Keep in mind that I'm no expert. But if you want specific varieties, waiting until April to order may not work well. Mail order nurseries take orders now (and much earlier) and then ship in the spring. I think if you wait until April, many varieties will already be sold out. Again, I could be wrong. Just something to consider. There are many helpful experts on this forum. They could help you select varieties and direct you to reputable mail order nurseries.

I ordered from ACN and Starks and both of those orders got here the first week in april. I might have been able to get them in the ground a week or so earlier but it wasn't a big deal. My order that showed up in Feb was from Peaceful valley in CA. That was way too early. The big orders all came in with shredded paper around the roots, so I don't see why sawdust or shredded paper wouldn't be fine for 3 weeks or so like harvestman said. As long as they don't warm up and don't dry out they will be fine dormant. I only used peat and potting soil because I knew they were going to refreeze, and I didn't have a place to store them where they wouldn't come out of dormancy. Where are you in NE and what kinds of trees did you put in? Im South of Lexington about an hour. People here think Im crazy planting 200 trees, Im glad Im not alone! :)

It certainly does look great Sherry! I agree, I don't like the idea of being told something is impossible, challenging perhaps but not impossible lol! You have proven that plants and gardeners can overcome less than ideal conditions. Your plants are not hanging on by a thread, they are thriving. Kudos to you! felisar (z5) Yes, the Geranium macrorrhizum, Epimedium and Asarum canadense are great performers under Maples. I grow them under an immense Acer saccharum (Sugar maple). I also grow Polygonatum (Solomon's Seal) under it. Great plant(s) known for being able to adapt to dry shade. Phlox stolonifera performs very well also. Vinca took a while to establish but now needs to be controlled just like the Ajuga. Many other plants grow there but with less success. I had Actaea rubra (native here) seed in and it is deliriously happy growing under the Maple.

I have big Norway, Silver and Sugar maples in my yard. Yes they are generally difficult to grow under, but it does depend on the species. Norways are non-native and terribly invasive in our area; they have allelopathic roots that inhibit the growth of other plants; and extremely dense shade. Awful trees and I've removed many of them - only one big one left! Silver and Sugar are both native trees, so technically they CAN'T be "invasive". Silvers are difficult trees to work with, since they suck the living moisture out of their root zone; invade any wet areas such as drainage zones and septic pipes; and they can be weak wooded and suffer significant storm damage. But they are a SUPERLATIVE wildlife tree, so good to have if they're set back away from human civilization, lol. In my yard, Vinca minor, orange ditch lilies, and surprising, the native perennials Blue wood aster and white wood aster, Symphyotrichum cordifolium and S. divaricatum, do very well under my maples!