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When selecting a tree, pick the smallest tree you can stand. While a large tree can have an immediate impact on the landscape, smaller trees survive the shock of transplanting better. That is because more of their roots are intact. Large spaded trees lose 80 to 90 percent of their root systems during the transplanting process.
All the new trees energy will go to making new roots before there is any appreciable growth above ground. Thus, the visual impact of a large, newly planted tree will remain the same for the first 5 or 6 years. Smaller trees, on the other hand, can be transplanted with a larger portion of root intact. This allows the tree to replace roots, and you see results above ground, more quickly.