Thinking of planting some trees and shrubs this fall but can’t afford the prices at your local nurseries? Consider ordering trees by mail. You can get smaller plants than garden centers usually offer, at smaller prices. Often smaller plants will handle the shock of transplanting better than larger specimens, so you may not even be getting much benefit if you pay more for larger trees. Musser Forests is one mail-order company with a wide selection and a nicely organized website. Or if you have room to plant lots of trees, check with your state forestry or wildlife department — they often have great deals on bareroot seedlings of species they recommend for your area, offered in packs of 25 or so. You can read more about using trees and shrubs to attract wildlife in Create Wildlife Habitat and Grow a Living Fence.
Cheryl Long is the editor in chief of MOTHER EARTH NEWS magazine, and a leading advocate for more sustainable lifestyles. She leads a team of editors which produces high quality content that has resulted in MOTHER EARTH NEWS being rated as one North America’s favorite magazines. Long lives on an 8-acre homestead near Topeka, Kan., powered in part by solar panels, where she manages a large organic garden and a small flock of heritage chickens. Prior to taking the helm at MOTHER EARTH NEWS, she was an editor at Organic Gardening magazine for 10 years.Connect with her onGoogle+.