GardenLine | Trees and Shrubs | Choosing Trees and Shrubs

Ward is on the staff of the Department of Horticulture Science. This column is provided as an extension service by the Division of Extension and Community Relations and the Department of Horticulture Science, University of Saskatchewan.

You can buy trees and shrubs from nurseries, department stores and even grocery stores. Your local nursery is the best place to buy trees and shrubs. But even nursery stock plants can be a poor buy if they in poor condition.

Evergreens are often sold as "ball and burlap" plants; that is, the roots are contained in a ball of soil that has been wrapped in burlap. The soil helps prevent the roots from drying out. Trees and shrubs may also be sold in pots or bare-rooted. Here are some buying tips:

1. Always lift a ball and burlap plant by its wrapped base. If you lift it by its trunk or main stem, the weight of the soil ball may damage the roots.

2. Choose well-rooted, younger plants. If a tree or shrub is grown in a container too long, its roots will begin to grow in a spiral; such a "root bound" plant, as it is called, will not grow well when it is planted at its permanent site.

3. Avoid trees or shrubs that have been in a department or grocery store for a long time. Such plants will be stressed from a prolonged period at room temperature and under artificial light, or no light at all. The roots systems of these plants are likely to have suffered from desiccation.

4. Choose only trees and shrubs hardy for Saskatchewan. Some outlets, particularly larger department stores, may carry plants that are sold across Canada but are unsuitable for our harsh prairie conditions.

5. If buying bare root plants, choose ones that are completely dormant. If the leaves are out or nearly out, they will be harder to transplant than dormant trees or shrubs.

6. Smaller bare root plants are easier to transplant than larger ones of the same species; another advantage is that they are usually less expensive. Therefore choose the smaller ones.

7. Prune bare root trees or shrubs before transplanting if the nursery has not already done so. Pruning is required because the plant loses roots when it is dug up and cannot support its top growth. Trees or shrubs that are not cut back will take poorly or may die.

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Sustainable horticultural information, offered free of charge to the public with the support of the University of Saskatchewan Extension Division, the Department of Plant Sciences and the Provincial Government.