On Metasequoia more lower branches seem to give a more aggressive, gnarly appearance to the trunk.

Prune it up a bit for a more formal Taxodium like look, or if u hate getting out the trimmer under the canopy.

Always and only, deal with congested root balls, especially conifers, when the plant is dormant!

No exceptions and I can't say this enough. It's the single most important thing with successful root surgery.

'pluck it out of the pot, plant it as is...'

This is not a bad thing to do. If you receive a plant during the growing season, you're better off putting this new plant into the ground 'as is' or into a larger pot, then wait until the plant is fully dormant (Fall or early Spring), then dig it up and do any root surgery at that time, before replanting it.

Did I mention not messing with roots until the plant is dormant?

Also, be gentle, when pulling tangled roots, be sure you're not tearing off any of the fine roots along the root and at the ends. These are your feeder roots and what the plant depends on to draw moisture and nutrients.

If you don't leave enough feeder roots, the plant will die before it can grow new roots.

If you're fixing more than ~15% of a root mass, you're probably going to kill the tree although I pressed a few well past that amount that survived.

Did I mention not messing with roots until the plant is dormant? ;-)

Thank you Windowsill! How were the huge climbers and ramblers around the periphery?

yes and bring your snips to take cuttings:). I used to volunteer there!

@windowsill_gardener I appreciate your pics. very much, it helps to decide what roses are best for my zone 5. What planting zone is New York Botanical Garden's Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garde? Thank you.

@strawchicago z5, Thanks, it's in zone 7b.

I feel like you all must live in another world. One without deer! The deer pressure in my NY metro area makes native plants very difficult to protect. In unfenced areas there is no regeneration of oaks for example. Wooded landscapes are dominated by invasives. We gardeners still are committed to restoring native plants but it requires a whole lot of strategy, and many compromises.

Gee I live in a fairly rural suburb - old farms, protected open space, patches of woods - and I have lots of wildlife, including deer. There's a deer path straight through my yard. I hardly ever see any deer damage to my natives. The sassafras is never touched, I have oak saplings, maple saplings, and lots of other small trees that I'm constantly removing from garden areas (they may not all be natives but I think there are cottonwood and juniper trees in there). The virginia creeper is never touched, nor the poison ivy, and I don't know if they are native or not, but lol the weeds are NEVER touched. Seems the only thing deer and other critters go for is my planted garden plants - hostas, daylilies, phlox etc. Maybe there are enough "cultivated yards" so that the deer have developed a fussier palate!

:)

Dee