The fruit trees I ordered from Stark Bros. arrived today.
One September Wonder® Fuji apple, one Pink Lady® apple, and a self-pollinating Crimson Rocket Columnar peach. All dwarf trees, as I wanted a more manageable size for our 1 acre property.
I think the good people at Stark Bros. do not understand about Cleveland weather. It’s going to be COLD AND ICKY out for the next two weeks, possibly longer, which means “planting right away” ain’t happening. Furthermore, the “if you can’t plant right away” instructions they included say to “heel the trees in if you can’t plant within ten days”. Also not happening. I seriously doubt I could even chip a decent hole into the ground at this point, let alone one sufficient to angle the tree in temporarily. So… the game plan is to park the trees in fabric planting totes for the time being, until the weather reaches the point where I can actually plant the trees in the yard.
Not to mention I still haven’t picked the exact spot for the apple trees, and I have to dig and move the lilac bush because it is occupying the spot just outside the sun-room that I have deemed perfect for the peach tree.