Saplings Available for Order

Thank you for helping us toward our goal of planting 2020 trees in 2020!  Order your saplings at REDUCED RATES as soon as possible, otherwise substitutions may need to be made. All sales are final. No guarantees. Sapling descriptions* are below. Sizes vary according to species but generally are between 3-4 feet tall.    

You can click here to print the order form and send with check payable to: Sustain Fond du Lac, C/O Jason Ramirez, 265 East 11th Street, Fond du Lac WI 54935.  All orders and payment must be received by September 1st, 2020. Pick-up date is Saturday, September 12, 2020 at the Gottfried Prairie & Arboretum Shelter on the UWO Fond du Lac campus from 9 AM to noon.  

Due to Covid 19, volunteers with masks will place your order in your vehicle trunk or back of car.  Please ensure that there is space in your vehicle before you arrive as it is preferred that you stay in your vehicle.  We recommend that there be no passengers and the driver wear a mask.  We will notify you, as a reminder via email, regarding pick-up details.

Click here for tips on planting.

DECIDUOUS SAPLINGS

SUGAR MAPLE:  H: 50-75’; Width: 50’; Soil Type: Rich, Moist, Well drained; Sun to Shade; Wisconsin’s state tree.  The dominant tree in our maple/basswood forest.  Extraordinary fall color of gold, orange, and scarlet.  Prefers a rich, well-drained soil.  Not tolerant of road salt or poorly drained, compacted, clay soils.  

SPECKLED ALDER H: 15-25’; Width: 10’; Soil Type: Wet-Moist; Sun to Shade.  Medium-sized shrubby tree.  Typically found along river bottoms, edges of lakes and in swamps.  Interesting persistent winter fruit that look like little pine cones.   Great for wet areas and erosion control.  

YELLOW BIRCH:  H:  50-75’; Width: 35-50’; Soil Type: Rich, Wet-Moist, Well-drained;  Sun-Part Shade; Magnificent tree, more common in the north woods but found throughout the state.  Bark is silvery yellow and curly.  Color changes with light conditions.  Needs a cool moist soil.  Grows in upland and lowland sites.  Fairly shade tolerant.  

PAGODA DOGWOOD:  H: 10-15’; Width: 15-20’; Soil Type:  Rich, Moist, Well-drained; Shade to Part Shade;  A great native for the shady landscape.  White spring flowers are held erect on the branches.  Summer brings blue/black fruits that birds love.  Maroon fall color.  Layered branching habit gives it its name.  Mulch and water when dry for good growth.  

QUAKING ASPEN:  H: 40-50’;  Width: 20-30’; Soil Type:  Wet-Moist/Dry; Full Sun;  A tree with a huge native range in North America, very adaptable and fast growing.  The bark is smooth, grayish white, reminiscent of Birch, very attractive.  Leaves dance in the wind and exhibit a wonderful golden fall color.  Forms colonies in the wild.  Will send up root suckers in the landscape.

BIG TOOTH ASPEN: H:  60-80’; Width: 10-14’; This native tree is extremely fast growing with central leader and an oval to rounded form.  The dark green serrated foliage has good yellow fall color.  Prefers moist but grows well in dry soils.

BASSWOOD or AMERICAN LINDEN: H: 50-70’; Width: 35-50’; Soil Type:  Rich, Moist, Well Drained; Full Sun to Full Shade; A rapid grower with a dense teardrop outline.  Often develops basal sprouts resulting in multi-stemmed trees.  Quite adaptable in most urban conditions.  Fragrant, creamy white flowers are the nectar source for basswood honey.  Shade tolerant.

AMERICAN BEECH: H: 60-75’; Width: 55-65’; Soil Type: Rich, Moist, Well Drained.  An aristocrat of the forest.  Large, slow-growing, long-lived, stately tree with light gray, smooth bark, that can resemble an elephant’s hide.  Slender winter buds with overlapping scales resemble tiny cigars. Dried fall leaves on tree most of the winter.  Edible nuts are attractive to most wildlife and are produced about every third year.

PRAIRIE CRABAPPLE:  H: 20-30’; Width: 20’;  Soil Type:  Moist-Dry.  Full Sun.  Our native crabapple.  Spectacular fragrant pink spring flowers rival any ornamental tree.  Small yellow green fruits attract wildlife.  Attractive bark and branching habit makes for good winter interest.  Susceptible to fungal leaf diseases that can render the tree leafless by August.  

MUSCLEWOOD (OR AMERICAN HORNBEAM):  H: 25-30’; Width: 25-30’; Soil Type:  Rich, Moist, Well drained.  A fine-textured graceful small scale understory tree.  Strong wooded with sinewy fluted stems which give it the name, Musclewood.  Adaptable to sun or shade.  Prefers moist soils.  Fairly pest free.  Great fall color. Can be yellow, orange to red.  Great foliage, bark, and form give it year round appeal.     

CONIFERS

TAMARACK or AMERICAN LARCH:  H: 30-50’; Width: 10-15’;  Soil Type:  Wet-Moist, Well Drained; Sun to Part Shade;  A deciduous conifer native to bogs throughout the state.  Will grow on an upland site given adequate moisture.  Beautiful soft green needles in spring that turn to brilliant yellow in late fall.  Tamarack grows fast, tall, and straight.  It is adaptable to many soils; it makes a fine landscape tree.

EASTERN RED CEDAR:  H: 30-40’;  Width: 15-20’; Soil Type:  Dry, Well Drained;  Sun to Part Shade;  Our native juniper tree.  Very adaptable to soils as long as they are adequately drained.  Good as a specimen and as a screen.  Develops a wonderful picturesque form in age.  Female junipers produce berries that are taken by birds.  The berries can be used in cooking and as a flavoring in gin.  Salt tolerant.  

SHRUBS FOR SMALLER SPACES

GLOSSY BLACK CHOKEBERRY:  H: 5-7’; Width: 4-6’; Soil Type: Wet-Moist; Sun-Part Shade.  Glossy leaves turn bright red-orange in fall.  Abundant deep purple fruits hang on all winter.  Easy to grow, a great plant for moist soils and for massing.  Attractive year round.  Found in many habitats including bogs, cliffs, prairies, and forests, though in most common in wetlands.

COMMON NINEBARK:  H: 8-10’; Width: 8-10’; Soil Type: Moist-Dry; Sun to Part Shade; Upright spreading growth habit and dense foliage make this a nice native screening plant.  Exfoliating bark peels in strips to reveal reddish to light brown inner bark.  White flowers, reddish fruit capsules and bronzy fall color.  This adaptable, tough plant is very easy to grow. 

COMMON SNOWBERRY:  H: 3-5’; Width: 4-6’; Soil Type: Dry-Moist, Well Drained;  Sun to Shade;  A useful low growing suckering shrub.  Blue-green summer foliage.  Small pinkish while flowers develop into showy while fruits in fall.  Very tolerant of various soil conditions.  Birds are attracted to the berries.  

* descriptions, whole or in part, from Johnson’s Nursery INC catalogue