Lowe's in Frederick has them at such a good price that I have been wondering whether to plant one. I had more in mind to plant the dwarf Southern Gem for part of a screening shrubbery, and DD Blanchard are supposed to eventually get to 50 feet. Please tell me more about why you like them - and how fast they grow.

annebert: I'm not an expert by any stretch! I just like the look of the orangey-brown undersides that the DDB has, & they are supposed to be moderately faster growers compared to the other I would consider up here, which is Bracken's Brown Beauty. Yes, the DDB do tend to get much taller as well, but I have about an acre of just grass in my front yard, so there is definitely the space to take what will be a large tree someday. Maybe the DDB isn't the best choice for your "screening shrubbery"....
Good luck!

I just got one and planted it today. My local nursery has had them, so they have been on my list for two years now. She said that they have sold many of them, and over the years had only one that they had to replace. That one was planted in the fall. (no time to heel in?) She said in an especially hard winter they will lose their leaves and new growth will be retarded for the year. To me that is an acceptable price for a large broadleaf evergreen tree.
I love the large deep green glossy leaves, with cinnamon undersides. Magnolia blossoms would just be a bonus. HI! my first post at Garden Web!

Hi godsacre ~ Thanks for the info, & welcome to GW! Hope your new DDBlanchard does well for you. I never did get around to deciding what to do with that area, we've been focused on a much bigger project elsewhere on our property. But someday....