One situation where you would really want potted is if you are planting during the growing season. Bare root isn't really an option then, but potted plants do fine with a bit of care. I've also had good experiences with plants from Rolling River nursery, which sells all potted plants at very reasonable prices. They are not quite as cheap as bare root, but there isn't too much of a markup, unlike Berries Unlimited which is a bit pricey. I've gotten blueberries from Berries Unlimited twice and the larger plants were nice, but pretty pricey. If you have time to size them up, blueberries seem to grow pretty quickly. Along with the large plants I got a few in 4" pots late this spring and re-potted them. After by fall, the were roughly equivalent to the 2 gallon plants I was sent. A 1 gallon I was shipped is as large now as the 3 gallon. Two years ago the bare root raspberries, gooseberries, and currants from Nourse were OK, but nothing special. I got a smaller order this past year and there were some very nice plants- one currant in particular had a monster root system. It probably had as much root mass as 4 plants from the year before. Maybe placing my order earlier in the season this time made a difference. So far, I've liked Autumn Britain, Caroline, and Prelude (good for early season). I don't really have a leader yet for blackberries- I added 3 more types last year, so I may have a better idea soon.

RyseRyse_2004, Congrats! My very first citrus was a twig that had a 3 leaves on it... which dropped all 3, when I plotted it. but it came back and then it took 5 years to find out it was a calamondin! Any who. The best advice i can give: When moving pots from inside to outside or vice versa, you NEED to acclimate the trees. move then into shaded areas before moving them in, and move them into shaded areas before moving them into full sun (yes, the tree will get sunburned) A window that gets full sun all day isn't the same as spot in your yard that gets full sun. Watering may vary for you, than from everyone else.(Most everyone will tell you not to water that much in the winter) For me, my house has very low humidity (25%) and the soil drys out fast. I can water my trees once every 2 days sometimes. Soil.... well, you want something that can dry out easily. Most citrus roots don't like being wet all the time. But again you have to know your tree. Is it grafted or stock root? (Just a side note, where I live got 18 days straight rain last summer, and I didn't suffer any root rot. But you have to know your tree and soil.) Just another side note: Most citrus trees are survivors. When a tree is healthy, it will be next to impossible to kill.

Oops sorry my intent was not to confuse or to incite "wonton lust" it was just pure ignorance. Mindy its good that you brought this up because I think I added the same frustration and confusion to the plant swap. Think I am going to move on to Mid Atlantic.just a square peg. Katy Mindy, Answering this one is like choosing which one of my three daughters is my favorite, which like every good parent I say is impossible. Then again if I had to chose right now as of this moment it is my oldest who is coming home next weekend for a non stop marathon in Excell instruction in the hopes that I will be able to combine records from junk drawers, sweat shirt pockets, ect. and put together a concise record and maintenance plan for the yard that extends beyond the present "Oh you mean the big bush in the front yard." Oops once again I digress here is my list of favorite shrubs as of November 6 at 10:00am. 1. Myrica pensylvanica I have fallen for the quiet elegance of this plant Zone (2) 3 to 6 suspect to 8 2. Ilex glabra compacta & shamrock I love how these shrubs work well in both full sun formal situations as well as shady woodland. Zone 4 to 9 3. Ilex koehne Wirt L Winn beautiful large leaf and great berries Zone 7 to 9 4. Ilex pendunculosa Zone 5 5. Ilex meserveae all blues??, and Nellie R Steven- Zone 6-9 6. Ilex Rock Garden Zone 6 - 9 7. Spirea pink flowering - what a color work horse Zone 4-7 (8) 8. Hydrangea macrophylia Altona great depth of color vivid blue/purple, good fall color, nice leaf, consistent bloomer. *** 9. Hydrangrea macrophylia Niedersachen great color and delicate petals. *** 10. Hydrangea Lilacina nice lacecap lavender petal blue center with added interest of great fall leaf color *** 11. Hydrangea quercifolia both Queen and Snowflake Zone 5-9 12. Vaccinium corymbosum Blue Ray Zone 3 to 7 (8) 13. Vaccinium angustifolium Zone 2 to 5 (6) 14. Clerodendrum trichotomum Zone 6 (7) to 9 15. Callicarpa japonica Luxurians just when I think all of the excitement has left the garden. Zone 5 to 8 16. Viburnum nudum Wintethur great fall color 17. Viburnum burkwoodii really formal shrub and the flower scent in spring is intoxicating Zone 4 to 8 18. Viburnum setigerum Aurantiacum wow the orange peach berries in the fall next to the burgundy leaves of Hydrangea Quercifolia. Zone 5 to 7 19. Chamaecyparis obtuse Nana Zone 4 to 8 20. azeala Polly Hills Yuka 0 to minus 10 degrees 21. Rhododendron Cunninghams White re-blooms in the fall - ? Check with your local nursery This is a great thread I have already added too many selections to my spring wish list. I am particularly lusting after the swamp azalea. Katy *** I grow more varieties of hydrangea macrophylia than I want to admit to either my DH or you and considered to the best of my ability what I thought was a special macrophylia that to date has been under used in New England.

I plant in EARLY spring. Thus the crazy lady with the shovel in her snowsuit with scarf and hat. If we have thawing in late March, I am out there. Sometimes I can only dig a shovel deep a day, and then have to wait a bit to let the dirt thaw. I then plant the biggest roses I can find which are Austen roses from DAR, either grafted or own root. The rose comes up like it was planted the year before, not knowing it was ever out of the dirt. For those who don't know, I plant my roses deep. Rebecca