What Is Your Take on Bareroot Plants

[taimaishu]

I purchased a Japanese Cherry Blossom Tree.

1st one was shipped to me "bare root" but it actually had potting soil on it. And it still retained the shape of the pot it was in.

Now, I am in CA and every site has said Cherry blossoms will not work in my Growing Zone. I planted them anyways and no go. Leaves dropped and looks like it's dead.

2nd attempt, I purchased from a different company. This was an actual bare root plant. It looked dead. All I got was a stick!

I soaked the roots in water for an hour or so per instruction. I then planted it in a pot.

It just started to grow some leaves last month! Actually looking pretty healthy.

The other tree which I got from another seller is either dead or dormant.

[gentlearts]

I would rather have bare root, inexpensive to ship, plants. This way, they have a chance to acclimate to the conditions in my yard, rather than some super rich nursery soil.

[kinkytoes]

I'm going to join the crowd. I've had good luck with bare root plants. OP native phlox supposedly have very deep root systems. They may not do well in a pot. You can look for plants that have been developed specifically for containers.

BTW there are plants that supposedly do well in clay soil. It depends on where you are. You may also need to get a soil test to find out the PH. That can make a big difference if plants are dying. Buddleia may not do well in a very acid soil.

Supposedly baptisia grow well in clay. According to a recent Fine Gardening article, they are easy to start from seed directly sown in soil. Maybe you can experiment with seeds instead of plants. They may be cheaper.