Full tree, fall colorFull tree, fall colorThis is the native musclewood, the American hornbeam that grows wild in Missouri woodlands. The smooth blue-gray trunk ripples like a flexed arm, and once the leaves drop that trunk carries the winter on its own. Fall is the other show: one tree can run yellow, orange, and scarlet all at the same time. It is a true understory tree, so it handles shade better than almost anything else we grow, and it shrugs off pests. Slow and steady to 20 to 30 feet, with hop-like seed clusters the songbirds work over in fall. If you want a native tree that earns its spot in every season, this is the one we point to.
Off-the-lot means you pick it up and plant it yourself. Planted means we deliver it, plant it right, and back it with our Year One warranty. Tap a price to add it to your list, then send the whole list to Matt in one request. Want several of one tree, or a mix? Add them all and Matt quotes the count.
What does "gallon" mean? It is the size of the container the tree is growing in, not how many trees you get. The bigger the number, the bigger and more established the tree you take home, so a 30 gallon tree gives you shade and privacy years sooner than a 15 gallon one.
Full warranty for one year after planting. This comes with any needed care and free check ups upon request. All needed treatments or pruning are included for first year. If tree fails to thrive, no cost replacement.
Picked, delivered, and planted by a Board Certified Master Arborist.
Follow-up visits through the whole first year, not a wave goodbye.
Deep root feeding and structural pruning while it takes hold.
That is the warranty. No fine print, no chasing us down.
Pick a spot with full sun to shade. This one matures between 20 and 40 feet, so plant it about 15 feet from the house and 12 to 15 feet from other trees. Heavy Missouri clay is not a problem for this tree. Growth rate is slow, so you know what to expect season to season.
Not sure about your spot? Send us a photo of the yard with your quote request and we will tell you straight if it will work.
Water deeply once or twice a week through the first growing season, and step it up in July and August heat. Keep a 2 to 3 inch mulch ring around the base, pulled back from the trunk. Spring and fall are both good planting windows in mid-Missouri.
Or skip the checklist: have us plant it and Year One covers all of this. We feed it, prune it, and come back to check on it.
Request a quote and tell us where it is going. We will confirm availability, delivery, and a planting date.
Straight answers to what people ask before they buy. Anything else, just call.
The bark. The trunk is smooth and blue-gray with long sinewy flutes that look like muscle under skin. It is this tree's signature, and it shows best in winter when everything else is bare.
Yes, and that is its superpower. In the wild it grows as an understory tree beneath taller hardwoods, so a spot with only a few hours of sun works fine. It also takes full sun as long as the soil does not bake bone dry.
Our European hornbeams like Fastigiata, Frans Fontaine, and Monument grow tighter and more formal, built for hedges, screens, and tidy street rows. The American is the loose, natural native with stronger fall color and the musclewood trunk. For formal lines, go European. For native woodland character, this is the one.
Yes. Every tree on the lot has an off-the-lot price, you pick it up and plant it yourself. The planted price adds delivery, planting, and the Year One warranty.
Every planted tree comes with follow-up visits, deep root feeding, and structural pruning through its first year. If the tree fails in Year One, we make it right. You can extend it to Year Two for 20 percent and Year Three for 15 percent of the planted price.
Spring and fall are both good windows. Fall planting gives the roots time to settle in before summer heat. Request a quote and we will work out timing with you.
Yes. The whole lot is open to trade buyers. Ask about volume pricing when you reach out.
Tell us the spot and the job. A Board Certified Master Arborist picks with you, plants it right, and stands behind it for Year One.
