Category Archives: Community

Container Garden Workshop

Sharon Boisselle, a wonderful addition to our retail sales team this year, will be teaching a course through Northfield Community Education on container gardening.  There will be 3 different 1 1/2 hour sessions available and will be held here at the nursery.   The dates to choose from are May 2nd, May 9th or May 16th.  The class size is limited so early registration is recommended.   Registration starts on Friday, April 22nd.  Register directly with Northfield Community Education. 

 The cost for the class is $8.  An excerpt from the Community Ed class catalog -Be the envy of your neighbors with an eye-catching container garden.  Bring your own container to create a stunning container garden with assistance from certified nursery and landscape professional, Sharon Boisselle of Knecht’s Nurseries and Landscaping.  You may bring your own supplies or materials will be available for purchase”. 

Sharon has years of experience with annuals and container gardening and we know you will not be disappointed.  If you have any questions on the class, you may contact Sharon here at the nursery and she will be glad to assist you in any way.

Sponsor a Tree – Strengthen our Community

We would like to extend the opportunity for you, your child’s class, your service club, your church group, your softball/bowling team, your carpool, your neighbors…. to join us in sponsoring tree plantings for our city, to be planted in public spaces.

Knecht’s will provide trees at half price.  As a sponsor of a tree for Northfield City parks, you pay the other half of the cost (see chart below).  City staff will select planting sites.  You get the satisfaction of knowing you’ve helped make us a stronger and more beautiful community, and can enjoy watching these trees grow more majestic with each passing year.

Your cost of sponsorship – choose the size/price for the tree(s) you wish to donate.     

                                             Tree Only             Tree & Planting 

#3 Container – 3′-6′              $20.00                 $40.00

#7 Container – 5′-8′               40.00                    80.00

#15 Container – 8′-12′           60.00                  120.00

2 1/2″ B&B – 10′-16′              150.00                 300.00

City Staff will choose from the following tree varieties -   Maple, Oak, Hackberry, Linden, Honeylocust, disease resistant Elm, Coffeetree, Birch, Tree Lilacs & Flowering Crabs.  The City Staff will also choose planting sites on City Property / Parks.

To sponsor a tree,  just contact Knecht’s Nurseries & Landscaping at 507-645-5015 or send us an e-mail at info@knechts.net.  Or if you prefer, you can contact  TJ Henricy, Streets & Parks Supervisor for the City of Northfield at 507-645-3032  or TJ.Heinricy@ci.northfield.mn.us

Northfield Home and Garden Business Showcase

Leif at a previous Business Showcase

This Saturday, March 26th, is the 2011 Northfield Home and Garden Business Showcase.  The event runs from 9 am to 3 pm and will be held at a new location this year – the Northfield Ice Arena, located on 1280 Hwy 3 South – across from the Allina Clinic.   There is no admission fee and there’s plenty of free parking!   This year’s Showcase will feature over 40 area businesses.

Stop by the booth and visit with Leif, Heidi and meet our new designer, Mike Mesch.  They will answer your questions, offer advice and let you know what’s happening at the nursery this year!   Mike will be able to schedule landscape consultations as well.  We’ll have $5 coupons to be used for retail purchases, and  information on how to Sponsor a Tree for Northfield parks, and much more.  Leif will be the presenter at the first seminar of the morning – at 9 am – and will be speaking on Growing and Planting  Techniques for Trees – both traditional and new methods.

Heidi, Groundcovers and the Mendota Heights Garden Club

Groundcover - Vinca

Heidi will be presenting a talk on groundcovers to the Mendota Heights Garden Club on March 14th.  Groundcovers are becoming more and more popular  with the “mature” gardener.  They require lower maintenance while adding beautiful design elements to the garden and landscape.  She will highlight groundcovers that have deer and /or rabbit resistance, are attractive to butterflies or hummingbirds and are tolerant to a wide range of growing conditions including:  heavy shade, difficult sites and Black Walnut tolerance.

We welcome garden clubs to come tour the nursery and we will also do presentations for garden club meetings.  Please contact us for more information.

