Well, my parents were the children of orphans who were raised working class in Queens and the Bronx in Apts without yards. Anything I know about growing plants had nothing to do with my parents.
Actually, both of them were serious about scouting and did have a lot of experience being in east coast woods as campers. My father was planning to be a forest ranger until he won a contest that gave him a free scholarship to become a psychologist. But my father was more interested in birds than trees although he could identify most any plant that grows in east coast woods.
This is their second year of growth, but I can’t remember if he sent the trees in fall or spring. I think it was fall. I told him he should start selling large trees and make real money.
it’s funny, my dad had a grass lawn and dusty millers. that’s it. my mom doesn’t garden.
my grandparents and great grandparents grew everything imaginable. some stuff brought over from old world, some native plants, some African or tropical stuff protected and babied. including an American chestnut, which got the blight and died when I was pretty young.