USDA Organic Legacy® Sugar Maple

Plant a Legacy Sugar Maple tree and enjoy the colors of a New England autumn leaf tour in your own backyard! You’ll have plenty of photo opportunities when this classic American shade tree turns fluorescent orange and red in fall. In summer, your favorite spot on a Sunday afternoon just might become a comfy hammock under a ceiling of Sugar Maple tree leaves, and you and your family will probably find yourselves wanting to share more meals outdoors in this majestic Maple’s cooling shade. In winter, you might even try tapping your own maple syrup! A large, long-lived, noble tree, Legacy Sugar Maple truly is a legacy tree that will be enjoyed by your family and cherished by generations to come.

Nurseryman Bill Wandell left quite a legacy in the form of trees he brought into the world. The one that bears the name ‘Legacy’ was a seedling at his Illinois nursery in 1967. It outperformed its 199 siblings, growing faster, and producing thicker, glossier leaves—and more of them. He didn’t rush the new tree to market, but trialed it for 14 years, making sure it was worthy of introduction. He wanted to get it right. He knew what those trees would mean to future generations. On planting trees Wandell once said, “Have you ever noticed that the first things folks do when they visit their old neighborhood is to drive past the home where they used to live just to see how big the trees have grown? I reckon you're doing people a favor when you get them to plant a tree.''

Sugar Maples are the epitome of the fall season - and this Legacy is no exception! Glossy dark green leaves throughout summer transform into brilliant shades of red and orange in fall. Legacy Sugar Maple is a dense tree which makes it an excellent choice for a lawn tree, screen, shade, specimen, or street tree. The Legacy continues!

Tread lightly, shrink your footprint, and let yourself grow with USDA Certified Organic Trees. Organic farming has sprung up drastically in importance and influence, spreading worldwide the philosophy of deeply rooting nature in harmony and enriching the soil we stand upon. Benefitting the gardener, enhancing biodiversity, preserving nature's wildlife, and a true direction to protecting our environment. Choosing organic trees on your property, whether they are fruit, nut, ornamental, or shade trees, begins with their soil and cultivates change taking root in your backyard. Take one BIG TREE step for your garden, and one giant leap towards a greener world.

What does it mean to be USDA Organically grown?

• USDA Organic crops are grown exclusively on land that has gone without having non-USDA Organic approved substances applied for three years.
• No pesticides for us, please! Organically grown crops are highly regulated on what can and cannot be used for pest control—worried about harsh chemicals that have been sprayed on your plant? There is only a small number of approved synthetic chemicals that are allowed to be used. Otherwise, farmers use strict biological, mechanical, and physical management practices.
• Not just any type of seeds are used to grow and harvest organic plants: farmers can only use organic seeds or organically raised seedlings in their organic fields.
• Only the best handling is allowed! Organic and non-organic crops are not allowed to be commingled or near each other. Cross-contamination can occur, botching the organic plant's purity due to non-organic substances that could have been sprayed on non-organic harvests; this would cause the organic plant to be considered compromised.
• Fields are carefully cultivated through crop rotation and proper tillage practices to ensure that the soil and the soil's nutrients are kept at a happy balance. Animal manure, not sludge, is allowed to help infuse the soil with nitrogen to support the growth of the organic crops.