Probably the worst tree to try to plant during the summer. Unless you're in a climate that doesn't normally get hot, its not a good choice.

I'd imagine it would be hard to overwater those but then again it sounds like you ammended the soil. That can create drainage problems. Can you tell us a little more about the directions they gave you?

I hope the nursery gives a good warranty! If they do, keep doing whatever they tell you (so the warranty is valid), within reason, until the tree dies and then you can go back for a replacement. It sounds like they are pretty clueless as to how to plant a tree (at least whoever you talked to). I would check the soil for moisture before watering. If they tell you to water a lot, you can do that, but don't just drown the poor tree. If the roots cannot get oxygen, they are going to die and rot. And, as Musicalperson indicated, amending backfill soil is a big no-no.

Below is a link to my planting guide that may be of use in future plantings. Please ask if you have any questions about the guide!

Here is a link that might be useful: Planting a Tree or Shrub

Wow...hearing that it is probably the worst one to plant is a bummer! I was told that they would be just fine...

We were specifically told to amend the soil really well...(add miracle grow and manure and spagnum peat moss and mix well)

Dig a good sized hole and be sure to spread the roots out. She said not to worry about roughing the roots up to separate them...they would die if we didn't do that!! (here is a problem...we are pretty inexperienced and I am guessing it shows...this ONE large pot had 5 trees in it by the time we bought it...they said it had been in the pot for 2 years...it looked ok...but, we didn't notice until we got home that it had black spots on many of the leaves...we called and they said that was just because it had been in the pot so long and it would be fine! And seperating the roots was no simple feat! There was almost NO soil in the pot that we could see...it was just a HUGE mass of tangled roots...there was NO putting a finger in there and wiggling anything loose...I was just trusting what she said...that they were very hardy and would be fine.)

Then she said "water, water, water, you can't over water it!" I feel like I should have asked more detailed questions on HOW to water it...because I had never seen that you shouldn't water so much and that it should be out at the drip line, etc...

two of the trees were doign pretty well...after I went back and she said again that you couldn't overwater and we should water, water, water, I bought a drip hose and put it around them and got the soil good and wet...the two that were happy are no longer so happy...that was made me wonder if she just didn't know what she was talking about(I'm not trying to be unkind, I am sure she was trying to help us...but, I have read everywhere else that you want to let the soil dry out completely between waterings, etc.

We had purchased two young Japanese Maple trees at the same time and they seem to be pretty happy...we planted them much further apart and far from the retaining wall in our yard...so far, so good there. I feel really awful about the whole thing...I really intended to take the very best care of these trees! We were so careful to prepare the planting site and follow all directions...we even added an effort of our own and waited until the cool of evening to transplant them...and it remained relatively cool(mid 70's for several days afterwards...I am really bummed!)

Can you please tell me...what are the chances of the trees recovering?

Is there anything I can do to help them recover from all of this??

Disturbing the roots is what caused their demise. If the trees had been planted from pots and the roots weren't disturbed, they would have been fine. You can't really overwater aspen trees in the summer - at least not that quickly. People on here think their trees are dying from overwatering after only a few days. That doesn't happen. If they die rapidly after planting then it is due to either too much root disturbance and/or too little water.

Salicaceae, I am confused...we were told that if we took them from the pot and planted them without separating them, they would die...and, (I am not sure if you had a chance to read my reply to other posters, right above yours?) there were FIVE trees in ONE large pot(most of them younger than the original tree, I am sure they are mostly grown "suckers"again, that is what I am reading now...I had just taken their advice at face value until the trees continued to decline.)...not in seperate pots...they were root bound(at least they fit the description of what I have read about trees in containers that are root bound) She said we MUST separate them...

Is there anything we can do now to help them recover?

Sorry, but separating them this time of year was bad advice. It would have been better to have left them together. When trees like aspen are actively growing in summer, you must be careful not to disrupt the root ball when planting. It could have been done when they were still dormant easily, but in midsummer is a different story. I have grown alot of aspens over the years and am telling you this from experience.

If you cut them back and keep watering, you might get new suckers to emerge from the root system. The dead stems will not recover, however.

Thanks for the info, Salicaceae...So, when do you recommend cutting them back? Should we wait for Fall???

Oh, and...sorry, i forgot a question...when you say "keep watering them" how often do you recommend and for how long? I have searched everywhere for more specifics on watering and found SO many conflicting reports!

Thank you for your time!

