Annual DEC tree and shrub sale

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) Saratoga Tree Nursery has begun taking orders for its annual sale of tree and shrub seedlings.

Ordering will continue until mid-May. The objective of the program is to provide low-cost, native planting materials from known New York sources to encourage landowners to enhance the state’s environment for future generations.

The Saratoga Tree Nursery produces more than 50 species of trees and shrubs for planting on public and private land. The nursery also offers a few non-native species which can enhance wildlife planting. For instance, torengo crab apple provides a winter food source for wild turkey, grouse and deer.

The minimum order is 100 for conifers and wildlife shrubs, 25 for hardwoods, and 50 for container stock. Mixed species packets of 30 to 100 wildlife shrubs are also available for homeowners to attract wildlife. The Saratoga Nursery sells primarily bare-root stock, but a few species are available as containerized stock, which have been grown in a greenhouse.

Landowners can get planting advice from their nearest DEC forestry office or private forestry consultant. The brochure and order form “2010 Trees and Shrubs” can be found on the DEC’s website at: dec.ny.gov/animals/7127 or by calling the Saratoga Tree Nursery at (518) 581-1438.

To order seedlings by phone, call the Saratoga Tree Nursery on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at (518) 587-1120. Mail orders are also accepted and can be sent to the Saratoga Tree Nursery, 2369 Route 50, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. Orders may be placed through mid-May and are on a first-come, first-served basis. Seedlings are shipped from mid-April to mid -May.