Bonita: I see your question was from January but had a couple of thoughts even if they are a bit late. Or did you plant something already? First we have ordered TONS of plants and trees from Forest Farm (link below) and you just cannot go wrong. Everything always arrives in a very timely fashion and well packaged. I have ordered a couple of plants from Gurneys and it has always been a nightmare. I'll never do it again. If you want lush plants that are the size described order from Forest Farm. They also have an unbelievable selection. On that note, we ordered six Thuja Green Giant trees from Forest Farm this year for the purpose of creating a privacy screen in the back yard. Although I thought they perhaps could have been a bit lusher they were nice trees, about five feet tall and very healthy. I would recommend these trees for being reasonably fast growing. In my experience with the five I have from a few years ago they don't grow three feet in a year like the hype says but they are lovely, tough little trees that make a hedge. And they don't really require pruning and trimming to look nice. Hope this helps. Kate Here is a link that might be useful: Forest Farm

Where did you get it from? That's the only way I can think of, especially for a young tree.

Did anybody buy one of the dutch elm disease resistant American Elms and have one old enough to make seeds? I am looking for a spoonfull of seeds from a resistant tree, in the mail. I can pay postage or trade for a spoonfull of seeds from the Elmwood seedlot, which may have some resistance. The DED has culled 90 elms down to about 30, but they are all healthy and about 120 years old. There will be seeds here about the end of June or mid July, if anybody wants to trade.

Resistance is a relative term. Most of the hybrid/non-native elms (Accolade, Triumph, Commendation, New Horizon, Prospector, Pioneer, etc.....) possess NATURAL resistance where they do not typically contract DED. This is not a "catch-all" by any means as these non-natives can still contract DED, but they possess both resistance to becoming infected and resistance to significant decline once infected. Many of them can wall off the infection so that it does not spread. DED predominantly affects native elm species, particularly American Elm. The American Elms listed as resistant have a way to block off the pathogen even when infected with DED, allowing them to live a long time even if/when infected. If you look at the research articles online you'll see that no American Elm is 100% resistant but there are some that are close. Would I plant one next to another diseased, dying elm? Not a chance. The DED spreads through root grafts underground. I would think you are asking for trouble by doing so. There are other options for great trees out in open areas here in Iowa- Kentucky Coffeetree, Autumn Fantasy Maple, some of the better Honeylocusts, State Street Maple, Turkish Filbert, Amur Corktree (male cultivars only), Lindens (unless Japanese beetles are an issue), and about 20 different oak species and cultivars. Of those, only a few (Honeylocust, Autumn Fantasy Maple, and Lindens) will give a growth rate comparable to the Hybrid Elms (easily 3' a year). I think the elms are worth a try for a low-maintenance tree that can handle heat, wind, drought, and cold. In the next few years there will also be a smaller elm released with good fall color. It is called Northern Empress Elm (released by NDSU). I think that will be a good choice for homeowners out in rural settings looking for a heat/drought tolerant tree with good fall color as well.