Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find out current availability?
We do not post availability online. Please give us a call (269 857 7804) for an updated list of what's available.

What forms of payment are accepted?
We only accept checks and money orders; no credit/debit cards please.

How do you ship bare-root plants?
To make sure that plants arrive in good condition, plants are packed with sphagnum moss with a plastic liner in a corrugated cardboard box. Most orders are shipped via UPS and large orders can be shipped on pallets via LTL.

What is your guarantee on seedlings?
Plants are guaranteed to leave the nursery in good condition. We do not warranty plant survival because many factors that affect plant survival are outside of our control. Please see terms & conditions for complete details.

How do you price plants?
For plants less than 24" tall, the catalogue lists pricing as "1000 rate" -- for a minimum of 500 per individual species. For plants 24" and taller (found in our Bigger Stuff) the listed price is "100 rate."

When is the best time of year to order trees?
We are experiencing good demand for our products currently and this translates into reduced availability as we go through the sales season. We begin writing orders when the new catalog comes out in July. To have the best selection, you should order as soon as feasible after that time. There are a lot of species, for which we are the only bare-root grower in America. When these sell-out, they’re gone. Some of the willows, Russet Buffaloberry, Leatherwood, Balsam Poplar and Bearberry fit into this category. Other items like Pin Oak, Sugar Maple, Jack Pine Red Osier Dogwood are generally in good supply and are available through the season. When the calendar changes to March, our priority shifts to the shipping of existing orders. We do not staff the office as much and availability is much reduced. We still write a lot of new orders after March 1st, but it takes longer to process since it competes with shipping, so we appreciate your patience in getting them written and getting those orders scheduled for shipment.

How do I plant my trees?
Please take a look at our planting instructions for more information.

Do you have an order form?
Yes! Here's the link.

What are your hours?
Normal business hours are from 8-5. During spring our hours are longer, in the summer our office hours are typically shorter. If no one is around the office to take your call, please leave us a voicemail and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

When should I arrange for shipping?
One of the more difficult things we deal with in the nursery is shipping. Since we can only ship bare-root plants when they are dormant, we have a limited time to ship our product. Shipping begins in the fall when plants are dormant and continues through winter. It hits a crescendo in late March, continuing for about five weeks, until very late in April when it slows down to a manageable level and we begin to focus on the growing of plants again. To make sure that we can meet our promised ship dates we limit the amount of plants (cumulatively) that we schedule to ship on a given week. Once a week is scheduled full, we help people find the next available week and so on. Usually by the 10th-15th of March, the last week in March and first three weeks of April are filled up with reservations and customers thereafter need to choose to receive their order earlier in the season or choose a date after April 25th.

We are sorry that we cannot always give you your first preference for a specific week of shipping...but one thing I am quite sure of--is that if you choose your week by January 1st--you will normally get your first choice for shipping. If you haven’t scheduled by mid-February...we will contact you , with a nudge to say that “It’s time to pick a date!”. For those of you who have cold storage facilities, I urge you to receive your plants earlier in the season—before March 25th. This will help us to even out our shipping schedule and offer better service to those who do not have the option of storing plants for a long period of time. For those of you who have a smaller order (one or two boxes) you can empty the box and store the bag with trees in your refrigerator for a couple weeks with no trouble--but keep it pretty tightly sealed to keep the plant roots moist. An extra benefit of taking your order early is that if we have an unexpected inventory issue, it will probably not show up on your order!