I would definitely plant it out in place IF you can protect it from predation AND provide the necessary maintenance (mainly, monitoring soil moisture and watering in dry times) for the next year or so. Taking care of small trees in pots is a lot more work than taking care of them if they are planted in the ground.

Here is a link that might be useful: Planting a Tree or Shrub

Not sure what you're used to, but as mail order rarities go, Woodlander's plants have historically been a little bigger and easier to establish than some others. Much bigger than Forestfarm's economy "tube" size, for example. I've seldom had problems with any of their plants other than ones that were questionably hardy to begin with. For example, last winter I lost a couple citrus hybrids I'd had for years.

Many plants actually prove faster to establish when planted small.

This post was edited by davidrt28 on Sat, Nov 8, 14 at 13:45

That could be a good thing. Many places give you trees with a huge, top-heavy above ground portion and no roots. A gallon worth of root's with little above ground growth would be better, particularly for a tree that can produce runners or grow back from roots. (Effectively the above ground portion is replaceable, the roots are not...)

Is your concern aesthetic? If so, you'd be better off buying from local nurseries...they have bigger above ground parts and you can see what they look like.

I recommend tree tubes for tiny trees. It's way too easy to accidentally mow them or weed them.

Out of curiosity, how much did they cost? I've been looking for good sassafras sources.

$15 for a twig and root ball that fit in a shoebox. I was expecting something 3 feet tall maybe. Boy was I stupid.

I think what they labelled as the sourwood is actually the sassafras but they said the labels are correct after I sent them the pic. But I've never seen green twigs on a sourwood before, they're usually red. I'll be upset if this leafs out with sassafras leaves in the spring.

They will do great! I have about 10 trees like that in my yard that I plamted over the past 3-5 years. All but one are taller than I am.

The plant in the picture looks like an Oxydendron to me.

I just bought a Melliodendron xylocarpum for ⬠25,00 euros (= $ 31,00). It is a one foot stick with just two leafs. I'm I stupid? Maybe!

" Boy was I stupid. "

Close, but more like very ignorant. Guess what? That's the going price for a small rare plant, mail ordered, from just about anybody. Forestfarm might be a couple bucks cheaper, but you'd get a smaller plant and pay more to have it shipped east of the Rockies.

Looks perfectly fine to me and about 1/2 my garden was started with plants that small or smaller.

GardenPrince, I hope you have a way to protect it from those hungry-looking Low Country bunnies I've heard about:

Here is a link that might be useful: https://www.google.com/search?q=Flemish+Giant&tbm=isch

Hi Northraleighguy,
You'll get nothing but praise from me regarding Woodlanders. "Dixie Natives" has always been their specialty and they have had species that no one else has including Elliottia racemosa & Stewartias malacodendron & ovata, also Symplocos tinctoria
The sourwood in your pic looks like a good buy for $15.
Since you are in Raleigh here's an observation of mine:
Pisgah Nat'l Forest/Blue Ridge Parkway area, just about any back road in sunny locations, sourwoods grow in the roadbanks like the hair on a dog's back. In back of the Holiday Inn, Mt Airy, the cut area, scores of sourwood of all sizes growing in rocky, subsoil. My observations are from several years ago.

@davidrt: LOL. Luckily I've got my dog to keep the rabbits away!

This post was edited by GardenPrince on Tue, Nov 11, 14 at 14:06

Almost all my trees, both in Zebulon, NC and Myrtle Beach, SC, have been little tiny saplings - mainly from Lazy S's, but some from other places too. They've almost all done really well, and the few that haven't were the gardener's (err... um... my) fault.

I planted a small sourwood two years ago and it's doing well. It's probably doubled in height (which considering it started out at shorter than 12", isn't saying all that much LOL), but it's so pretty right now.

I left behind, in our old house in Zebulon: a witch hazel, a serviceberry, a bur oak, a river birch, a bald cypress, a couple of dawn redwoods, a false tea olive, a Washington hawthorn, and probably some others that I've forgotten, all planted as mail order saplings and all growing very well. The witch hazel, planted in autumn of 2007, was topping 10 feet when we left that house two years ago. I've gone and planted another witch hazel here, and I'm hoping it'll do just as well.

I have started many trees in my yard being little sticks, as mentioned, if you have good roots, your tree should do great, likely being better growing than the big transplants, just my 2 cents. And your pooch (garden prince) looks like my moms dog, only with my dogs hair color. poaky1

I have to say in my experience the smaller trees I have planted usually do better that the larger sizes. In a space of 3-5 years you will have a beautiful specimen that wasn't shocked from planting it too large. I have purchased many plants from Bob at Woodlanders and have always been happy with what he has sent. I am thankful there is a nurseryman willing to take the time to propagate such unusual and wonderful plants. There is an Elliottia where I work from Woodlanders and is growing well and healthy. If you are going to be a gardener patience is one of the main things you need. I enjoy watching the plants mature from a small specimen to a large mature plant. Chill and enjoy your garden.

The longer the tree's taproot, the smaller the shipping size.

"...but now I'm afraid they're gonna mock me like Charlie Brown..."

Let me guess, the "they" in that phrase have Bradford Pears in their yard. One neighbor who mocked me mightily when I planted a Chamaecyparis (now Cupressus) nootkatensis 'Green Arrow' by calling it a Charlie Brown tree now tells me what a cool looking tree it is. Pay no heed to such things.

tj

As for Sassafras trees I have had great luck with them being almost bullet proof. The one in the front yard was purchased for me by my gf and on the way home from the sale it got broke in two in the back of the truck.

I planted the 3 gallon root ball anyway and made a clean cut about 2 inches above the root flare. The tree has put on almost 2.5 feet since spring.

A few years ago we dug one up in some woods on our hunting land. It was about 2 ft tall and has done well also.