It’s that time of year. Your local county conservation district is taking orders for their annual tree sale and it’s a deal that can’t be beat. Order now for pickup in April.
The prices are a bargain and the selection includes the varieties you need to improve wildlife habitat and water quality on your property. For species descriptions and more details, visit each tree sale web page (click the sale name highlighted in blue). And don’t forget to order packs of evergreens for planting in mixed clumps and groves to provide winter shelter and summertime nesting sites for our local native birds. They’re only $12.00 for a bundle of 10.
It’s the most desirable block in town, not because the houses are any different from others built during the post-war years of the mid-twentieth century, but because the first owners of these domiciles had the good taste and foresight to plant long-lived trees on their lots, the majority of them native species. Pin Oak, Northern Red Oak, Yellow Poplar, Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida), Eastern Red Cedar, Eastern White Pine, Eastern Hemlock, Norway Spruce, and American Holly dominate the landscape and create excellent habitat for birds and other wildlife. These 75-year-old plantings provide an abundance of shade in summer and thermal stability in winter, making it a “cool” place to live or take a stroll at any time of the year.
Cumberland County Conservation District Annual Tree Seedling Sale—
Orders due by: Friday, March 22, 2024
Pickup on: Thursday, April 18, 2024 or Friday, April 19, 2024
Cumberland County Conservation District is taking orders for Common Winterberry, the ideal small shrub for wet soil anywhere on your property. To get berries, you’ll need both males and females, so buy a bunch and plant them in a clump or scattered group.
To live for a century or more like this towering giant, a Pin Oak needs to grow in well-drained soils with adequate moisture. These sturdy shade providers do well along streams and on low ground receiving clean runoff from hillsides, roofs, streets, and parking areas. As they age, Pin Oaks can fail to thrive and may become vulnerable to disease in locations where rainfall is not adequately infiltrated into the soil. Therefore, in drier areas such as raised ground or slopes, avoid the Pin Oak and select the more durable Northern Red Oak for planting. This year, Pin Oaks are available from the Cumberland and Lancaster County Conservation Districts, while Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and York Counties are taking orders for Northern Red Oaks.
The Cumberland County Conservation District is again offering a “Showy Northeast Native Wildflower and Grass Mix” for seeding your own pollinator meadow or garden. It consists of more than twenty species including this perennial favorite, Purple Coneflower.
Dauphin County Conservation District Seedling Sale—
Orders due by: Monday, March 18, 2024
Pickup on: Thursday, April 18, 2024 or Friday, April 19, 2024
The Eastern Redbud is small tree native to our forest edges, particularly in areas of the Piedmont Province with Triassic geology (Furnace Hills, Conewago Hills, Gettysburg/Hammer Creek Formations, etc.) Also known as the Judas Tree, the redbud’s brilliant flowers are followed by heart-shaped leaves. As seen here, it is suitable for planting near houses and other buildings. Eastern Redbud seedlings are being offered through tree sales in Dauphin, Cumberland, and Lancaster Counties.
Lancaster County Annual Tree Seedling Sale—
Orders due by: Friday, March 8, 2024
Pickup on: Friday, April 12, 2024
The Yellow Poplar, often called Tuliptree or Tulip Poplar for its showy flowers, is a sturdy, fast-growing deciduous tree native to forests throughout the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed. Its pole-straight growth habit in shady woodlands becomes more spreading and picturesque when the plant is grown as a specimen or shade tree in an urban or suburban setting. The Yellow Poplar can live for hundreds of years and is a host plant for the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly. It is available this year from the Lancaster County Conservation District.
The American Sweetgum, also known as Sweet Gum, is a large, long-lived tree adorned with a mix of vibrant colors in autumn.
Ever wonder where all the American Goldfinches and particularly the Pine Siskins go after passing through our region in fall? Well, many are headed to the lowland forests of the Atlantic Coastal Plain where they feed on an abundance of seeds contained in spiky American Sweetgum fruits. In the Piedmont and Ridge and Valley Provinces of the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, American Sweetgum transplants can provide enough sustenance to sometimes lure our friendly finches into lingering through the winter.
