September 7, 2011 – 9:51 am
Despite heavy rains during spring and the first half of the summer, significant rains have missed the Northfield area the last 5 or 6 weeks, and soils have become quite dry. Landscape plants of all types that receive no regular irrigation will benefit from a good heavy watering. For established trees, shrubs and prerennials, a thorough soaking every 10 to 14 days during the fall will help them enter the winter in good shape.
For recently planted trees, shrubs and perennials, more frequent waterings will be necessary, as often as every day or two until they are able to extend new roots outwards and tap moisture from a larger volume of soil.
September 7, 2011 – 9:45 am
The cool mornings we have enjoyed the last few days are a sure sign that the changing of the seasons will soon be well underway. Trees that are stressed out start to loose leaves in mid to late August, and by mid September, the first hints of fall color start to show up in some healthy red maples, sumac and a few birch.
As I notice these first colored leaves, it always fires my imagination with dreams of creating landscapes that show off great fall color for almost two months, rather than the usual one or two weeks. By carefully selecting a well balanced mix of trees, shrubs and perennials that show early, midseason, and late season Fall color, it is possible to paint the landscape with a feast for the eyes from mid-September all the way to mid-November.
Since there are many factors to consider when making variety selections, and placement decisions, it may be helpful to stop in the nursery and we will be happy to discuss trees and other plants to enable you in painting your landscape with eye-popping fall colors that don’t quit.
September 4, 2011 – 2:22 pm
The weather forecast for the coming week looks wonderful for being outside doing almost anything – including time in the garden. If heat and humdity kept you from completing projects out in your landscape this summer, the cool mornings and mild afternoons predicted for this week present a nice opportunity to be creative with your outdoor spaces.
Early Fall is a beautiful time in a well planned garden. Annual flowers are still producing oceans of blossoms, hydrangeas and black eyed susans are lighting up the landscape, and mums are just starting to put on their fall showcase. This morning, I enjoyed the striking white tall flower scapes of our massed Royal Standard Hostas showing their best against the shiny dark green leaves.
Fall is also a good time to save money on plant materials, and get plants settled in so they will be ready for vigorous growth next season. Plenty of bargains are available this time of year, and new varieties that growers started producing last spring are sometimes making their first appearance in the sales areas of retailers only now, so opportunities for “treasure hunting” are many.
Enjoy some pleasant hours in your Fall gardens.
September 1, 2011 – 3:03 pm
Sod Alert!!! As of 5:30 pm Friday – all sod has been sold….
We unexpectedly have 2 pallets of sod – approximately 150 sq. yards/rolls – available for immediate sale. Sod is a very perishable item so if you have an area that you would like to get some down on, try to come in today or tomorrow and pick up what you need. We’ll have it stored in the shade and protected from the wind to keep it in good shape as long as possible. We hope this unexpected inventory will be just the thing for your spruce it up project! 
September 1, 2011 – 2:56 pm
We would like to thank all of our customers for their patronage here at Knecht’s Nurseries & Landscaping. September is Customer Appreciation Month. With a purchase over $25, you will receive a $5 coupon that can be used during the month of October. Autumn Appreication Coupons can be used used with other discounts as well. You will receive your coupon upon checkout! Thank you all for your business. It is appreciated.
September 1, 2011 – 2:47 pm
Where has the summer gone? Fall is just around the corner as our spring bulbs came in yesterday! Tulips, daffodils, crocus, allium and more! Spring bulbs need to be planted in the fall and go through the cold winter and will delight you next spring! 
August 28, 2011 – 10:31 am
Even as the dog days of summer are nearing an end, Hydrangea Trees are adding a delightful splash of lush blossoms to the late summer landscape. These small ornamental trees run from 5 to 10 feet tall, depending on how they are pruned, grow in a wide variety of soils and do well in light levels from full sun to partial shade, and produce lots of blossoms that last for 6-12 weeks.
Limelight Hydrangea trees are currently the most popular variety, displaying cone to oval shaped dense white blossoms on vigorous new shoots that present in upright fashion initially and gradually arching as the blossoms increase in size and weight. The picture here is of one of our landscape beds at home. We have a Limelight Hydrangea tree to the left and a Pinky Winky Hydrangea shrub to the right. Boulders, evergreen shrubs and shade perennials complete the bed which is so beautiful this time of year.
August 16, 2011 – 8:21 am
Often overlooked and underused, Winterberry can actually deliver a very long lasting color feast for the eyes in areas of the landscape that lack excitement. Red Sprite Winterberry has shown itself to be a good performer with a modest size of 3-5 feet while displaying large quantities of brilliant red 1/4″ berries from early fall through mid-winter or longer. Use a Jim Dandy male Winterberry somewhere near your cluster of Red Sprite Winterberry to pollinate and assure the formation of the showy berries.
