TREES! and Shrubs

This year I ordered a bunch of plants from the Alcona Conservation District. Usually I buy windbreak seedlings and the occasional small plant like hardy geraniums from them, but with plans of moving to the new house this fall I went a little wild and got a few things other than just evergreens.

Shrubs:

5 Ninebark - a hardy native shrub with tiny white flowers

5 Common Lilac - though I already have a couple elsewhere on the property, a few more wouldn't hurt

5 Saskatoon Serviceberry - a medium height (8-10') shrub with white flowers and edible purple berries

5 American Mountain Ash - a native MI tree with tiny white flowers and orange berries

10 Winterberry Holly - likes set soil and we have a lot of that

10 Gray Dogwood - I like dogwood, I hope they can withstand the winters, most dogwoods are Zone 5 and up, we're in Zone 4 despite what the re-drawn zone map says. This one is a shrubbier type with tiny white flowers and the Morton Arboretum says Zone 3 so I should be good.

The evergreens I'm getting are 5 black spruce and 25 Norway spruce to replace dead trees in the windbreak. we really need to trench and drain the north side to keep these trees from drowning like the previous ones. I even lost balsams there and they like it wet.

The other day Hal and I discussed a second windbreak closer to the house. Now starting with seedlings won't it will be a couple decades before these trees have much height but what the heck, got to start sometime even if we aren't around anymore to see it. 

I ordered 50 Black Hills Spruce from the Arbor Day Foundation yesterday, they are one of the faster growing evergreens and don't mind the wetter soil we have. I don't know if it's the same as the 5 I ordered from the conservation district, but I guess I'll find out when they come in. These 50 new seedlings will  be in 2 staggered rows on the opposite side of the driveway from the house. 

I also bought 50 tulip tree seedlings from them, I always liked those and why not have 50? At least a few ought to survive, now I just have to figure out where to put them and the 3 American hazelnut that I also bought. Hal says those never survive up here, I guess we'll see. Those are taller than seedlings, 2 or 3 years old so 2-3 feet tall.

I have my work cut out for me!