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10jdjean

Asian Oaks source

10jdjean
9 years ago

Hey does anyone know of a source for Quercus
mongolica or Quercus aliena ?

They seem to be incredibly hard to find in this country. I know of a few arboretum specimens in Minnesota and Illinois, but they didn't want to send me any acorns lol!

I continue my quest apparently Sheffield seed co is all sold out till next year with Quercus aliena. Oikos hasn't offered them for several years. There is just a total drought on cool Asian oaks here lol.

Comments (12)

  • davidrt28 (zone 7)
    9 years ago

    For some reason, the last nursery to really champion rare overseas oaks was Arborvillage, and they are long gone. Oikos used to be much more into them. When it comes to seedlings, it seems there are rare plant nurseries that fit into one or more of these categories:
    1) have their own network of suppliers - for example Forestfarm offered Ehretia dicksonii because they knew of a tree in the PNW that they could access to get seed. Then it was cut down.
    2) will sell whatever Sheffield, Schumacher & company is offering (the main US commercial seed suppliers).
    3) go the extra distance to get the next tranche of harder to obtain material...from overseas.

    Arborvillage seemed to be in category 3 with oaks: I'm pretty sure in the early 2000s they brought a bunch of oak seeds into the US with Woodlanders, because there was some cross-offering but it could just be a coincidence. That's when I got my Quercus libani and Q. X turneri which had probably never been offered in the nursery trade before. Alas...I killed the Q. libani. I'd call Woodlanders or Camforest if I were you, to ask for leads, but not Camforest until early summer because they are busy now. (if you want special horticultural accommodation, you need to prepare to be patient. I worked out a "deal" with Camforest several months before driving down there to carry it out) The guy who runs Woodlanders has been very friendly to me on the phone, but from various reviews at that other site (TM) - make sure you don't act like an uppity yankee when you call!

  • hairmetal4ever
    9 years ago

    What constitutes acting like an "uppity Yankee"?

  • davidrt28 (zone 7)
    9 years ago

    LOL. I'm not sure! I don't even know why I said that, except that there were a couple funny reviews saying that irate customers were referred to as such when a phone call went south. (no pun intended) Or something like that. I don't know why though. My satisfaction rating with Woodlanders, over 2 decades of ordering (gosh, how embarassing to date myself) is 100%. Never had a single problem with anything - other than something being sold out - and their offerings are still reasonably priced for their rarity. And whenever I've called with a question, they've been very nice. But one should remember rare nursery ownin' is a tough business. Ask first if they have time for some questions. Don't just assume they can put everything off for 10 minutes to speak to you.
    I think some customers just have unrealistic expectations and different owners are going to deal with it in different ways.

  • lkz5ia
    9 years ago

    If not oikos, could ask reeseville to see if they have any.

  • Keef Merrell
    8 years ago

    I can get quercus varriabilis most years but i would also like to get aliena

  • Huggorm
    8 years ago

    The q. mongolica acorns from Schumacher are top quality, almost every single one of them sprouted

  • gardener365
    8 years ago

    David, why did your libani die?

    Dax

  • lucky_p
    8 years ago

    Here's a thought...and a strong recommendation. Join the International Oak Society. (I got some Q.mongolica acorns and scionwood from other members this past winter).

    IOS is a worldwide organization of quercophiles(and yes, those folks are also into other plants, as well) who often share acorns, seeds, scions. Oak Open Days meetings held at various locations around the country/world allow you to network, see interesting collections, participate in acorn swap, etc. The IOS newsletters and publication (International Oaks) make for some interesting reading.

    http://www.internationaloaksociety.org/

  • davidrt28 (zone 7)
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    "David, why did your libani die?"

    I stupidly moved it in late May rather then be patient and wait until fall or winter. A hot spell started immediately afterwards.

    In truth it was a blessing in disguise because the Q. variabilis I replaced it with is similar, if not more interesting, faster growing, and probably more suited to my climate. It's already as tall as I reckon the Q. libani would have been by now, it's easily growing 3X as fast.

    I only ordered the Q. libani from Arborvillage, IIRC, because either their catalog or my discussion on the phone with one of the owners convinced me it was super rare in the US, which I'm sure it was. I had no particular reason to want it. They were a great little nursery, there's still stuff in their catalog that nobody has offered since, including Forestfarm.

  • gardener365
    8 years ago

    That answers that. I googled Arborvillage and it's not online. I'd have been interested to see what their offerings are.

    Dax


  • davidrt28 (zone 7)
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    I'm surprised you hadn't heard of them, they were out your way. (Missouri) They did have a lower profile though, than say Greer, Forestfarm or Woodlanders, and I only found out about them a couple years before they closed. This has happened several times in my rare plant collecting history: I discovered Montrose Nursery just as it was closing, and Foxborough in MD just before they ended mail order sales to become a wholesaler. (and on the non mail-order front, I found out about Suncrest Gardens in Mt. Holly Springs, PA in their last year of operation, which was 2012. They still do landscaping.)

    I think Arborvillage's last season of sales was spring 2006 but by then they'd already started reducing stocks and a number of things I'd wanted were sold out.

  • gardener365
    8 years ago

    I had that conifer bug for so long that I missed them. Now I have more bookmarked nurseries that are non-conifer than conifer.

    Dax