Is there anyway we can get you to fall in love with a different kind of tree? Your Quaking Aspen in on the short list of very problematic, short-lived tree species. Just thought you should know.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fact sheet

"...when do you recommend cutting them back? Should we wait for Fall???"

I looked back but couldn't find how long ago you planted the trees. If they've been in the ground for a few weeks, cutting them back isn't likely to help. You can, of course, remove any dead branches or trunks immediately after determining they are really dead. Generally, it's not a good idea to cut back woody plants at planting, but in cases of significant root loss on plants with high moisture requirements, doing so may increase chance of survival.

watering...

Check soil moisture with your finger. Don't allow the soil at root level (a few inches down) to dry out. There is no need (and potential for harm) to keep the soil saturated. It is impossible for someone not familiar with your soil and your watering techniques to tell you when to water. That is why you need to check soil moisture. Also, check moisture in the rootball. Don't assume that because the soil a foot away is moist that the rootball is moist. That's one of the disadvantage of amending the soil. The rootball can actually dry out prematurely (or stay wet longer, depending on soil types) compared to the native (surrounding) soil.

Root damage from overwatering...

Many woody plants can, and often are, killed and damaged relatively quickly from overwatering (underwatering is even more common). I kind of doubt that is the case here (although more info, like how long you've had them and just how soggy the soil has been during that time would be needed for even an educated guess).

One other idea...

It may not be worth the trouble, but you might give the trees, with remaining live foliage, a little extra chance if you could provide a little shade until they start becoming established. Shade cloth or something that will give some shade (without collapsing in the wind) can help give some relief to trees stressed after transplant in hot weather.

there is a chance.. they will re-leaf .... if we can get the roots pumping.. without rotting them off ...

i would suggest proper watering until fall.. before you determine they are dead ..

and no cutting until then

ken

Disturbing the roots and using miracle die is what did your trees in.

It's NOT your fault so don't "feel so bad".

You were give horrible information and sold a pot bound tree with no soil. Return them for a refund. Next time don't use miracle die, don't ammend soil, don't monkey with the roots, don't drown the tree and most importantly, don't listen to the nursery's planting instructions!

And inspect the tree you are considering buying but literally removing it from the container at the nursery (slowly and gently) and making sure that roots are not majorly circling. Also ask when something came in. Buying trees is like buying seafood. You want fresh ones that haven't been sitting in a container for a year or longer. Look for signs of pruning that may have cut of dead branches and things on the leaves that don't look right. Look for a tree that is symmetrical rather than one that looks like it's got more branches on one side than the other. Buy only proven species for home gardens, preferably drought tolerant ones.

Significant root manipulation on a tree especially sensitive to root damage (loss) may have played a big part in the trees declining, but that was not the real problem! Not dividing the clump and spreading the roots would not have been a reasonable option. The real problems were getting overcrowded, potbound trees and planting at the wrong time of year. As said above, return the trees for a refund.

Oh, and BTW, adding Miracle Grow (unless you added massive amounts), did not harm your tree. The above comments about that seem to be driven by some unexposed agenda.

I disagree Brandon. The trees would still be alive if that hadn't happened. Whether they would have developed into a viable landscape specimen is a different question. It is common for aspens to be grown 3-5 per pot to create a clump. That said, i agree that potbound trees being planted the wrong time of year is a problem too.

As for overwatering - I would argue that it takes longer to see the symptoms than underwatering. Usually trees die from overwatering due to pathogens taking advantage of stressed trees. This takes much longer than a few hours of too little water that would easily fry a tree this time of year. As for aspens, I grew my potted aspens for research in Minnesota by keeping the potted plants in swimming pools with 2-3" of water and the pots sitting in it. over 3 years of doing this and I never lost one to too much water. I am sure certain species would be different. I do this routinely in summer with cottonwoods and willows here too.

I agree. I don't think you could easily overwater one of those and if you did, it would be a problem way down the road.

Wow! Salicaceae! Just wow...well, that certainly clarifies things! I will set them up with a soaker hose, then! Oh, my! I have been soaking the ground morning and night...but, not keeping water on the ground all day long!

So, could you tell me, should I wait for Fall to cut them back?

If you used a soaker hose, it could be that it didn't put out enough water. You'd literally have to use it for hours.

Did the place you got them from have a warranty?

I believe it got affected because the roots were disturbed especially she separated different trees which were planted in just one big pot. :D

Don't cut it because I had a feeling based from your post that you're planning to return it.

How does it look right now?

should I wait for Fall to cut them back?