Most winterberries have a welcome tendency to tightly hold their red berries until spring clean up time in early April. This habit of providing an eye-popping display of red color for months on end makes winterberry a plant to seriously consider for inclusion in your landscape.
‘Berry Heavy’ and ‘Berry Nice’ are two larger sized winterberry that also hold abundant colorful berries for long periods. Winterberry can handle full sun to 3/4 shade, and grows well in many soils, and is quite hardy! I have seen wild winterberry growing in the canoe country where winters dip to -50 degrees F, so hardiness is not an issue.
August 10, 2011 – 2:23 pm
Patio – Day 3. The patio will feature a sitting wall along the outside edge which will be approximately 20 inches high. With each level of wall block, Jim and Todd add the gravel backfill behind the wall.
The wall is almost complete except for the caps which will be installed once the patio is finished. A layer of sand is added to the top of the crushed rock and keeping this layer level is extremely important. Todd is using two pieces of conduit to make sure the sand is the same level throughout and it enables the skreeting process to be performed. The actual laying of the patio block is probably the quickest portion to the patio installation. The customer has chosen the Versa-Lok “Harvest” blend patio block which accentuates the color of their home. This outdoor retreat is gradually coming together!
August 10, 2011 – 12:25 pm
Heidi Brosseau - our retail manager submits the following blog.
Now is the time to refresh your baskets, beds and planters!
Are your containers looking a little tired? Did your baskets fizzle in the summer heat? Maybe you have lots of green plants and not a lot of color in that perennial border this time of year. Dress them up & refresh them! Add some seasonal color & fall beauty to your planters, beds & borders with plants perfect for late season displays. Here are some of our favorites!
Minnesota Hardy Mums: They are finally here everyone. Come and get ‘em. Bright eye catching colors on dense compact plants. Perfect for filling those empty spots and containers.
Asters: A late season surprise. The first Asters are just beginning to open their daisy style flowers. These hardy perennials will be blooming until hard frosts come. Providing a reliable wave of color in the fall garden. Excellent mixed with Mums and Kale.
Grasses: Whether you go with an annual or a perennial variety it doesn’t matter, you’re going to add graceful, elegant movement and color to your plantings. Many varieties have both showy plumes that appear late summer to fall as well as brilliant fall color.
Sedums: Beloved by butterflies and gardeners alike! These are the “tough guys” in the Minnesota garden. Reliable and vigorous these succulent plants add wonderful texture with their thick leaves as well as a multitude of foliage colors and variegation. They like to build up a little suspense, making us watch their forming buds all season long before finally showing us what they can do. Read More »
August 10, 2011 – 12:17 pm
Wet areas in a landscape can present some real challenges for getting trees to grow well. Fox Valley Dwarf River Birch can be an excellent solution, especially if you would like a tree of modest size, rather than the 40-50 foot height of a standard River Birch, or Niobe Weeping Willow.
Fox Valley Dwarf River Birch displays the same showy cinnamon/copper peeling bark as a full size River Birch, but matures to a very dense round form of 10-12 feet high and wide. Fox Valley is most often allowed to take it’s natural form as a low branched multi-stemmed clump type of ornamental tree, but does lend itself to artful pruning to allow for understory plantings of perennials and shrubs, or creation of a single stem form.
When allowed to grow into its’ natural form, Fox Valley Dwarf River Birch becomes a chubby “butter ball” with some amazing twig density that makes for good low level visual screening even in winter. The opportunity to use Fox Valley as both a focal point in the landscape and a screening tree adds an extra dimension of usefulness for this nice variety that can prosper in damp areas where other trees drown out.
August 10, 2011 – 12:08 pm
August 10, 2011 – 10:57 am
It really doesn’t take much to make hum drum spots in your landscape / property just a little nicer. Things like mailboxes, utility boxes, utility hookups and the like can all be softened, hidden or enhanced by the simple addition of the right plant materials. There is no absolute right or wrong except perhaps doing nothing. So take it as an opportunity to experiment a bit just as is done at this mailbox. This rural mailbox has coneflowers and ornamental grass. These plants can handle the tough site conditions along a gravel road and with snow loads – there’s no problem since perennials start from the ground up every spring – unlike some shrubs which may be damaged by a heavy snow load.
August 9, 2011 – 11:43 am
This week we started work on a new patio for Jane and Dennis. They wanted a patio along the side of their home – right off of their family room which will give them additional living space outside and a great place for entertaining.
Day 1. This site provided a few challenges as there was a huge old stump that we needed to bring in a small backhoe and have the stump dug out. Then there was a slight slope to the surrounding area which necessitated in quite a bit of excavation.
The pictures show the area with some of the excavation done. Jim Westlund our landscape division manager and Todd Marnie answer some of the questions the homeowner, Jane, has.
