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Choosing the Right Trees and Shrubs

Selecting the Best Type of Nursery Stock for Your Budget and Construction Needs

Bareroot

Plants that are dug and shipped as dormant 1- to 3-year-old stock without any soil surrounding their roots. Deciduous plants are primarily produced this way, although some evergreens can be grown using this method.

Container

Plants that are grown in a pot. Avoid plants grown in the field and then transplanted to a pot just prior to sale.

B&B (Balled and Burlapped)

Hand or mechanically dug field-grown plants that have their roots and surrounding soil wrapped in burlap fabric secured with twine. Used primarily for large, field-grown stock.

Wire Baskets

A form of B&B that utilizes a wire basket to secure the rootball in lieu of twine. The baskets are untied from the trunk but remain in place during planting.

Nursery Stock Types Comparison Chart
Type Advantages Disadvantages
Bareroot
  • inexpensive
  • ease of planting
  • field grown hardiness
  • special handling and storage
  • long time period until maturity
  • decreased root area
  • easily desiccated
  • timing of planting is critical
  • poorer survival
Container
  • moderate cost
  • flexibility in handling, storage, planting
  • intact root system
  • better survival
  • limited water/nutrient reservoir
  • more expensive than bareroot
  • potentially girdling roots
  • potentially root bound
B&B
  • mature size/instant effect
  • better survival
  • handling, storage, planting labor
  • expensive

Bareroot.
Bareroot.

Container.
Container.

Balled and burlapped.
Balled and Burlapped.

Tree and Shrub Health

The outward appearance of a plant can provide insight into its overall health. Examine nursery stock closely before purchasing it.

Healthy Roots

  • Actively growing stock should have white root tips.
  • Healthy plants should have enough fibrous root mass to retain the shape of the rootball once the container or burlap is removed.
  • Bareroot material should have a shoot:root ratio of 1:1 or 1:2 with extensive, fibrous roots.
 TIP: Avoid plants with signs of dead, discolored, shriveled, or water-soaked roots. Remove unhealthy or deformed roots with a sharp pruner prior to planting.

Healthy roots.

Healthy Trunk and Branches

  • A healthy tree trunk should be straight, slightly tapered, and capable of remaining upright on its own. It should be uniformly branched along its length with half the leaf area in the lower two-thirds of the canopy.
  • The trunks of large trees should be firmly connected to the rootball (i.e., not move independently).
    • Branches should be free from signs of mechanical injury, sunburn, sunscald, insect, disease, or other forms of stress.
  • The branches and tops of trees should not be severely pruned back (headed).
  • Stems should be firm and smooth without a wrinkled appearance or soft texture.
 TIP: On healthy tissue, a shallow cut of the stem reveals a light green cambium layer between the bark and the wood.

Ponderosa pine with healthy trunk and branches.

Healthy Foliage

  • Adequate and uniform foliage
  • Leaves appropriately sized and uniformly colored for the species.
  • No signs of bud swell or growth should appear on dormant stock.
TIP: Avoid plants with abnormally small leaves or with leaves that are unusually yellow or with brown, scorched margins.

Healthy bur oak foliage.

If you encounter any problems with the file provided on this page, please contact Technical Resources at 406-587-6822.

This information is also available for downloading as Chapter 6 of the publication, Creating Native Landscapes in the Northern Great Plains and Rocky Mountains. This document requires Adobe Reader.

Choosing the Right Trees and Shrubs (PDF; 2 MB)

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