For what purpose? To stress them further?

We were in the Medicine Bow mts looking at all the aspen and just had a discussion about what a poor choice aspen are for landscapes on the Front Range.

Get a different tree. Sorry to be so blunt, but find an appropriate tree, not a poorly-adapted aggressively-rooted, short-lived inappropriate tree.

Dan

Again, I disagree. Aspen is not always inappropriate and is not only successful in the mountains. Perhaps planting it at lower elevation in Colorado leads to problems, but with such a wide distribution, many places it is a low elevation tree and one that can be impressive at that. The OP is in Washington State where aspen can be found native in a number of places including at sea level in the Seattle area. In that region there are many, many nice groves of planted aspens that have lived 40+ years. There is no reason to expect that the OP couldn't grow aspens successfully there. In my old neigborhood in Minnesota we had many aspens both planted and native around and although when stressed, they were susceptible to insects and disease, they still made useful trees for a number of years..

As for cutting the trees back, this should be done if the original stems are dead or mostly so because it will encourage a new sucker to emerge and the dead stem won't ever grow anyway. Aspens are propagated by simply digging up suckers and cutting them way back. Usually the existing root won't support the existing sucker once severed, but new suckers will emerge from the root segment.

"I disagree Brandon. The trees would still be alive if that hadn't happened. Whether they would have developed into a viable landscape specimen is a different question. It is common for aspens to be grown 3-5 per pot to create a clump. That said, i agree that potbound trees being planted the wrong time of year is a problem too."

I haven't been able to figure out how that differs from what I said. Maybe you misunderstood what I was trying to say. My point is that options were limited by conditions. I guess you could say the tree might still be alive if it was still at the nursery, but that doesn't address the issue.

"As for overwatering - I would argue that it takes longer to see the symptoms than underwatering. Usually trees die from overwatering due to pathogens taking advantage of stressed trees. This takes much longer than a few hours of too little water that would easily fry a tree this time of year. As for aspens, I grew my potted aspens for research in Minnesota by keeping the potted plants in swimming pools with 2-3" of water and the pots sitting in it."

Were your potted tree's rootballs overtopped with water? From what I understand the OP to describe, that would closer approximate conditions. In any event, adding more water to "soggy" soil has a zero percent chance increase survival chances. I agree that an overwatering condition take longer (at least on the trees being discussed) to kill a tree than lack of water, but, from what the OP wrote, it sounds like the tree may have been in the ground for a matter of more than just a few days. From the OP's description, it sounds like the soil may be poorly draining and constantly saturated already.

"If you used a soaker hose, it could be that it didn't put out enough water. You'd literally have to use it for hours."

Are you serious?!? The ground is already "soggy" with only watering methods being used so far!

The OP never did let us have much of the critical data for this discussion. How long have the trees been planted? Any chance of more info about soil moisture since planting (constantly saturated, saturated cyclically, soggy only as in damp, etc). When did the problems first occur (within a day or two after planting, after weeks, etc)? Where were the tree planted (very near house, out in an open field, in a low spot, etc)?

Again, I disagree. Aspen is not always inappropriate and is not only successful in the mountains.

That's fine, I don't mind disagreement. I live here. I see how much more often than not aspen does poorly, and almost all the time the suckers are a problem. I suspect that the few successful yards have the ssp. found in NE.

Dan

Wow...Ok, first (Dan) I am a photographer, not an expert on trees...but, we did our best to look at yards all over town...this tree is listed on a local/regional website as one of the native trees that is a good choice for landscape...and we have several neighbors on either side doing well with them. One of the 5 trees is very, very happy...green leaves, seems to be alright...another is a bit sadder looking, but still ok...the last three are showing orange/brown leaves...with a few green here and there ...but, I am not convinced they are dead...scorched maybe, but not dead yet...multiple people in our area have said(in the last few days as we have been asking questions of everyone) "Oh, they are pretty sturdy and will recover". Given that my original goal was to save these trees if at all possible(rather than waste them!) I wanted to clarify the time to cut them way back...IF they might still be alive...based on what I was told about the effect of heat, cutting them back would hurt them...that would be my purpose in waiting...but, only if Salicaceae(whom I was conversing with about his previous reply) confirmed exactly what he had meant. If there is one thing that I have learned...it is that people will often tell you to do something with the assumption that you already have all of the basic knowledge to fill in the blanks. I don't think they do it on purpose, but, I am determined to clarify whenever I am unsure, rather than just take it at face value again...

