What a great haul indeed! I would love to have a dogwood but they don't grow this far south!

Oooh... where was this that I missed it? I have only recently learned of the Fringe Tree and I have been dying to get them... though I really don't have the shade for them.

I've also been longing for a fringe tree but have never seen it for sale in my area. From what I've read about them they can be grown as either an understory tree or out in the open.

My mature dogwood is in decline and needs to be cut down but my young redbud is going strong. I really like both trees.

You really lucked out getting what sounds like large trees for free! And so many of them!

Here is a link that might be useful: http://forestry.about.com/od/silviculture/p/fringetree.htm

It was sponsored by the City of Gainesville's (Florida) Nature and Cultural Affairs department. GRU (utility company) donated the trees to encourage people to plant lower growing trees under the utiity lines :). I can't wait to see how they look in bloom next spring. I have never seen the fringe trees for sale around here either so I was excited to get some.

There's actually a nursery in Oxford that has some Fringe Trees for sale, or did two weeks ago. I almost grabbed one, but decided against it.

I have a fringe tree in full sun in the open and it is very healthy and drought tolerant. It hasn't bloomed yet however, and it's a very slow grower.

I just read that it takes 2 years to germinate from seed, that is probably why growers don't bother with it much.

It's also a protected tree, so they can't be 'harvested' from the wild. That's part of the reason I want to get one and plant it. If they're endangered, I wouldn't mind doing my part to put one more back into the world. I have one spot in my yard that might serve one well, but it is currently inhabited by my wife's crape myrtle tree.

Well, i got the trees planted today. I planted them under pines and oaks where they will get morning sun and dappled sun/shade in the afternoon. Hopefully they will be happy there:)