Question
Dear Tom,  would you reccomend i could start Ground Sand Cherry seeds (prunus Pumila or Depressa on my really sandy slope up here in NH. I get the six to eight hrs. of sun,rather than purchasing the plants. I have plenty of homemade compost for amending the sand alittle. If you feel i can start from seed,any of your tips would be helpful. can you give me alead on where i might mail order some? Also i would like to start them inside also if you recommend. Nice to ask an expert. thanks, BOB

Answer
Hi Bob,
Thanx for your question.  Are you wanting to know if it is preferable to grow Sand Cherries from seed or from a sapling?  I think people buy the saplings because they want a full grown plant sooner than it takes a seed to get started.  It sounds like you're using the shrub to control erosion on your slope?  Or is it for natural screening or for wildlife?

Bob, if you're looking for something native to control erosion or for wildlife, you may want to check with the New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands.  They have nursery that sells native seedlings at very attractive rates.

http://www.dred.state.nh.us/nhnursery/seedlings.htm

Let me know what you think.  Now, if you're set on growing sand cherries from seed too, that's fine.  You're going to have to vernalize or stratify the seeds (a cold treatment).  It takes 100-120 days of cold treatment below 40癋 to break dormancy and get the seeds to germinate.  You can do this by placing the seeds in moist paper towels and sealing them in plastic baggies.  Place in the fridge for 100-120 days and then plant the seeds in a seed flat or in pots and keep warm and moist but not soggy.  The seeds can take up to 18 months to germinate once they have been stratified so keep track of how many seeds you have and how many start coming up.  Carefully prick out the seedlings as they emerge to a manageable size and plant in separate pots.  After the last frost, place the separately potted seedlings in the shade for 10 days.  After that, they can be directly exposed to the sun and grown on until they are large enough to be transplanted onto the slope.  I wouldn't worry too much about amending the slope much.  These plants are used to living in meager conditions and are very hardy.  You can side dress the seedlings with well-composted manure after you plant them on the slope.

Bob, contact your local county extension agent and s/he will be able to refer you to a local source for your sand cherries if you want seedlings or saplings.

Here's a link for finding yours:

http://extension.unh.edu/Counties/Counties.htm

If that doesn't work, do a Google search for buying prunus pumila or sand cherries and Google will pull up a number of mail order sites from which you can choose.

Here are a few I found:

http://www.sunlightgardens.com/pages/1532.html
http://www.outbacknursery.com/index.htm

You can sometimes find them on ebay too.

I hope this helps.
Tom