As I said before, I looked around, I asked questions(of the nursery), apparently of the wrong people given that the advice I got would seem more motivated by sales than reality. Her "Oh, yes! They will be just fine! Just use plenty of water and don't be afraid to rough up those roots!!" was taken at face value...mmm....needed to ask for more specific instructions...that is my mistake.

I have no idea yet if they have a warranty...in the midst of all of this, I have had a father have a stroke, kids to be delivered to their dad long distance and a dog that was bitten by a rattlesnake. Needless to say, I haven't had a ton of time for calling them back repeatedly. I left a message with one lady who said they would have "the owner" call me. Haven't heard from him yet...I am guessing I will have to push if I am going to hear anything from him at all.

Brandon...the trees have been in the ground for 3 weeks now(and we had been experiencing cool weather and lots of rain up until that point...no scorching temps until later)...they showed the first signs of trouble about a week into this(to the very best of my knowledge...a day after we planted them, my father had a stroke...he is 5 hours away, so we left the trees in the care of my oldest son...who followed our instructions for monitoring them. He said they had looked great until about a week in...some leaves started to look dry.) We had them set up with a soaker hose going all day long...at first on the highest setting, but some water was pooling after several hours(this hose sends out small arcs of water as well, so it is quite a bit of water)...so we slowed it down by half...it had drained within 20 minutes or less...we had left them with the hoses on at a good enough rate to leave soil wet a few inches down...not just damp. The soil(from what I hear) leans towards clay...which is why she told us to amend the soil to begin with...The trees are planted in the center of our yard...we were told that they needed sunlight, and didn't like shade.

I am sure that one of the problems was that we had other sources say we were overwatering, so we slowed way down to watering off and on for a day or so...but that was after they were already looking distinctly unhappy...poor things!

As mentioned before, one is happy...and our Japanese Maples are doing well! If there were any chance at all to save them, i would.

I confess, I like rules(at least for care, if not the landscaping plans). I like to know exactly what I should do...and then I do it...however, it would seem that for me to wait until I had found one consistent set of information(with all sources agreeing) to try to work on my yard, I would be waiting for years...I decided to dive right in and do my best to untangle the mess...given that my experience affords me no way to distinguish between the fact and opinion. I will just call the nursery again(or go over there) and talk to them about a warrantly and replacement. I have already decided if they want to cooperate, i will ask for a gift certificate or something like that to cover picking up the new trees in the Fall when things cool off significantly. If they will not cooperate...then I suppose we will cut the ones that appear dead back and hope for suckers.

One last thought, i may be inexperienced and underestimate the annoyance of suckers springing up...but, I am NOT the kind of person who likes clear cut landscaping...If I could live in the forest and let the trees take over, I would...so, if they show up elsewhere...I am not so sure I will have a problem with that... I guess we will see...I certainly would not see them as an interference in some perfectly designed and very precise flower bed or landscaping plan...because, I don't have one! I suppose I will find out...

I really appreciate the help and advice each of you has taken the time to give....Salicaceae...I will go ahead and cut them way back as soon as I am sure the nursery will not take them back...even then, I am very sad to give up on them and let them die...can't help it, call me a greenie!LOL! I appreciate your assistance...obviously you have extensive experience with this genre of tree...I am grateful to have access to that kind of knowledge and experience.

One final question...being new here, I have to wonder...do you gentleman realize how argumentative you sound? A few of you come across as downright condescending...it just left me wondering...it seems rather harsh...not all of us are experts...I would imagine that was God's purpose for making sure that some of us are! But, knowledge is no reason to beat those who have yet to be educated over the head...perhaps, you were really just beating each other over the head and I got in the way. And, perhaps you did not realize that it would leave the person who asked the question(of those more knowledgeable) feeling like a moron...No matter...I do appreciate the information.

Thank you very much.

I'm sorry you got poor advice, esp from a nursery whose business it is to sell their product.

I know zero Front Range arborists who think aspen is a good landscape tree, and in a 2005 survey of FR arborists and LArchs, aspen was in the top 5 worst landscape trees due to the numerous problems associated with the plant. Good luck with your choice.

Dan

Again, basing one's opinion of a species solely on one location/experience is useless in this forum. The OP is in Washington, not Colorado. Thus, experience with the species in Colorado is not appropriate for Washington. In general, the species varies greatly from location to location. I am sure it is overplanted in Colorado and some people don't like it. In other areas, it is a useful tree.

