If you are tired of using skinny poplar trees to provide a narrow windbreak or screen, you may want to try Prairie Sentinel Hackberry. While our native Hackberry is a tough shade tree growing to a very tall and wide size, Prairie Sentinel Hackberry, introduced by J. Frank Schmidt Nursery, has similar versatility for various soil types, but matures to a compact size of 45 feet tall by 12 feet wide.
Prairie Sentinel can do well in moist soils, as well as better drained areas, but do take care to avoid chronically waterlogged areas. With good care and watering during its first year of establishment, Prairie Sentinel Hackberry should be able to take care of itself thereafter, and provide a nice lone sentinel tree, or a good screen when planted in a cluster or a line.
If you are looking for a smaller tree that is really different, Kindred Spirit Oak may provide just the characteristics you are looking for. Kindred Spirit is a hybrid Oak very similar to Regal Prince Oak, but presents an even narrower profile.
The deep dark green leaves of Kindred Spirit Oak have a handsome shiny surfrace, resistts leaf tatter and usually stays nice looking throughout the growing season. While Regal Prince Oak has become much admired for its lovely form that matures to 50 ft. tall by 20 feet wide, Kindred Spirit is the narrowest Oak cultivar we have encountered, being rated at a mature size of 35 feet tall by 6 feet wide.
The English Oak xSwamp White Oak parentage of Kindred Spirit Oak gives it great versatility in a wide range of soil conditions, which is always a big plus in landscape beds where earth moving equipment may have greatly disturbed natural soil profiles. The very narrow character of Kindred Spirit also allows it to be used as a focal point in a creatively designed landscape.
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August 1, 2011 – 11:41 am
Here’s a great high quality, hardy and showy tree for smaller spaces. Sugar Maples (hard maple) have long been considered the King of Shade Trees due to beautiful form, strong wood and stunning fall colors, reaching mature sizes of 70 feet tall by 50 feet wide!
Apollo Dwarf Sugar Maple sports handsome deep green leaf color, and a compact upright form maturing to 30 ft. tall by only 10-12 feet wide. This makes Apollo a good choice for smaller spaces in the landscape while still offering a nice mix of yellow, orange and red fall color. For best results, plant the Apollo Sugar Maple in moderately drained, uncompacted soils, taking care to avoid waterlogged areas. Apollo will do well in full sun to partial shade, and can be used as a specimen or focal point, or even for shorter to mid-level screening when several are planted together.
The Apollo Sugar Maple was introduced by the J. Frank Schmidt Nursery in Oregon. We have carried this tree for the last several years and find it to be a wonderful tree for fall color and smaller spaces.
Landscape plants are much like pets and humans in their need for some tender loving care during major heat waves and long dry spells. When provided with enough, but not too much water and nutrition people, pets and valuable landscape plants will do well even under extreme heat stress.
New plantings are especially vulnerable until they have extended new roots into the surrounding soil. While balled and burlapped trees and shrubs can do well with one or two good waterings per week during their period of establishment – 1 to 2 years – trees, shrubs and perennials that were purchased in plastic nursery pots can dry out and be severely damaged in just one or two days in hot, windy and low humidity conditions.
The reason potted plants dry out so quickly when placed into your landscape is that potting soil is formulated to drain and dry out quickly to avoid root rot while they are in the pots. They also dry out quickly when planted in your yard that is until new roots have grown out into the soil surrounding the planting site. This can take from 6-12 weeks, depending on how compacted the soil is.
If the tree, shrubs or perennial receives aggressive root pruning prior to planting to completely shred any matted roots on the outside of the root ball, AND if there is lots of loose, unpacked soil filled in around the root ball, the rooting out process can happen much much faster. Allow water and gravity to settle the crumbly soil around t he shredded root ball rather than packing the loose soil.
For more details on precision watering you can check out our instructions page on watering. Keep in mind that most trees and shrubs purchased in nursery pots will need a little water everyday the first 4-6 weeks, every other day the next 4-6 weeks, and every third or 4th day until a year has passed (take the winter off from watering). Do not allow the hose to trickle on the plant. You will have no idea how much water you gave it, and you may drown the plant.
Successful planting can be done even in a heat wave if you give them enough water, but not too much water on a daily basis. Keep ‘em happy and keep ‘em hydrated!
