Potted every time for me. They usually cost more but the roots are already established. You can also plant them at any time of year as long as they're kept watered when dry

Depends on what it is, I've never planted potted raspberry canes always bare rooted and they done fine, if I were planting a hedge I'd go for bare rooted stock too. With flowering shrubs and trees we've always gone for pot grown.

I think I'm with you Mg, most of our trees have been bare rooted, it was cheaper, but I like shrubs in pots, and that they have been grown in a pot and not stuck in when they didn't sell bare rooted!
I've seen that trick a number of times......

Yes Pamg it is a fairly common trick I believe

I'm happy to buy Dahlia/agapanthus/Hemerocallis and some iris bare root and some slips for hedging.
I do tend to knock plants out of pots to look at root development and only buy if they look good.