Could be the same tree, hard to tell from here. It was just breaking bud when tagged so the new growth two months later will make it look different. There are also some other concerns...

Planting a b&b tree in August is risky at best. Where are you? It may be planted too deep. You should crawl under it and check for the root flare at the base of the trunk and make sure no twine or burlap is there. You should also remove an additional foot of sod all around it and mulch the area. When you water put the hose at the trunk on a slow trickle for a few hours to make sure that the rootball is well irrigated.

tj

a close up of the needles is a must for ident

ron

Thank you both.

plantkiller_il_5 - Understood but unfortunately I don't have a close up shot of the needles on the Canaan we purchased. The only reason I have any pics at all is that we were excited about the tree that day :) I didn't anticipate needing comparison pictures.

tsugajunkie:

Just breaking bud then vs all new growth now is one of the things the nursery owner told me to explain why it looks so very different. I was also concerned about the branching habit - the tree in our yard is weeping and the tree we purchased was horizontal, even a bit upright. Nursery owner said the new growth explains this as well - does this ring true to you? Finally, the tree we bought had just one vertical branch coming off the top; this one has three - is that a possible change in two months?

Multiple people at the nursery have confirmed this is the same tree we bought and tagged. I want to believe it but it just looks so completely different...

As to planting - I agree the timing is not ideal. COVID waylaid plans. We were to pick our tree(s) end of Feb/early March but the nursery had to close and then their planting schedule was backed up six weeks, etc. etc. We are in northeast Illinois. The tree is guaranteed for three years by the nursery; this is their standard guarantee when they plant (one year if the owner/purchaser plants and with another tree we bought from them and planted ourselves they extended that warranty by a year when the tree appeared to be struggling; it recovered beautifully). Obviously we wouldn't want to have to use that warranty but it does make me feel pretty confident in their planting. They did give us those same watering instructions and we did that yesterday following planting and will do so once/week through the first season. They did mulch; also standard with their plantings. I saw them take away burlap and twine, etc.

@tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱ @plantkiller_il_5 Photos of the branches/needles as requested. Thanks again for the advice!

Yes it is the same tree and yes the new growth explains all of the visual differences you note. You can expect the same transformation on an annual basis.

Thanks Christopher C Nc.

I can't help with i.d. but I really like the looks of the planted one better than the tagged one!

I agree with TJ.

Having the root flare right at or slightly above ground level, is paramount to having a healthy tree.

While you're down there, make sure they haven't left any wire or twine around the lower trunk.

IMO: they are the same tree with pictures taken from opposite sides and of course, new growth, which has done nicely btw for a new transplant.

Thank you all again very much. I really did not believe the nursery we worked with on this would have purposefully switched trees on us, but I really did wonder if there was some kind of mix-up. Your opinions helped so much. We have been gardening and tree planting for several years but are by no means tree experts - I know my limitations!

I will definitely get under there today and check for the root flare being at/above ground level. They did mulch it quite well but as you can see from the photos, not beyond the current growth circumference; we will expand that. The nursery told us to water once/week at a steady trickle for about a half hour, but I will take TJ's counsel and let the water trickle longer than that. How do y'all feel about Treegators? I don't think it would work for the Canaan but we also got a State Street Maple that could use one.

olychocl - thanks! Yes, it's a beautiful little tree. I did really love the dark green needles when we found it at the nursery, but it's soft and fragrant and lovely. Now that it's been in the ground for a couple of days, the flat spot in the pic is falling out a little more too.

If your soil is a nice loam and not so sandy that it dries out quickly, you should be able to just water, then in a few days check the soil moisture and then water when needed. Keeping a small tree soaking wet is not the answer imo.

Also, when you check for root flare, make sure the mulch has not been put in such a way that it contacts the trunk. Leave a few inches of bare earth around the trunk.

...and the best way to check moisture levels is to dig 4 inches or so into the rootball to see if its moist.

tj

A tree gator will not fit a conifer

As the OA attested to. :-)

@User thanks. I did check the mulch when I watered the day of planting and it is clear of the trunk. That's a big no-no.

I think we'll skip the tree gator (and yep, simple logistics say it wouldn't work for the fir tree :) ). I'm also afraid it would have the negative effect of allowing me to forget to water and run out, etc. Better to set a reminder to check every few days and do it manually, plus that let's me check the trees' overall well-being while I'm watering.