Source: Condursos Garden Center (NJ)
Size shipped: #3 pot (measured 2.5'-3')
Planted: In ground, June 2020
First flowering: At the nursery
(This plant stayed behind when I moved in 2021; therefore, the following text will receive no further updates.)
At this point, I've purchased enough plants to realize that buying from the local garden center always implies a few things: unbeatable prices, good-looking crowns, and bigger sizes than I actually want. (No clear pattern on root quality.) These bayberries were typical: #3 pots (and the pots claimed to hold an ACTUAL 3 GALLONS, which you don't expect from an average #3 pot!) for $34 each, but they didn't have them any smaller than that.
The roots were not horrible, but they were a bit of a matted mess at the bottom. I tried to bare-root both bayberries and only got about halfway through each one, but it was still enough that they shouldn't take long to get established, especially with a few days of not-very-hot weather right after planting. I did however find it odd that the crowns were taller than wide, which is not the shape I understand bayberries to grow into with maturity (I planted them against the foundation underneath windows, so not getting too tall is important). This should however be plenty fixable with proper pruning... as long as the red maple shade overhead doesn't make their future growth too sparse.
It will be interesting to see if they show any signs of nitrogen deficiency, given that I planted them in the same area as the deficient nitrogen test from the Emily Bruner holly planting but also that bayberries are nitrogen fixers. I included feather meal with one of them and not with the other, so it will be interesting to see if it makes any difference.
I can also report that Sunset appears to have been correct about this plant not being semievergreen north of climate zones 34 and 39 (I am in zone 37). Many of the leaves died (though they hung onto the plant) over the winter of 2021, and even those that didn't had still turned shades of brown to plum, despite the winter being on the mild side temperature-wise.