About the first of each year, we usher in bare root season. If the words "bare root" seems strange coming from a garden center, don't panic! During most of the gardening year, we see roses, fruit trees, landscape shrubs and landscape trees in five or fifteen gallon containers filled with soil. During bare root season, roses, fruit trees and a few landscape trees are sold exactly that way...bare root. The plants arrive by refrigerated truck in bundles of ten completely stripped of leaves and brutally cut back from their original size.

Wholesale growers propagate their trees and shrubs under ideal conditions; well amended soil, full all day sun, perfectly balanced nutrients and just the right amount of water. Under these perfect conditions, trees and shrubs can be grown much closer than normal for the two years they will be in the ground. Hundreds of acres of colorful roses will cover fields as far as the eye can see. Fruit trees stand close together like soldiers in a line, covered with leaves but too young to produce flowers or fruit.

After their two years in the ground, and usually about Thanksgiving, the digging machine rumbles through the fields. The machine is efficient but brutal. Its blade moves underground between 12 and 18 inches below the surface of the soil, severing the roots of the roses or trees and then flipping them out onto the ground. Some machines will have cut the tops off the roses, leaving irregular 18 inch tops. Other machines do not cut the tops but leave that chore to field workers. Fruit trees and other plants seldom have any of their tops removed. The plants are bundled and await shipment to their destination by the end of December. At the garden center, trees and rose bushes are immediately placed in large containers and their roots covered with nursery soil. The roses receive a final trimming but the fruit trees are left until the buyer agrees to necessary pruning.

When we ask why roses and fruit trees are sold bare root, we receive numerous reasons. From the growers we learn that automation has simplified the harvesting of the plants and reduced the cost of handling. Shipping bare root is much less expensive than transporting plants in soil, and deciduous plants are dormant and suffer little or no damage from this rough treatment. The consumer at the other end has a much wider selection of plants when they arrive at the garden center and your cost is about half that of potted plants. Bare root plants are also available earlier in the growing season and will be ready to bloom or bear fruit earlier than otherwise.

Plants and especially trees may be sold in one of four ways: bare root as described above; balled and burlaps (referred to as B and B) in which the plant is dug from the ground including a ball of soil held in place with a burlap wrap; canned, in which the plant is potted into a can with potting soil or wrapped in a colorful plastic wrapper with its roots wrapped in sawdust and its top exposed. This latter method is the least desirable method and often employed by hardware stores and other stores whose plant sales are an opportunistic sideline. The plants leaf out too early and then dry out and fail when planted. Balled and burlapped (B and B) plants may be unsuccessful because the roots are confined to a soil which is foreign to the environment in which it will be planted. We have seen numerous occasions where water does not move from the native soil into the root ball of a B and B plant, which then dies. A containerized plant will have its roots restricted by the container and may have them circle and fold inside the container so that they do not extend normally when placed in the ground. A recent article in a horticultural journal stated that university results rated bare root planted trees as the best method for ensuring fastest new and uniform growth, probably because none of the unfavorable attributes of the other methods were present. A bare root plant goes into the ground surrounded by native soil and a small amount of amendment; its roots and top have been trimmed to proper proportions and all disfigurements cut out so that new roots move in proper directions. (See our Care Sheet on Planting Bare Root Trees and Roses.)

The bottom line is that bare root fruit trees and roses are more economical than other packaged plant types, they provide a wider choice of plant varieties and have the greatest survival rate when compared to B and B, canned or other packaged plants.

Below are links to the lists of the bare root fruit trees and roses Wegman's Nursery will have available for sale by the end of December. Bare root season only lasts until February 1st so thinking now about what you would like to plant is especially timely. Also, all of Wegman's bare root stock has been dormant sprayed. There is a 10% discount when pre-ordering and pre-paying for the bare roots you would like to plant in January.

Also, in cooperation with the Dave Wilson Wholesale Nursery, we have listed the bare roots available through our First Pick program. You may order as few as one heirloom fruit or nut tree from this list. Orders for First Pick must be placed by November 10th. Sorry, the discount is not available for this program.

Typically, Wegman's Nursery has a greater selection of bare root plants than any other vendor on the Peninsula. Ask about the 2009 AARS rose selections and for gardeners with limited space; planting two or three fruit trees in one hole. Plant and enjoy!

Bare Root Berries, Grapes and More

Bare Root Fruit Trees

Flowering Bare Roots

Multi-Fruit Bare Roots

Bare Root Roses

First Pick Program--Hard to find and heirloom varieties of fruit and nut trees

Planting Bare Root Trees and Roses

Just in time for Halloween--Lion's Tail--has bright orange flowers. It is part of the mint-family from South Africa. Lion’s Tail branches and grows to 4 to 6 feet tall and wide. It is hairy with square stems which carry opposite pairs of narrow, toothed, 2-5 inch long leaves. Lion’s Tail blooms now with showy, dense whorls of tubular, deep orange 2 inch flowers covered with a fur-like coat of fine hairs. It is a striking plant if kept well groomed. If frost hits, cut the plant back to live growth in spring.

As much of the garden fades into the fall, you can bring out a rainbow of color with garden mums. Colors include many shades of yellow, orange, red, purple, bronze, pink, and white. The flowers themselves come in many different forms, from spider types with long, narrow petals to cushion types that have wider, more compact flowers.

Long known as Chrysanthemum, the popular garden mum has just recently been reclassified by botanists as Dendranthema x grandiflora. The mum is thought to have been cultivated in China more than 2,000 years ago, and many botanists believe it probably had its origin there.

Choose a sunny, well-drained location with good air circulation for optimum growth and disease resistance.

Other fall choices for bedding plants and pairing in containers are flowering kale and cabbage. Either the kale or the cabbage is very colorful for early spring or fall and winter foliage planting. Leaf color varies in shades of magenta on green and white or green with both smooth and ruffled leaf edges. They are excellent for massing in container beds. Try flowering kale for early and late season color accents to your landscape.

Of all flowering bulbs, amaryllis are the easiest to bring to bloom. This can be accomplished indoors or out, and over an extended period of time. The amaryllis comes in many beautiful varieties including various shades of red, white, pink, salmon and orange. There are also many striped and multicolored varieties, usually combining shades of pink or red with white.

Planting
Plant bulbs in Bulb Planting Mix by Gardner & Bloom. Plant the bulb up to its neck in the planting mix, being careful not to damage the roots. Press the soil down firmly to set the bulb securely in place after planting.

Placement and Watering
Plant the bulb, or place the potted bulb in a warm place with direct light since heat is necessary for the development of the stems. The ideal temperature is 68 to 70 degrees F. Water sparingly until the stem appears, then, as the bud and leaves appear, gradually water more. At this point, the stem will grow rapidly and flowers will develop after it has reached full growth.

Flowering Period
Bulbs will flower in 6-8 weeks as a general rule. In winter the flowering time will be longer than in spring. Set up your planting schedule between October and April with this in mind. To achieve continuous bloom, plant at intervals of 2 weeks for stunning color in your home or garden.

A variety of colors are available from $12.99 - $14.99 each.