The American Sweetgum is a versatile tree. It can be planted on upland sites as well as in wet ground along streams, lakes, and rivers. In the beaver pond seen here it is the dominate tree species. This year, you can buy the American Sweetgum from the Lancaster County Conservation District.
“Red-twig Dogwood” is a group of similar native shrubs that, in our region, includes Silky Dogwood and the more northerly Red-Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea). Both have clusters of white flowers in spring and showy red twigs in winter. They are an excellent choice for wet soils. Landscapers often ruin these plants by shearing them off horizontally a foot or two from the ground each year. To produce flowers and fruit, and to preserve winter attractiveness, trim them during dormancy by removing three-year-old and older canes at ground level, letting younger growth untouched.
“Red-twig Dogwoods” make ideal mass plantings for streamside buffers and remain showy through winter, even on a gloomy day. They not only mitigate nutrient and sediment pollution, they provide excellent food and cover for birds and other wildlife. Both Silky and Red-osier Dogwoods are available for sale through the Lancaster County Conservation District as part of their special multi-species offers, the former is included in its “Beauty Pack” and the latter in its “Wildlife Pack”. The similar Gray Dogwood (Cornus racemosa) is being offered for sale by the York County Conservation District.
Lebanon County Conservation District Tree and Plant Sale—
Orders due by: Friday, March 8, 2024
Pickup on: Friday, April 19, 2024
The unique maroon flowers of the Common Pawpaw produce banana-like fruits in summer. These small native trees grow best in damp, well-drained soils on slopes along waterways, where they often form clonal understory patches. To get fruit, plant a small grove to increase the probability of pollination. The Common Pawpaw is a host plant for the Zebra Swallowtail butterfly. It is available through both the Lebanon and Lancaster County sales.
The Eastern Red Cedar provides excellent food, cover, and nesting sites for numerous songbirds. Planted in clumps of dozens or groves of hundreds of trees, they can provide winter shelter for larger animals including deer and owls. The Eastern Red Cedar is being offered for purchase through both the Lebanon and Lancaster County Conservation Districts.
Care to try your hand at raising some chestnuts? Lebanon County Conservation District has hybrid American Chestnut seedlings for sale.
Lebanon County Conservation District is offering Common Winterberry and Eastern White Pine during their 2024 Tree and Plant Sale. Plant them both for striking color during the colder months. Eastern White Pine is also available from the Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, and York County sales.
Perry County Conservation District Tree Sale—
Orders due by: Sunday, March 24, 2024
Pickup on: Thursday, April 11, 2024
In addition to a selection of trees and shrubs, the Perry County Conservation District is again selling wildflower seed mixes for starting your own pollinator meadow or garden. For 2024, they have both a “Northeast Perennials and Annuals Mix” and a “Butterfly and Hummingbird Seed Mix” available. Give them a try so you can give up the mower!
Again this year, Perry County is offering bluebird nest boxes for sale. The price?—just $12.00.
Wait, what?,…twelve bucks,…that’s cheaper than renting!
York County Conservation District Seedling Sale—
Orders due by: Friday, March 15, 2024
Pickup on: Thursday, April 11, 2024
The Buttonbush, a shrub of wet soils, produces a cosmic-looking flower. It grows well in wetlands, along streams, and in rain gardens. Buttonbush seedlings are for sale from both the York and Lancaster County Conservation Districts.
To get your deciduous trees like gums, maples, oaks, birches, and poplars off to a safe start, conservation district tree sales in Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, and Perry Counties are offering protective tree shelters. Consider purchasing these plastic tubes and supporting stakes for each of your hardwoods, especially if you have hungry deer in your neighborhood.
Tree shelters protect newly transplanted seedlings from browsing deer, klutzy hikers, visually impaired mower operators, and other hazards.
There you have it. Be sure to check out each tree sale’s web page to find the selections you like, then get your order placed. The deadlines will be here before you know it and you wouldn’t want to miss values like these!