B & B? Container?

When you come into Brady’s to buy a tree (or two), you’ll have lots of choices to make. For example, what kind of tree you would like? How big you would like your tree be to begin with? Doyou want a deciduous tree or an evergreen? A walk through our tree and shrub yard will reveal another important question that you may not of thought of: Should I buy a balled and burlapped (B & B) tree or a containerized tree? What’s the difference between the two and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each? Because all of our trees can be purchased as either B & Bs or containerized trees, these are questions that you need to consider seriously.

A B & B tree is any tree that has been dug up and its root ball, along with original soil, placed into burlap, which is then bound with wire and twine. These trees are the largest trees for sale you will see in the nursery. Thus, a chief advantage of planting a B & B in your yard is that it will really stand out as a prominent feature of your landscaping from the get-go. It will provide your yard with a very laudable WOW’ factor! However, B & B trees come with two disadvantages. First, because they are big, they require special equipment to transport and place in the ground. Most home owners don’t have this kind of equipment, so they have to pay someone to plant the B & B for them. Second, because their roots have been cut, B & Bs require special care and take a bit longer to become established. Nonetheless the vast majority—indeed almost all of them—survive and eventually thrive in their new homes.

In contrast, containerized trees are usually smaller than B & Bs, so they don’t have nearly the immediate impact on the landscape that B & Bs do. However, because they are smaller, they are easily transported in a truck or car, and most homeowners can plant containerized trees themselves (following the proper planting protocol, of course). A second advantage of containerized trees is that their root systems are fully intact within the container—the roots have never been cut—so they establish themselves a bit quicker than B &Bs.

The actual planting of both B & Bs and containerized trees are basically the same, so the choice really boils down to how big of a tree you want to start with and how much money you are willing to pay for buying a larger versus a smaller tree. To be honest, many of our customers who purchase several trees at a time will often buy a combination of both B & Bs and containerized trees. This strategy results in a landscape that varies in tree size, giving it a very natural appearance that is pleasing to the eye.