ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of different growing methods and quality systems to enable buyers, specifiers and contractors to select appropriate trees for their projects. The two overarching factors that determine the success of the finished trees delivered to site are the quality of the original nursery stock itself and the way it is treated during its production life, packaging and delivery. By far the vast majority of the nursery stock available has been selected due to some identified aesthetic or functional characteristic that makes it suitable or desirable for planting in gardens, parks or streets. Nursery trees will typically exhibit a prominent, central leader that is fairly straight and continuous to the top of the tree. The National Plant Specification suggests nursery bed spacing for trees according to their size at the time of dispatch. Delivery arrangements should always be agreed prior to dispatch from the nursery.
