When it arrived it was all compact like all of the plants come. You have to fold all of the branches out to make it look like a little tree. The problem  with this tree was how it was constructed. The started with 2 big branches (nice ones actually) and then they stick them in this kind of foam stuff that hardens. When the did this, they didn't put them in straight up and down, and they did not give this foam ball a bottom. On top of that, the wire for the branches was popping out of several of them (some as much as an inch and very sharp). In order for me to make this tree work, I had to but a new pot, fill it with some fish gravel in the bottom, and put paper packing around the top before the moss. Then I had to get some brown florist tape for the branches. It now looks nice.