Source: The Tree Center (MD), Woodie's Garden Goods (MD)
Size shipped: #1 pot (#1 measured 1'3", #2 at 6-8"??)
Planted: In ground, September 2019 and October 2019
First flowering: Who cares?
Buy one at PlantingTree.com (affiliate link; supports this website)
(These plants stayed behind when I moved in 2021; therefore, the following text will receive no further updates.)
This one's a twofer. I wanted two of these arborvitae, for to go at the corners of a plot in the
back yard set off by a one-brick-tall retaining wall, but The Tree Center had only one left at the
1-gallon size, so I got a second from Woodie's Garden Goods. The first one (TTC) is going in a
somewhat sunnier spot, while the second one (Woodie's) will get part shade from a nearby red maple.
I look forward to comparing their growth side by side... and seeing how well they stand up to the
"perfect roundness achieved adorable ball shape with no pruning needed" promise.
#1 (TTC), had the outside of its root ball almost completely formed of circling roots, but thankfully very thin ones. I had to do the four-cuts thing to loosen the roots up acceptably. Since the 1-gallon size is the smallest that TTC offers for any of its trees/shrubs, I'm hoping that the roots are okay beyond that (I didn't dig that deeply into the root ball -- didn't try to bare-root it or anything).
#2 (Woodie's) had a similar situation, with many circling roots that nevertheless were very thin, and it was rather easier to loosen them than with #1; but that might just have been due to a lower density... as the top growth was about half the size of #1's. Combined with Woodie's not shipping for a good 10 business days (and not responding to my e-mail inquiry) whereas TTC shipped the very next business day, despite both orders being placed on the same day, and Woodie's much more difficult packaging (lots of tape and staples, even into the pots themselves!), I don't think I'll be ordering again from Woodie's anytime soon. The only advantage they really have is selection.