Jeane,

My advice to you is to pull the trees out and start over with some new planting stock in the fall, when it is cooler and you can make sure the stock is top-notch quality. Also make sure the seedsource is local - this is a very important issue with aspen. Yes, the trees you have now may survive or suckers will emerge, but starting with good planting stock is key - and even more important with aspens which will be susceptible to many pests if under stress. I wouldn't waste more time with the trees you planted unless they really improve quickly.

When you plant new ones, plant them in a grove and mulch the entire area (root zone). You could plant some perennials under the trees too, but avoid damaging the roots of the trees later. If they sucker (which they will), you will be able to let them form a natural grove and you can remove sick trees as needed down the road. Also, start out with the smallest size you can find. They will outperform larger, potbound stock very quickly. If I were planting aspens, I would only plant 3 gallon size or smaller.

That's my 2 cents.

Thank you both, again!

Salicaceae ~ I just spoke with the nursery and they are going to "see what they can do" for us and call me right back...it sounded like he was going to offer me other trees in the Fall...in which case, I will have to look them over very carefully and ask more questions...I will be asking for smaller trees...(or buy them myself if I must!)

When planting them "in a grove" how close together do you place them? How much area do they need for the grove? I want to be sure we are not going to crowd them! And, how far away should I plant other things so that they do not crowd or damage the root system of my grove? (other than perennials)

Hopefully, that is the end of my eternal questioning! Thank you!

Jeanenem,

Thanks for the additional info. The trees have been in the ground long enough that cutting them back now is not likely to help, EXCEPT, as Salicaceae and I wrote, if some stems or branches are dead ("or mostly so", as Salicaceae added, if you feel comfortable making that determination). Cutting them back hard at planting might have helped by decreasing water demand during the first couple of days (generally not a good idea for most tree plantings, but might have helped in this situation.)

Good luck with the nursery! I think they truly owe you better quality replacements at a better time of year or your money back (or at least a gift certificate for later use). I think they were irresponsible for selling you a product in this condition at this time of year and expecting good results.

My two cents, about whether to keep your trees if the nursery won't do anything, is to try to keep them if they are what you want and they recover. I don't see enough value in "pull(ing) the trees out and start(ing) over with some new planting stock in the fall". Starting with better stock originally would have certainly been an advantage, but, at least to me, replacement at my cost if the others resprout wouldn't be worth the extra trouble. Besides, at least with my personal plants, I always hate throwing them away if they are trying to live. If a customer was having issues with something I planted, it might be different.

With the new information you gave, it sounds like your drainage is OK, so keep checking soil moisture (including rootzone) and watering liberally to keep the soil moist. Like I said above, once the soil is saturated, additional water won't help. Hopefully they haven't been allowed to dry out too much for any period of time. Now, unless you can work something out with the nursery, it sounds like you'll just have to wait for the trees to decide to recover. You are doing what you can do, and the rest will be up to them.

Sure hope your dad and dog are doing well. These trees sound like the least of your problems.

jeananem, those 'BOYS' do get out of hand sometimes! I'll have to rap some knuckles or knock some heads together, lol. They can be incredibly helpful, when they put their minds to it. Testosterone poisoning outbreaks occur only occasionally, lol.

I wish I could help you with some alternative suggestions, but I'm not familiar with your part of the country. Does your state have an urban and community forestry council or association? I've worked with several such agencies on developing tree lists. It would sure be worth looking into! I don't remember if you mentioned where you are from or I would have looked it up for you.

Thank you, Brandon7...my Dad seems to be on the mend, we will see...he has been in poor health for a while, so sudden runs to his side are becoming more common! And our dog, Pua, is doing GREAT! I was amazed....I can't tell you how horrifying that whole episode was! It got her right in the face, one fang over her right eye and the other between the eyes...my husband picked her up right away (no small feet as she is a Boxer) and we ran/hiked the 1/4 back to the car and got her to the nearest town and vet...it was amazing how quickly she went lethargic...and she was obviously disoriented...it was rough going, but she is recovering well, most of the swelling is gone and she is back to being a rascal! =) Another amazing fact, they don't do antivenin here...too expensive and too hard to keep on hand...so, they just gave her very strong steroids, anti biotics and pain meds and we walked her through the rest...

