Free trees for Cary residents — registration open now

Cary residents, here’s a chance to beautify your yard with a FREE tree.

The Town of Cary is giving residents free trees. This is an effort to add to the environmental health of the community by increasing the tree canopy. The Town of Cary is giving away 1,000 native trees. Recipients must be Cary residents.

Registration is open now and closes March 14, 2024, at 5 p.m. It’s a lottery system, and it doesn’t matter when you register, as long as it’s by March 14. Everyone will have an equal chance.

You’ll be notified of the results on March 25, 2024. That’s when you’ll find out if you’ll get a free tree.

Pick-up for the trees will be Saturday, April 6, 2024, between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., at Cary’s Arbor Day celebration on the Town Hall Campus. This is the only day you’ll be able to pick up your tree.

Tree Species

The following tree descriptions is provided by Town of Cary. Find more information, and pictures of each tree, here.

Eastern Redbud: Cercis canadensis: A tree that wears its heart on its sleeve, the eastern redbud’s branches are covered with delicate pink flowers in the spring and heart-shaped leaves all summer. This small tree (15′) can tolerate a range of conditions, from shade to sun, but does best with lots of sunlight, topsoil, and mulch. Choose this tree for an easy going, small growing flowering tree. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cercis-canadensis/

Sweet Bay Magnolia: The smaller of our two native magnolias (15′), Sweet Bays have beautiful white flowers and big glossy, silvery leaves. They are unusual in that they are semi-evergreen, which means they keep some of their leaves year-round. Ornamental trees with big white spring flowers that turn into showy clusters of red berries in the fall, they love full sun to part shade, and wet soil in particular, but will put on a better flower show with more sunlight. Select this tree if you want a smaller growing tree with fragrant white flowers. plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/magnolia-virginiana/

Flowering Dogwood: Cornus florida -The beautiful white flowers of this small native tree adorn Cary’s seal, and for good reason! Our native dogwood puts on a beautiful display of four petaled white flowers early in the spring, which change to bright red berries in the winter. It does best in light shade to part sun and wants a lot of good soil and care the first year. Treat it right, and it can grow into a beautiful feature for your yard. plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cornus-florida/

Nuttall Oak: Quercus texana – This beautiful tree in the red oak family, is often overlooked in the urban landscape. The Nuttall oak is native to wet bottomlands and can handle the poorly drained clay soils we find around Cary. It has also proven to be fairly drought tolerant once it is established. ‘Adult’ trees can reach heights of 60 feet in the urban landscape and offers the perfect amount of shade to enjoy in your yard. This tree also offers beautiful orange-red fall color and provides food and cover to a variety of birds and small mammals. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/quercus-texana/

Black Gum: Nyssa sylvatica – This native tree is a great wildlife tree that is an important source of food for fall migrating birds and flowers that are important for native bees. This tree prefers wet soils and full sun, but is highly adaptable and tolerates in a variety of soil types and light conditions. Black Gum is known for its spectacular deep red fall color that will add beauty to your fall landscape. Reaching mature heights of up tp 70 feet, it is an ideal shade tree for your yard. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/nyssa-sylvatica/

 

More Events

Check out our list of free and cheap events in Raleigh and the rest of the Triangle this weekend, or our full event calendar in the Triangle, or just look at few upcoming events here: