I like Willis Orchard and they are one of the few or perhaps only place to buy such trees online. However some local landscaper or harvestman may be able to acquire trees for you. I could be wrong but I don't think Willis keeps their trees in cold storage to keep them from leafing out. This can be a real problem. Trees that have leafed out before shipment often lose their leaves costing them a significant amount of their reserves causing a higher rate of failure. If you do end up going with them wait and order next December or early next January at the latest when their trees are still dormant. Or order by phone and specify only trees that are fully dormant.

I just noticed that the fruit trees that my local Lowe's stocks are exceptionally large and healthy looking specimens. They carry a brand called Ecofruit which are in peat pots that you plant with them right into the ground after cutting off the bottom. I bought a persimmon from them last month and planted it--about 6 and a half feet tall, as compared to the 4 foot tall persimmon I got from Bay Laurel (L.E.Cooke nurseries). They are both doing well but I have no doubt that the Ecofruit persimmon will bear sooner.

Tennessee has Lowe's, you should definitely check them out.

Why not take a trip on up to McMinnville TN -- The nursery capitol of the universe...

Most "real" nurseries grow trees out in the ground and sell bare-root or burlap covered dug-ups... They frequently end up with several that are just too large for mail order or for their wholesale business -- but they will sell them in-person if you have a way to get them back home... These can be BIG, healthy trees with large root systems.

It will help if you know what you are looking for beforehand, both variety and rootstock wise. I would also make a couple calls to find out what they have and when they are open... Some are only open 9-5 Monday - Friday...

Vaughn nurseries is the 1st one that pops into my mind, but there are about 10,000 more in that area... just look at the plant tags on the Home Depot and Lowes trees... All of them around here are are coming from nurseries in McMinnville...

Thanks

John

The worst thing to do with a 2" up calibre tree is to let it fruit the first season, unless it comes with about a half ton of dirt. I'm sorry, but if you're impatient plant some blackberries or fall bearing raspberries.

Part of my business is selling bearing age fruit trees in the southeastern NY area to impatient and usually wealthy customers. I instruct them to remove all flowers the first year because a transplanted tree that has started to fruit is tougher to get established than a sexually immature bare root. Next years flowers and this years fruit take a lot of energy to make, and it comes at the expense of root growth. You can't stop a mature tree from making next year's flowers but at least you should remove this year's (or the fruit as soon as it forms).

I have potted trees in 15 gallon pots, but I even like them to get a lot of root in the ground before cropping them. Incidentally, I don't ship.