Where do I find these in Austin area? My 10 acres apparently took quite a beating with the droughts and floods the last few years, and I have a couple dozen dead trees to take down, mostly post oaks and red junipers.

I'd like to replace them, more or less, with a variety of native trees. I kinda want to do a random scattershot of anything that will grow:

Live oak, pecan, bald cypress, red junipers, pin oak, burr oak, heck, about any native oak, sycamore, sweetgum, walnut, cedar elm, honeylocust, redbud, etc. kinda a mix. Whatever takes, takes.

Problem is, finding plantable saplings for some of these isn't easy. Anyone know if a place that carries a good variety of native trees? Small is fine.

Really need a description of your soil & location to let you know if and what kind of pecans are OK. Never plant them close to the house or anywhere you plan on upkeeping.

Burr oaks may be more adaptable, maybe cedar elm if your soil is heavier. Post Oak died for a reason. Don't know if anyone has ever transplanted one. There is a reason why they aren't for sale. Sycamore will transplant into sandy/well drained soil. Go dig one up on the river, now is a good time.

As far as where they are for sale, check out feed stores, nurseries, and maybe tractor supply.

ETA: one native people overlook is mulberry, which also tastes pretty dang good

Where would one find Burr Oak or Lacey Oak saplings?

If it was my place, I'd stay completely away from the Pecans, Black Walnuts & Sycamores unless you have some bottomland and plan on irrigating them.

Sweetgums are a no-go in our area.

I've never seen a native Honeylocust at any nusery... those thorns are a dealbreaker.

Bur Oak & Cedar Elm would be my first two recommendations. Eastern Red Cedars are a good native if you want evergreens.

I love Live Oaks, but Oak Wilt has got me gun shy on planting.

For smaller trees, I'd recommend Texas Persimmon, Possumhaw & Mexican Plum for their wildlife value.

You might call Hope Valley Tree Farm down in Bastrop or Native Texas Nursery close to Weberville. The smallest tree I typically plant is a 15 gallon, so I'm not sure who'll have the smaller sizes.

There is a native tree and shrub sale this weekend at the Lady Bird Wildflower center. I've had pretty good luck with stuff I've bought at their sales before. Typically local native growers are selling there, so it is a good way of finding out about them.

As others have said, knowing your soil type(s) are key. There is a tremendous amout of variation from the east side to the west side of town.

You can look up your property on the NRCS Web soil survey website, and get a custom soil report. That will help you understand what can / should grow, which will help you keep from wasting a bunch of money and energy.

Milbergers in the Northside of San Antonio had a solid selection of trees from your list if you're OK driving down.

If you are looking for saplings, do you know anyone in an established neighborhood with lots of flower beds?
There are plenty of Oak trees hiding in those flower beds. Also, access to some land right now for eastern red cedars would be great. I have quite a few retama and persimmon trees that need a home....

Juniper usually don't transplant well, or so I've heard.

I'm actually in a sandy valley about 20 miles east of Elgin south of Paige. We're on the edge of the Carizzo Sands formation but being on the gradual downslope of a valley we have more of a sandy loam at the surface. Go deep enough, there is clay pan down there. The surface dries out, but the deeper sand holds moisture pretty well, well enough to grow water oaks.

I've found persimmon, cedar elm, live oak, post oak, red juniper, and a planted Pecan on the property. I'd like to diversify that a bit. I am certain I want to place a couple of bald cypress in a low area that should generally provide them with adequate water. I've grown some tiny twigs of trees at my parents place to 20 inch 50 foot tall oaks. I figure plant a LOT of small saplings now, and some of them will mature.

Your trees died due to stress from drought then. Do you have a carrizo well? If so, you are likely in the Reklaw outcropping (same area I am).

Pecans will grow very well, but you will need to fertilize and irrigate the **** out them constantly. Desirable if open, airy and well spaced will be preferable (but not if they will ever get crowded), but Cheyenne, Sioux, Choctaw, Kiowa, Pawnee (early harvest - usually by hungry critters) will do. I'm partial to the taste of choctaws, but they have quality problems as they are part Mahan. Cheyenne makes a good tree that produces early and has an easy to shell, quality nutmeat (desirable is much harder to shell), but desirable is a consistent producer with excellent quality if you can keep the pecan scab under control, and that means getting the leaves and pecans dry as early in the day as possible.

Other older/less favorable varieties will do as well in that area, but they are not usually planted for various reasons (mahan, barton, eastern schley, stuart, shawnee, success, mohawk, etc.) There are also recently released varieties like nocono, Waco, etc. I am not as famIliar with, especially as the trees mature.

Sycamore will grow well, too. Do NOT plant either near a house, or in the yard, or you will regret it.

Forgot to say, just plant some native pecans and graft later.

Hickory would also be a native choice.

95 Buzzbait said:

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If you are looking for saplings, do you know anyone in an established neighborhood with lots of flower beds?
There are plenty of Oak trees hiding in those flower beds. Also, access to some land right now for eastern red cedars would be great. I have quite a few retama and persimmon trees that need a home....

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Buzzbait, where are you located? We lost a lot of post oaks on our lot, and have been looking to replace with natives, especially fruit bearing. Definitely interested in some persimmon and retama. Also looking for wild plum.

Email me at averageguysolutions@gmail.com if ya have some ya wanna sell.

Legg Creek Farms in east TX has bare root Chickasaw Plum seedlings usually. Trey is an Aggie.

Zooguy....eastern red cedars do well for me but only if I them dig up and baby them in containers for a year or two.....all mine survive until a buck decides to polish his antlers on em.....

AGS...I'm in Victoria.....I'll shoot you an email

If you drive to the valley you can dig up as many mesquites from my land as you want.

https://www.nativnurseries.com/


Same guys as Mossy Oak. They know their stuff.

PS: get the "tree tubes". They really do work.

Question for Apache & others on the board, are there any "improved" or selected retama/palo verde strains? Have often thought they would make a nice landscape plant if they could bush out some, and make nice yellow flowers. Some are substantially fuller and more floribundant than others, don't know if that is just a matter of conditions vs. genetics.

Same goes for anaqua as a small landscape tree. Any effort at TAMU to promote & improve these native woody plants for landscape purposes?

I don't want to hijack this thread but I was looking at some Mexican plums from them. Have you bought from them before? Did the trees grow any faster like they claim?

There is a thornless variety of Palo Verde called "Desert Museum" that is becoming extremely popular in the Hill Country. I actually spec it quite a bit... they are still drought tolerant as heck.

The Anaqua is definitely a cool tree, but I don't know of any efforts to improve upon it. It isn't a fast grower & the form isn't as "stately" as an Oak or Elm. The fruit isn't that tasty & can be messy. Also it will drop leaves when it freezes. I honestly don't know what could be done to improve it to make it more "usable" in the landscape.
My Grandfather said it was one of the better trees to hunt squirrels out of when the fruit was ripe, but folks who'll eat squirrels these days are few & far between (present company excluded).
I think the Anaqua stays a tree planted only by folks who want a unique native specimen & have the room for an extra tree. Otherwise most folks with stick with regular "shade" trees & flowering ornamentals.

http://www.lsoauctions.com/category.cfm?sellerid=970362427&catid=970362427

Lots of trees for sale for cheap here. East of Dallas.

Barton Springs Nursery (bee cave road in Westlake) carries many species of natives and hard to find stuff.
They have a growing operation near the airport.
I would call to see what they could do for you.