Knowledgebase
Best Border Trees #751943
Asked May 24, 2021, 9:59 PM EDT
Anoka County Minnesota
Expert Response
Congratulations on your purchase. It sounds like you have a lot of ideas (and a lot of work ahead!).
There are many choices, but first you have to look at your site and identify how much sun, wind and water you have. There may be high or low spots that affect drainage. You should start with a soil test to see what the pH is and what fertilizer should or should not be used. http://soiltest.cfans.umn.edu/ You should draw a preliminary site plan with ideas of where you expect to put the house, orchard, etc. You don't want to, say plant a bunch of tall trees and then decide to plant a vegetable garden to the north of it.
A great source is the Anoka County Soil and Water Conservation site. https://www.anokaswcd.org/tree-sale-order-forms/instructions.html. It has links on the side that show a list of suggested trees and shrubs (comprehensive guide), placement and planting guides. They also sell tree seedlings in late winter for delivery in April. These are small trees, just whips, but are a great way to buy a lot of trees, and the trees are all suitable for your county. Smaller trees adapt better than large ones, so these whips can be just as big as much more expensive balled and burlapped trees in a few years. I strongly recommend you use them for your project. But you have to order early as they will sell out. I know my county sells out of popular trees, like lilacs, in just a few days.
Another good site to find suitable tree ideas is https://extension.umn.edu/tree-selection-and-care/recommended-trees-minnesota
Many shrubs and trees need protection from deer when they are young, so you may need to put fencing around new things and leave it there for several years.
Much of the soil in Anoka County is very sandy. Even if your soil is not, new plantings will need a lot of water. Do you have a way to water them every couple of days for at least the first year?
So, this is a huge project and one you may want to break into chunks. I suggest you start with the SWCD info and see what trees/shrubs would fit your site and go from there.
Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2021 10:00 AM
To: Jennifer Klein <<personal data hidden>>
Subject: Re: Best Border Trees (#0021874)