Elms

 both acquired from a cheapo nursery!
Against all advice from books etc!
But you do have to look carefully.
I have had them for 2 years now.
The larger, upright one on the right was looking sickly when I bought it
at a reduced price.  I immediately lifted it carefully out of its
small pot, with no root disturbance, putting it in a larger put
with a moist but open compost around the original soil.  I let
it grow a lot.  Last summer I did some branch pruning.
I completely repotted it  this spring, trying to sort out its
roots too. It seems to be doing great!
This picture was taken last autumn (1999).

The smaller one with a curved trunk was in good condition already.
I did pot it on into a larger pot (without root disturbance),
as I have found this is the easiest way of keeping these trees
healthy until the soil has been changed.  Lack of time has meant
this one has yet to be repotted properly!