“Colorful fun with Coneflowers”
The ‘Summer Sun’ is bright (too bright apparently) and so are the Coneflowers here at the nursery. We ‘Hope’ you’ll stop in under this ‘Summer Sky’ and treat your’ gardens to some ‘Tomato Soup’, with ‘Mango Meadowbrite’ and ‘Hot Papaya’ on the side. Wash it all down with some ‘Vintage Wine’ at ‘Sundown’. Put on a little ‘Elton Knight’ and ‘All that Jazz’ while you gaze up at the ‘Ruby Stars’ in search of the missing constellation ‘Magnus’. All around ‘Pixie Meadowbrite’ s and ‘Pink Poodle’ s only ‘Red Knee High’ sway to the music until ‘Sunrise’.
“What was in that ‘Vintage Wine’ anyway?
Don’t miss your chance to get your hands on a few of these ‘Irresistible’ coneflower varieties or you’ll have ‘Green Envy’ for sure.
The people that breed these beautiful plants must be a lot of fun to work with. What creative names! Many gardeners are familiar with, and very fond of the popular Purple Coneflower, but these newer varieties with their delicious, imaginative and sometimes silly names have really extended the color pallet, unlocking the creative spirit in many. Reds, oranges and yellows, pinks, purples, whites and even green flowers are held up by sturdy stems. Some varieties will produce a more classic single daisy style flower while some have double flowers that produce a pompom effect. Coneflowers begin to bloom midsummer and keep going until fall, especially with some occasional dead heading. They are a magnet for butterflies while in bloom and for song birds when they set their seeds. Compact varieties will maintain a height at or under 24” while taller varieties bob on the breeze at closer to 2½ to 3’. They love full sun and would prefer to be planted in loamy well drained soil but will grow in heavier soils with proper drainage. Once established they are tolerant of heat, cold, and drought. A wonderful addition to the perennial border, cutting and wildlife gardens. Don’t miss out on all the colorful fun!
Heidi Brosseau, our retail manager, submitted the above blog post. Well done – Heidi!
Lazy Summer Daisies
A classic symbol of summer, daisies have a way of bringing back memories from our past, of our loved ones, and of course helping to create some memories to be cherished for years to come. Have you had the good fortune to receive a fist full of pure white single daisies? Maybe you were the little one holding up that bouquet with pride. I will say it has been far too long since I have sat down to braid a daisy chain myself. Every year when the ‘Becky’ Shasta Daisies (AKA: Leucanthemum superbum ‘Becky’) come into bloom it seems like an excellent idea and they beckon me to pause.
This year not only do we have ‘Becky’ Shasta Daisies with their large, pure white single flowers and vivid golden centers but a new twist on our old favorite, Leucanthemum superbum ‘Sante’. ‘Sante’ brings an element of fun to the garden with its unique double petals. It has a frilly or even fuzzy appearance with again, the same golden yellow centers. If you have ever tried to make it patiently through a round of “loves me, loves me not” you should try it with one of these double daisies. Perhaps the outcome is more accurate with all those extra petals to pluck through.
Now for the dirt on Shasta Daisies…Sturdy stems support their large flowers from late spring to early fall, with regular dead heading. An excellent choice for butterfly and cutting gardens or in open more wild garden settings. They prefer full sun and will tolerate heavier soils, provided there is adequate drainage. Varieties range in mature height from about 15 to 36 inches. ‘Becky’ was the 2003 Perennial Plant of the Year. Heidi Brosseau – Retail Manager – submitted this article.
As spring flowering shrubs complete their blossoming cycles, I’m always eager to see hydrangeas begin forming and opening their lush and numerous flowers. Right now, we are seeing Quickfire, Invincibelle Spirit, Annabelle and Incrediball Hydrangeas produce the first hydrangea blossoms of the season.
Quickfire Hydrangea produces an early and airy white blossom that seems to float on air, and has the delightful habit of gradually turning to a beautiful rich pink over 4 to 6 weeks. There are lots of new heavily hyped hydrangeas on the market these days, and I would have to say that Quickfire have great standability, very early flowering, 2 color phases, and a unique blossom structure, but it also has leaves that turn to a beautiful combination of yellow, orange and red fall colors come autumn.
