Why Plant Princeton American Elm?
Princeton Elm brings us back to the days when gas was 17 cents a gallon and streets were shaded by the arching canopies of magnificent American Elm trees. Though Dutch Elm Disease brought down many of those noble old trees, a few proved to be resistant, and Princeton Elm is one. This fast-growing, all-American classic can line your street in style once more, or you can plant it in the backyard to shade a picnic table, horseshoe pit, badminton net, or hammock, and you and your family can rediscover together those simple pleasures of days gone by.
The Princeton Nursery was founded in Kingston New Jersey by William Flemer Sr. in 1913. After years of searching for a new site to grow his business, Flemer chose Kingston for its nutrient rich soil and location which was halfway between New York and Philadelphia. Flemer continued to buy land and property to provide housing for his many employees. At its peak the nursery grew to 1200 acres and was the largest commercial nursery in the United States. Through the Great Depression the nursery survived by growing farm crops and using German prisoners of war for labor. William Flemer III, specialized in breeding and introduced many new varieties of shade and ornamental trees. The nursery was granted dozens of patents including the disease resistant Princeton Elm. The nursery closed in 2010 but more than 240 acres of the nursery have been preserved along with 25 historic structures. Here you can still find many of the beautiful trees introduced and planted by the Flemer family.
How to use Princeton American Elm in the landscape?
Now if the folks at Princeton were smart (and I'm assuming they are) they would have tons of these Elms planted all over the campus. Princeton American Elm is the ultimate in shade trees! This fast-growing, iconic tree has an upright, vase-shape with great resistance to Dutch Elm disease. Dark green leathery foliage changes to yellow in fall. An excellent street or lawn tree.
Planting Zones
Hardiness Zone: 3-9
How To Plant Princeton American Elm
Princeton Elm is an easily transplanted, fast growing tree that will get right to work building a majestic, arching canopy in full sun is where it wants to be. Princeton is tolerant of occasional flooding and can cope with salty soils, although trees such as this that have a troublesome enemy to contend with should be given the best site and the best care possible. They need to be strong and healthy enough to fight off attacks. Though it is resistant to Dutch Elm Disease, Princeton is not completely immune.
How To Water
They require keeping the soil moist (not too wet) after initial planting. Once established, they are more tolerant of drought conditions, reducing your hand-watering responsibilities.
How To Fertilize
Incorporate Elements Starter Plant Food granular form into the soil when planting. If planting in spring or summer start fertilizing late fall using Elements Starter Plant Food granular form on an annual basis each late year. Continue this for three years to get your plant well established.
How To Prune
When pruning your Princeton American Elm, remove all branches on the lower half of the tree to help promote next years growing season. Pruning should take place during the early spring to prevent elm bark beetles.
How Does Shipping Work?
Bower & Branch Trees, the real BIG trees, don’t fit in a box! Our big trees, sizes XL and bigger, require expert delivery and care, that means our extra-large trees are shipped on Bower & Branch trucks. We are the only ones who know how to ship our big and bigger trees and plants with tender loving care. We deliver your trees and plants directly to you. Ask Bower & Branch about planting services – we'd be happy to assist in installation.
*For Big trees and Shrubs, Size XL and bigger: Review our Seasonal Shipping Timelines and Policy here.
Your trees and plants are grown across the United States at various Bower & Branch Growers. Depending on your location, your plant orders may be shipped from various locations. Please expect orders with multiple items to be delivered over a number of days as a result. Orders made up of numerous items or selections will not arrive at your home on the same day.
Shipping Delays:
From time to time, Bower & Branch Growers may determine to delay order shipment based on various factors for plant health. Weather in your region, as well as, where your plants are grown, is always considered when shipping. Extreme weather conditions may delay some or all of your order. Bower & Branch allows our Growers to make final shipping decisions based solely to benefit your trees and plants’ health and success.
How Does Sizing Work?
The size of our trees have nothing to do with the container size like you may find elsewhere–big doesn't mean just height - it’s also vigor, age, and overall health. Other online retailers are going to tell you that a plant is a seven gallon, that means nothing to your tree or plant (or you.)
Our trees for sale online are graded on large, x-large, and even bigger sizes. This is because our trees are sized by their age—the higher the letter, the more mature the tree. The age determines the trees’ overall height, size of the trunk and the overall branch density.
All of these characteristics are what you should be looking for when choosing a tree for immediate impact and instant curb appeal. Our extra-large tree and plant sizes are sure to wow you and your neighbors!
See the size guides below.
