Tree buying can be one of the most painful parts of putting together a landscape or garden. But it is much easier to get the rest of the job together when the trees are in place to give you the bones for the rest of the design. Here are a few more tips that can make a tree buying excursion easier.

• Pots and containers are called liners. Those cheap plastic pots that trees are sold in are technically called liners. You may hear them called this when you talk to a nurseryperson.
• Container sizes are often referred to in gallon sizes. This is common jargon in the industry, but none of them are actually the gallon size listed. Just accept that it is an uncomfortable nickname and things are not going to change. As long as you know what size to expect when you are buying, you will get what you need.
• If the process of picking a tree takes a long time to finalize and the salesman has taken a lot of time and effort to help you, finish the sale with him. Chances are high that a good chunk of his pay comes from commission, and by finishing up the sale with another salesperson your original salesman will lose the pay for the work they gave you. This means they are less likely to want to spend the time with you next time you come in. Who wants to spend a lot of time with a client that has proven that they will bring you less money?
• Trees usually come in a container, or with soil and the roots wrapped up in burlap and wire (B & B), or sometimes jute cord. Any tree in a 25 gallon size container or less is plant-able by a novice with a few strong bodies to help. The B & B wrapped ones are almost always harder and usually need a certain amount of experience. They also frequently need heavy equipment to move without damaging the tree.
• Did I mention that B & B trees can be quite large? Unless it is the same size as 25 gallon pot, or smaller, it will need a big hole and a lot of work. The larger sizes cannot be safely handled by even a group of strong laborers. You will need heavy equipment to just move the tree off of the delivery truck. And you will likely need a machine to dig the hole as well.

Knowing a bit about how the tree industry works can help you get ahead in the tree buying process. This is especially important because trees form the backbone of our gardens and landscapes. By getting the trees done quickly and in a knowledgeable fashion you can move on to the other parts of the landscape with confidence that you have a good structure that will allow you to clearly plan for the rest of your garden.

Manana!