U.C. Cooperative Extension, El Dorado County Master Gardener

This is a good time of year to plant ornamental landscape trees in your garden. Local nurseries have lots of inventory to choose from, but there's more to buying a tree than just handing over your money and heading home to plant it. Of course, the first consideration is usually what kind of tree you want in your yard and knowing if it will adapt and grow well there. If you're unsure about what you want or what might work in your garden, a good reference book is the Sunset Western Garden Book.

Most nurseries sell high quality trees, but how do you determine this for yourself? My experience with all of our local nurseries is that they are quite willing for a customer to inspect the root ball of any plant or tree that's for sale, but be gentle – don't just yank it out of its container. If your selection is in a 1-gallon container, it's easy to turn it upside down and support it as you carefully remove it from the pot. Look carefully at the roots – larger ones should not be twisted or circling the root ball as this can lead to girdling which restricts tree growth and can even kill a tree. While you still have the root ball visible, look to see that it is uniformly moist -- roots that are allowed to regularly dry out lead to decreased growth and compromised tree vigor. If the tree is in a container that's a 5-gallon size or larger, it is a bit more difficult to inspect the root ball by turning the container upside down; ask the nursery personnel to help you.

Be on the lookout for trees planted too deeply in their containers. The root crown is the flared area at the base of the tree where roots and trunk meet, and should be about 1" above the soil surface. If it's not, crown rot could become a problem.

When you have the tree back in its container, take a look at it as a whole. Does it have a single, fairly straight trunk which is tapered in a symmetrical conical shape from bottom to top? This characteristics is very important to insure a well-structured tree as it grows. Branches should be distributed symmetrically around the trunk, as well as up and down, and be well-spaced. It is preferable to have temporary branches present on the lower trunk, but many nurseries prune these off prior to sale.

Look to see that the tree trunk doesn't have any wounds such as improper pruning cuts, sunburned bark, cracks in the bark or signs of boring insects. If any of these are present, avoid buying the tree because a damaged tree is more likely to develop future insect and/or disease problems down the line.

Careful attention to all these details before buying will help you avoid future costly problems. You will select a healthy and vigorous tree for your garden, one that will bring enjoyment to you in many different ways over the years with a minimum of attention.