The trees weren't my number one thing...but, I am a "multi-tasking" kind of person...and I certainly want to give them the best possible chance...not sure about the nursery yet! We'll see...I don't know, I am starting to wonder, IF we decide to get new trees, if we'd be better off to just go somewhere else...he hung up sounding like we'd be swapping trees and called back with a bunch of arguments for why is was not their fault! Hey, we have ONE good little tree and the two maples anyway...we'll just take our time and ask around about nurseries people trust in the area! Lesson learned! Who would have thought that a person would have to be so careful about choosing a nursery, for Pete's sake! LOL!

Thanks again!

Yep, around here even some of the higher-end nurseries give absurdly wrong information sometimes. It's often easier to find better quality stock at higher-end nurseries, but don't count on them as a substitute for research (unless you find an individual that you know you can consistently count on).

The OP is in Washington, not Colorado. Thus, experience with the species in Colorado is not appropriate for Washington...

True statement, however I used to live in WA and know eastern WA quite well, having a buddy in Wenatchee area and helping landscape their property in addition to hiking, backpacking, and cycling extensively there. I see multitasking has resulted in my omitting this important info. Apologies. Nonetheless,

The climate is similar to here except warmer and drier, native range of plant similar positions as well, with elevations correspondingly lower with latitude. That is - POTR is not found at Wenatchee elevation for a reason, as that is sage steppe and POTR is at lowest elev a montane plant in that place. My friends are up the hill a few hundred feet and no one recommended POTR there, including MGs, LArchs, me...

And in gardens there, same things apply as I wrote before, including good luck in the OP's choice.

Dan

Jeane,

Hopefully you have gotten the information you were seeking here. Of course opinions vary on subjects and we are all passionate about trees. I am particularly interested in this subject as I have worked years with aspen in the Lake States (not so much now I am in FL!) and it is also one of my favorite trees. Thus, I am likely biased and can look past faults in just about any species if I want them in my garden. Others on here are much more pragmatic and look at everything through the eyes of an arborist or landscaper. They seek trouble-free, low maintenance species for gardens. To each their own...

Jeane, there are several persnickety individuals that frequent the tree forum, but most are awesome! A couple of the persnickety individuals, one in particular, likes to talk as if God has given him the one and only true way on trees. You're fine. Just ignore the p*ssing matches. They have legitimate differences on opinions. I find that the opinions tend to get more intense with questionable trees like this (or bradford pears, silver maple, etc.).

And Salicacaea, you are right on the money.

I have nothing to add because I live in Ohio and have never even seen a quaking aspen let alone grow one LOL.

I find that many times when someone thinks someone else is not being polite on here, they're just not familiar with the way that person writes/expresses themselves. I know of at least three people on here that are routinely accused of being impolite, but are really really good people (at least I think they are). All three of them just try to give good advice the best way they can, but do so in individualistic ways that some people take wrong. I'm sure that everyone writes things, at times, that they don't realize how it sounds until later on. It's part of life on the internet.

Krycek1984, your fairly new around here and I know you've had a couple of run-ins with people, but I bet, if you stick around, you will find that even those people are really generally pretty friendly once you get to know them. Horticultural knowledge on Gardenweb ranges from contributors with world-wide renowned expertise (really, I'm not exaggerating) to complete beginners with their own strange ideas (lol). Once you get to know who's who and how people express themselves, you'll feel more and more at home (hopefully, at least).

Well written, Brandon.

Krycek,

You should look around then. They are very common in NE Ohio. I grew up around Youngstown and aspens are very common pioneer species, growing on old fields, along highways etc. The Holden Arboretum has some nice planted and native ones if you ever go over there...

Quaking Aspen or some other species of aspen?

POTR have the widest east-west distribution of any tree spp in the Western Hemisphere, IIRC.

They look more like the 'characteristic' aspen of the movies and such out here than back east IMO.

Dan

Dan, your post interested me and I realized I might have quaking aspen in the backyard of one of my properties! Pics and description areon the main trees page, check it out.

There is no way to aid with your Aspen questions without knowing what city or state the trees are planted in. Where are you?

Aspen's are communal trees, they like to be near eachother. The are very sensitive to transfer shock. Don't be worried if the first year they look horrible. Like all trees and all things, the first year of a new environment is shock, they don't do much, sometimes look worse for wear. When you plant, make sure you top with mulch to retain moisture and protect the root ball (make the tree feel comfortable in it's new home, won't blossom if it doesn't feel safe). The second year all the growth tends to happen underground, roots spread and solidify (this is why heavy watering of newly planted trees is very important the first two years, always overwater at the root ball). Between year two and three is when a tree will usually take off. Be patient.