I assume Tree is currently residing in a container? No reason why he can't remain in one for another three years, provided you pay attention to the requirements of growing trees in containers. He will need a properly sized pot, a suitable growing medium and careful attention to watering and fertilization. All of these issues are explained in great detail on the Container Gardening forum but the one that is the most critical is a good durable potting mix. Don't just grab a bag of cheap potting soil - you won't be happy with the results and neither will Tree :-)

Where you are located and exactly what kind of tree Tree is would be helpful to know for us to offer suggestions on how to tend to Tree in winter.

Tree is a deciduous, non-tropical specimen who (barely) survived five years in Zone 2--possibly that's why he's only 30" tall after 8 years? This is the first spring he's actually starting to look like a tree: my husband's been petitioning to rename him "Stick."
His leaves are small & oval shaped, similar to Mountain Ash but not arranged the same way. I got him in little bag as a takeaway from a 10k run, the species might have started with an "L"?

Tree was plunked in what looked like an empty garden last fall when we moved in, but now hostas and daisies are sneaking up on him and there's a massive clump of iris(es?) getting in his face.

I've never heard of potting soil referred to as "durable"--what ingredient(s) would promote that? And do trees need different soil from, say, Petunias?

you need to post a pic.. and get an ID.. for truly useful info ...

start your education .. by calling the stuff in a pot.. media ... just to get rid of the confusing term soil ...

annuals and perennials are water hogs ... and the media used for them is like a sponge ...

trees .. most of them.. but who knows about yours ... like a sip of water.. and near drying before watering again ... so the spongy stuff is not good ...

use the GW houzz search engine up top of any page .... and put in al's gritty mix ... for a good start on understanding media ... and how its built ...

black pots should never be in sun ... the pot.. and the media get too hot ... and tree roots like to be cool ... but the tree prefers full sun ... so a perfect place is out of the sun in the heat of the day ... say noon to 6 ... of placing the pot behind something so the pot is hidden ...

if you get as far as all that ... we can talk about winter storage in fall ...

you should also tip it out of the pot.. and get a pic of the roots .. if they are severely winding around the pot its in now.. you should probably do some root surgery ... AND I AN NOT SURE I WOULD DO THAT IN THE HEAT OF SUMMER ... fall would be a much more forgiving time to do that ...

we need to ID the tree .. and words aent good enough ...

ken

Locust! Tree is a Honey Locust. I looked at every species starting with L until I found it. I'll snap a photo tomorrow, the light's bad right now.

Nope, Ken, Tree isn't in a container & his roots were good when we planted him last fall. Thanks for your tip about black containers, tree media requirements & Al's gritty mix. D'ya think it would be safe to dig him up & pot him now or should I wait 'til fall? Our growing season is just barely underway here and we're still having some cool-ish weather...

Honey locust will not survive in zone 2, are you sure it isn't a siberian peashrub, caragana arborescens?

A picture would settle it.

Where are you located? Not many USDA zone 2 locations in continental US :-)

And a 'durable' potting mix is one that doesn't have a lot of organic material in it that will continue to break down and decompose. So very light on the peat, coir or compost and heavy on bark, turface, perlite or pumice or granite grit. Like Al's gritty mix :-) And yes, more permanent plantings of woody plants (trees and shrubs) DO require a different, more long term potting soil than a single season annual like petunias.

Thanks for your patience everyone--took me a while to figure out how to upload a photo.
And it isn't even a great photo! I tried to zoom in on one of Tree's branches to show detail of the leaves.

Huggorm, I don't believe Tree's a Siberian Peashrub...I thinks the leaves are shaped a little differently & also come off the branch differently.

Gardengal, we lived in zone 2b up in northern Ontario. We've since moved south to a balmy zone 3--or at least I have, to be close to work. This is our recreational property--too rough to even be called a cottage. Hubby is posting way south, where we're buying a real house in zone 5!

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baroo,

Tree looks like a locust tree. Sort of like a mimosa, only no flowers. I like it.

If you want to dig tree up in the fall, you can, in the fall is the best time, not in the summer, and wash all the dirt off of trees roots. Then put tree in a decent size container with some good potting soil. I use Farfard for my good plants, you can ask at any plant nursery to see if they have it, if they don't ask them to order you some. Just don't over water it in winter.

I'm glad you are going to eventually buy a home of your own and put down roots, both trees roots and your own. Good luck to you!

It does look like Robinia pseudoacacia - Locust. They do flower. Racemes of white flowers similar to stubby Wisteria or Laburnum. Blooming now around here.