Is it still OK to plant 5 ft tall Eastern Red Cedar trees in Zone 7b coastal New York? Or is it too late in the season? The tree is native here so we'd like to plant mostly female trees (which produce berries) as a hedge that will supply shelter and food for many animals. There are plenty of them planted on the coast less than a mile away. We have the kind of sandy soil they love.

Also is it still OK to plant one larger 6-8 ft tall specimen in one spot at this time?

If we plant now, we can be careful to water regularly especially if there are any heat waves. Also potentially use shade cloth during a heat wave.

It sort of depends on how you go about transplanting the trees. Ideally, the trees would have been bare-rooted and potential root problems (encircling/ girdling/ crossing/ j-hooked roots, as well as roots growing straight up/ down, or roots growing back toward the center of the root mass) eliminated in March as soon as the frost was out of the ground, planting on high ground (where water doesn't collect) and the planting hole backfilled with the soil that came from the planting holes.

If you just lift them out of the nursery can and set them in a planting hole it's not too late (if you make sure they are watered but not inundated), but you'll be likely be dealing with root issues within a decade if the roots are what you typically see on trees that size.

Al

Thank you very much @tapla Al. My apologies for not responding sooner I hadn't realized someone had responded until now. I'd be looking at a mid-June planting, and would be picking them up from nurseries that specialize in native trees and shrubs, likely in New Jersey. Hopefully they would know to prevent these problems, but I'll send these notes to them ahead of time. Would you avoid planting in June/July and wait for mid-late September or early October? We would love to plant them by late June but if we're too busy to drive out to the nurseries (a longish drive) we could be looking at July.

@TreeSong I'll leave timing up to you, but if the root issues aren't addressed at plant-out time, there is considerable risk of of the root system ending up like this

Which jeopardizes growth rate, vitality, and ultimately viability. The problem with planting in summer is the fact that correcting a root bound plant growing in a nursery can often requires removing up to 25% or more of the root mass. The plant can easily tolerate that treatment in spring, but might not in summer, even if you keep the planting area well-hydrated.

Consider this by Linda-Chalker Scott, PhD: https://gardenprofessors.com/w...

Wish you the best!

Al