I'm in Alamance county, and Living Landscapes in Graham told me they have some 8' Autumn Brilliance for $85. I didn't actually go out there yet, but they're pretty trustworthy overall in my experience. They're right off of Exit 147 on I 40/85; not too far from Raleigh.

Here is a link that might be useful: Living Landscapes Webpage

Thanks mbuckmaster, an 8-10' would do nicely. Was that a multi-stemmed? I was hoping for something like that price a little closer to home, but I can sure drive there if they've priced themselves out of my range around Raleigh...like everything else.

With 3 years of drought we've experienced you'd think these people/nursuries would be having sidewalk sales on their plants and trees, but I guess too many people are still paying their prices.

Yes, they said it was multi-stemmed. Again--haven't actually seen them, so you may want to call ahead to be sure. And I'm just going by what I remember...sometimes my brain slips a little! =)

You could call John Deere Landscapes on Hwy 64 between Apex and Jordan Lake. They will sell to retail customers, I think. When I need to get a really good specimen tree, I check there (but I buy wholesale). The trees do cost a bit more at JD, but they've always had beautiful stock. That's where a lot of our local landscapers get the large trees. My other nursery growers don't have anything around the size that you want. It's difficult for folks to track down the phone number for John Deere, so here it is (919) 303-7290.

If they don't have one, you could try "A Unique Plant" in Chapel Hill. She sells retail, but has good stock with a lot of interesting trees. Her phone number is (919) 402-0117. That business is only open on weekends or by appointment.

I'm sure you know this, but make sure you take along a tarp to cover your tree so that it isn't dessicated in the back of an open pickup truck. I use a light weave (similar to burlap) that's very light weight to cover stock. I use a cargo net (hooked in the corners of my truck bed) across the top of the tarp to tie down without damage.

Hope this is helpful.

wonbyherwits - thanks for the heads-up. I'll call, for sure. I've got a "lid" on my truck, so I'd have to lay it down, but it would be protected. Thanks.

I hadn't heard of "A Unique Plant" before. Sounds interesting. Of course I didn't know Broadwell was the place to go for good cheap plants, either, and I've driven by there a million times, on the way to the feed store in Coats. I had always thought it was a wholesale nursery. I still haven't gone there yet, but like the look of their camellias...

(whine) For the biggest city in the Carolinas we surely have a dearth of really good nurseries with broad varieties like you have mid state.

Well, I guess I'm gonna have to pay the piper and I'm sure gonna dread it. A few places have what I want, but I just got spoiled going to Broadwells, etc. LOL! All the really cheap (wholesale) nursuries don't carry this tree, and I'm not about to pay $400 for a 6' tree...sorry charlie.

I can get a 7gl/5' for $60, or a 8' for around $120. I think they're both multi-stemmed. Haven't seen either one, but if it's like what I saw last year they are highly overpriced.

Which one would you go for?

I would go for one in a pot for sure. I'm not a fan of b&b planting unless the nursery pulls the tree from the ground for me when I order it. PlantTone in the hole is my favorite way to get a tree going.

Another retail place came to mind...Dickinson's in Chapel Hill across from the Sienna Hotel on East Franklin Street. I've purchased a 10 foot sweet bay magnolia from them for just over $100 retail and it was in a pot.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dickinson