Invincibelle Spirit Hydrangea is the first pink Annabelle Hydrangea available on the market. Last year we were impressed by the way the medium pink blossoms started in mid-summer and kept forming all the way to the first heavy fall frosts. Our third year, Invincibelle Spirit Hydrangea are shaping up nicely, with fairly good standability, and we suspect that they will perform nicely in the landscape.
Consider adding hardy hydrageas to your landscape. They have the ability to add abundant flowering to summer and fall landscapes. My wife cuts the flower stems in the fall and uses them in dry flower arrangements all year long – an added bonus to the hydrangea shrubs.
We would like to wish everyone a safe and happy 4th of July. The weather forecast looks perfect for those wanting to do yard work. We will be here from 8 am to 5 pm on Saturday, July 2nd and from 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday, July 3rd. We will be closed on the 4th.
A bright spot in the early summer landscape is the very fragrant and showy Japanese Tree Lilac. Large creamy white blossoms open an Japanese Tree Lilacs about a month after most of the lilac shrubs start their bloom period.
A nice feature of the Japanese Tree Lilac is their ability to grow and maintain good vigor when planted in somewhat alkaline clay soils, as long as the location drains properly. Lilacs planted in soggy soils are likely to decline and will eventually drown out.
The common Japanese Tree Lilac grows to a height of 30′-35′ tall and almost as wide. ‘Ivory Silk’ Japanese Tree Lilac and ‘Ivory Pillar’ Japanese Tree Lilac maintain a shorter and narrower size of 20′-25′ feet tall by 10′-15′ wide.
‘Snow Dance’ Japanese Tree Lilac is a very new variety that blooms heavily and has a big added benefit of producing no seeds. This means that after the amazing display of huge fragrant blooms has faded, ‘Snowdance’ Japanese Tree Lilac will have a more handsome appearance throughout the following summer, fall and winter.
As you drive around the next week or so, take note of all the beautiful Japanese Tree Lilacs that are blooming. Pictured here is a younger tree that we installed on a landscape project and a mature tree in the landscape!
We have just put two beautiful and fast growing maples on sale. Sienna Glen Maple and Autumn Fantasy Maple are currently on sale at 30% to 50% off in nursery container sizes from a #7 all the way up to a #25.
Sienna Glen Maple is a wild hybrid discovered in St. Paul, MN, and sports a nice round crown, and refined foliage and branching. Growing quickly, Sienna Glen Maple graces the landscape with a nice mixture of yellow, orange and red fall color.
Autumn Fantasy Maple grows very quickly to 50′ tall by 40′ wide, has nice open branching and an eye pleasing fall color of reds and burgundy.
Both varieties are also available in larger sized with balled and burlapped packaging. Check out these opportunities while supplies last.
All of our 2011 crop of balled and burlapped tree (B&B) are on sale at 20% off regular prices. We have a huge assortment of trees available. They include Maples, Oak, Lindens, Birch, Kentucky Coffeetree, Crabapple Trees, Spruce & Pine, and many more… The sale extends through the end of June!
If you can’t plant right now – take advantage of the sale prices. We can hold plants that are paid for up to 30 days! If you think they’re a little more than what you want to handle, you can hire our crews to install them for you!
Stop in today for exceptional values on these trees!
As the years roll by, I find myself called on to do more and more diagnosis on why certain landscape plants are performing poorly. I am seeing Black Walnut Toxicity on a more frequent basis, enough so that I am training our staff to always keep this factor in mind when advising our customers on selection of trees, shrubs and perennials for landscaping purposes.
Just recently, I evaluated a Whitespire Birch clump that had severe die back. At first, I thought it might be birch borer, but found no evidence of the tunnels that borers create just below the bark, and yet one entire stem had completely died and two others looked as if they would soon follow. As I looked around, I noticed a huge walnut tree in the neighbors back yard, about 60′-70′ away.
When the birch tree was young, its roots were outside the root zone of the walnut tree, but as its root system grew larger, it spread far enough to contact the ever expanding root system of the walnut tree. Walnut roots are the source of the greatest amount of juglone, the toxin released by the walnut tree. The roots of a walnut tree can easily extend to double the width of the branches of the tree, so when planting anywhere near a walnut tree – select from a list of plants resistant to the walnut toxin.
To print the coupon, it’s best to view/download the PDF version, then print it. (The “Print This” option below does not always work so well for PDFs.)
