Planting & Establishment

Tree Planting Done by People Who See How Trees End Up

We spend our days at the top of hundred-year-old trees, seeing exactly how planting decisions play out over a lifetime. That’s the perspective your new tree deserves on day one.

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When to call us

When planting is on the docket

  • Replacing a removed tree, sometimes required by local code, always good stewardship
  • Privacy screening or wind protection along a property line
  • Shade planning for the house, patio, or south-facing windows
  • Replanting after construction or storm loss
Right tree, right place

The whole game is decided before the shovel.

Most tree problems we get paid to fix decades later were planted: the fir 12 feet from a foundation, the cottonwood over a septic field, the “dwarf” species that wasn’t. Species and siting decide almost everything — mature height and spread, root behavior, what the tree will want in 40 years.

We plant natives and proven performers for this climate, and we’ll talk you out of the wrong tree for your spot, even if it’s the one you came asking for. Then we plant it correctly: right depth (the killer of most DIY plantings), root flare exposed, staked loosely enough that the trunk builds its own strength, mulched without the volcano.

Every planting comes with a first-year establishment guide — watering rhythm, stake-removal date, what normal transplant stress looks like versus trouble.

The whole game is decided before the shovel.
Straight talk on cost

What planting costs

Installed cost depends mostly on stock size: container trees run roughly $150–$400 planted; larger balled-and-burlapped specimens $300–$800+; big transplant work is quoted per job. Multiples planted in one visit bring the per-tree number down fast.

Fall and early spring are the PNW’s best planting windows — cool, wet, and gentle on new roots. Summer plantings survive fine with a real watering commitment; we’ll be honest about what that commitment is.

Real questions, straight answers

Frequently asked questions

For natives: Douglas fir, western red cedar, and shore pine where there’s room; vine maple, serviceberry, and Pacific dogwood for smaller spaces. The right answer depends on your soil, sun, and — most of all: the space available at MATURE size, not nursery size. That’s the conversation we have on site.

Rule of thumb: small ornamentals 10+ feet, mid-size trees 20+, full-size conifers 30+ feet from foundations, and mind the septic field, driveway edges, and overhead lines. Close plantings aren’t just future foundation arguments; they guarantee the tree gets butchered for clearance later.

Only loosely, and only for the first year or so. A trunk that’s allowed to sway builds taper and strength; a tree lashed rigid grows weak and snaps later. Wide soft straps, a little slack, and a calendar reminder to remove them. That’s the whole art.

We guarantee our work — correct species for the site, correct planting, clear care instructions. Living things come with a watering job attached, and we’re upfront about that split of responsibilities when we quote.

Planting the next generation? Start it right.

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No-pressure advice, sometimes the honest answer is “your tree is fine.”