Maybe order one through the mail instead. Current (Fall 2010) forestfarm catalog lists two sizes. Google forestfarm.

If you can break out of Whatcom County I noticed one about 5' tall, with nice orange fall color at Sky (185th & Aurora) today. Other places down here might have at least a few examples still in stock as well.

If you buy now you can see the fall color. Separation of the Japanese and Korean populations into separate entities is a bit of an artifice, you don't necessarily need one derived from a Korean introduction to get characters you want.

And any on the market not descending from and matching the original Wilson introduction may not have all the same traits.

Thanks, bboy. I consider Seattle to be NW Washington. I just didn't want to drive to Vancouver. I'll give them a call to see if they still have it and also try a few other nurseries down your way.

What do you think about planting this late? My site is fairly windy in fall/winter.

Should be totally hardy but I guess De Wilde's had some kind of problem in their fields in the past, a friend said someone there told him the species was "tender" based on this experience. This friend went on to raise specimens multiple yards tall with big thick trunks in his own field out near Laurel. Seed used was gathered from existing trees in the region.

Species has been used successfully as a street tree in downtown Everett. Apparently the post-glacial concrete they appear to be planted in suits them somehow, probably it retains moisture and they like that. Definitely not a drought tolerant plant, I've seen long-established specimens die during a hot spell in Seattle.

bboy - I drove down today and picked up that last S. koreana at Sky Nursery. It looks very nice - good size for transplanting, good branch structure, decent color. I'm quite pleased. Thanks so much for tipping me off about where to find it!

Great!

This week I saw some 5 gallon ones with good red fall color at Christianson's.

Here is a link that might be useful: Christianson's Nursery & Greenhouse