplars are supposed to grow fast, but true to the ad, we had TREES in just about 2 years. When we moved, I took a few cuttings with me and now have a row of poplars along the property line that we are trying to keep cut like a hedge.

All I know is I got my $7.95 worth from those twigs!

Since then, I have ordered trees from Arbor Day and from retail nurseries selling on eBay. I get twigs but amazing roots systems. In all, I have lost 2 trees out of 30 from Arbor Day and one butterfly bush out of 7 from eBay!

Mimi

Mimi

I am new to gardening in the ground, and am so grateful for all the information out there on the web. I ran across this intriguing item, from ,
that might help you exert some of that "size matters" energy.
Katherine

QUESTION: I am doing some research on landscaping trees because my wife and I are going to be planting some trees at our new house this fall. I want to plant my trees as close as possible to my house for shade. The house faces southeast and I need as much shade as I can get, especially in the NW-facing rear of the house. My question is: How close can I plant trees to the foundation of my house? I will probably be using mostly oak trees--either live oak, red oak, bur oak or maybe Chinkapin. We have a 2-acre lot so space is not a concern.

ANSWER: The key to your shade problem is not so much to plant the trees close to the house, but rather to grow the trees fast. Try to stay at least 15 feet from the house with the trees --- 20 to 30 feet would be better. The trees you have selected will grow to be big trees and so they will do better if they have a lot of room. The trees should be at least 35 feet from each other. In this way they will not compete with one another for water and nutrients and will also develop a full sized canopy.

The key to making the trees grow will be excellent weed control, water and fertilizer. You need to keep the weeds and grass, including flowers, away from the dripline of the tree and out about another foot for the first 3 to 4 years of the life of the tree. In this way the tree has no competition and will get all of the water and nutrients. Fertilize the trees 4 times a year; March, April, May and June with ammonium sulfate. Use about a cup per tree the first year. After that use one pound per inch of trunk diameter. So if the tree has a two inch trunk, the tree would get 2 pounds of ammonium sulfate. Put one quarter of the two pounds or ½ pound on in March, the next in April and so on. Also keep the trees well watered and before you know it you will have lots of shade.

Is it too late (zone 5) to order bare roots?

Hi, Thecook,
Well, I'll tell you this: I ordered ten trees from the Arbor Day Foundation on May 17, but missed their shipping cutoff (May 7). As a result, I won't be receiving my trees until November, when the fall shipping begins. I'm really bummed out, especially after stalking the poor UPS man for three weeks. :(
Anyway, I don't know what other companies' shipping policies are, but it is, indeed, too late to order from Arborday.org. Please, if you find a place where you can still order (and RECEIVE) your trees in a week or two, please let me know. My yard is naked! Shameful!!
Tree_girl

Each spring I order for $1 each at the most (some are less), 18-24" trees and shrubs. Now, if I you would like to place an order with me, I'd love to sell them to you all for $6.00 shipping!!

"freeplantsandtrees" a charity??? More like a rip off in my book!

Shame on them for sending you an invasive species.
I encourage you to send them back with a note attached or send them to a state where they are not invasive.
I don't care how cheap it is if it destroys native species and habitats it should not be planted.
Please read the link for more information about this plant.
Cherry

Here is a link that might be useful: buring bush Invasive