Choosing plants for your landscaping project is fun, but can also be challenging. Local nurseries (PDF - 425K) are a good source of information about what type of plant materials will work best for your project.
There are four types of plant materials.
• Bare root plants
Bare rootstock can be planted in late fall, early winter, or early spring which allows time for root recovery for spring growth. These are inexpensive and commonly include deciduous trees and shrubs.
• Balled and burlapped plants (B&B)
Balled and burlapped plants have been planted, dug up and wrapped in burlap or some other material with a ball of soil around the roots. B&B plants may have a higher survival rate than bare root stock, but they are also more expensive. These must be planted before spring.
• Container plants
Container plants are grown in containers rather than in the ground. They are usually small and expensive. Some deciduous plants which cannot be handled as bare root stock can be transplanted successfully from containers. These can be planted year round in some areas.
• Cuttings
Cuttings are sections of branches taken from trees or shrubs such as willow or cottonwood. When planted in the ground, the cuttings sprout roots below the soil and shoots above the soil.
Now that you have identified your site conditions and purchased your plant materials, it’s time to install your natives.
