Question: How large a tree should I plan on buying for my home?

Answer: That’s a matter of need and budget. For example, if you have a mature landscape that’s crying for one tree that will fit in and look like it’s been there for years, you may want to buy a larger plant than you would, say, for a brand new landscape where all of the plants were just getting started. Ideally, however, a shade tree should probably be between 1 and 5 inches in trunk diameter at ground line. That would make it large enough to show up and small enough that it should be comparatively easy and inexpensive to transport and transplant.