Imagine a city in alignment with nature. Imagine old-growth trees in our backyards, parks, and boulevards. Imagine ecology soaking up stormwater, growing food, creating a sense of place, mitigating the effects of climate change, and bringing people together. We can grow that future together.
Hi, I'm Dustin Bajer, and in 2015, I fell in love with three apricot trees guerilla gardened on a city boulevard. That fall, I planted 100 pits in four square feet in my backyard (25 trees/ sq ft.). Ninety-six little trees sprouted the following spring, and Forest City Plants Urban Nursery was born. I started selling small trees to local gardeners while figuring out ways to grow thousands of trees in tight urban spaces. If I can produce hundreds of trees in their backyard, imagine what a community of tree growers could accomplish! That's why, in 2021, I started the Shrubscriber (Shrub-Scriber) community!
Your membership supports the growing, distribution, and planting of local trees. Shrubscribers receive seeds, propagation lessons, and access to events and workshops while supporting a growing network of urban tree growers.
Marginalized communities often have fewer trees, green spaces, and resources - let's fix that. Community partners are chosen based on Community Needs, Project Sustainability, and Public Access.
By joining Shrubscriber, you become a member of a nursery network of backyard tree growers. I've been growing most trees in my Edmonton backyard at the Urban Farm.
Tree size will vary from species to species, but Shrubscriber trees are generally between 12 and 48 inches when planted in their forever homes.
Please email us if you have a community-minded project that can benefit from free trees. Becoming a member is unnecessary to receive trees, but the excess resources and community support can be helpful.
We started in Edmonton, but we believe that food security and climate change adaptation are essential for all municipalities - the world needs more trees. So, while focussing on Edmonton, we'd like to grow the project over time.
Yes. Send me an email if you would like to buy a Shrubscriber membership on behalf of someone else. Upon payment, we will share an access link with the person of your choice.
Growing trees takes time, and we want to share the journey, so we ask our members to sign up for a one-year commitment. But we promise it's worth it for you and the trees!