Lonsdale Area Business Showcase

This Saturday – March 5th – we will be participating in the 8th annual Lonsdale Showcase Business Expo in Lonsdale, MN.  Local businesses from the area will have booths which will showcase their businesses.  The Expo will be held at Lonsdale Packaging – located at 629 Industrial Dr. SE.  The hours are 10 am to 3 pm. 

Stop by our booth – which will look like spring –  and say hello.  We’ll have $5 coupons to be used in April and May.  Leif and Darin will be there and can answer any questions that you have.

Tree Donation to the City of Northfield

Jim Westlund and Todd Marnie

In recent days, the Northfield area landscape has had a wintery look, but we are still planting trees and a few hardy customers still venture in to get trees for late season projects of their own.  The 2010 growing season had very favorable weather, despite the unfortunate flooding in late September.

Because the loyal and consistent  support of Northfield makes it possible for us to keep improving our nursery and landscaping operations, we enjoy the opportunity to give back to our community.  Last week, we donated to the City of Northfield, 24 different varieties of shade trees to be planted along the new walking path at Old Memorial Park, the site of Northfield’s new swimming pool.  The City of Northfield covered the cost of having the trees planted.  The photo shows Jim Westlund and Todd Marnie during the planting of one of the trees on November 11th.

The Master Plan for Old Memorial Park calls for the planting of over 100 trees to beautify the park.  Anyone who wants to sponsor the $150.00 cost of planting a tree at Old Memorial Park can contact Scott Carpenter (neighborhood resident) at 645-8501 or Leif Knecht at 645-5015. 

Knecht’s Nurseries will donate a nice sized shade tree to the park for each $150 donation to cover the cost of planting.  Most trees are 2″-3 ½” trunk diameter and 10′-20′ tall.  An effort will be made to have each tree be a variety different from those previously planted.

I have also shared this blog with the Northfield News.

Seminar Reminder

Heidi Brosseau reminds everyone to register for the Fall Seminar - “Who’s Doin’ the Blooming?”

Landscaping at 711 Division Street

Today, we started the first phase of the landscape renovation to the building at 711 Division Street here in Northfield.  The proud new owners of the building are Stan Hup and Kevin Rodgers of Northfield Insurance here in town.

This fall, we will be tearing out the existing landscaping around the building, and this winter, our landscape designer, Kristin Lucas, will be working with Stan and Kevin on a new look for the building.   In the spring, the second phase of the landscape project will be completed.   Shown to the right is our crew removing the privacy fences that were located in front of the office windows.  Jim Westlund, Todd Marnie, Dan Parrott, and Luis Olave are a great team in moving this project forward!

 Steve Schmidt Construction is doing the remodeling work on the building – getting it ready for the offices of Northfield Insurance.

Fall Seminar: Who’s Doin’ the Bloomin’?

We are excited about this year’s Fall Seminar.  After such a hot and humid August, this September is looking like it is going to be gorgeous.  Fall is one of the greatest times of the year and it is a time when you can really enjoy your yard.  Fall perennial plantings can be successful.

Saturday – September 18, 2010            10 am to 11:30 am

Our retail manager Heidi Brosseau will be explaining fall perennials, perennials with winter interest, fall planting tips and fall garden care.   This is a seminar that you don’t want to miss!

Learn about perennials for fall and winter interest.  Who’s Doin’ the Bloomin’?  will highlight these late season plants as well as those that add texture, color and even sound to our white winter canvas.  Since you’re coming, bring along your questions, they are always welcome.

We will have warm apple cider and cookies.  Every seminar registrant will receive a free selected perennial.  The seminar will be held at the nursery outdoors, weather permitting.   Please dress appropriately.  Should it rain, we will bring the seminar indoors into one of our production greenhouses.

Advance registration is appreciated. $10 per person.  Discounted registration for groups of 6 or more – $2 off.  Register by e-mail ( info@knechts.net ), in person at the nursery, call us at 507-645-5015.

Habitat for Humanity

We have had the privilege again this year to donate plant materials to the Rice County Habitat for Humanity housing projects.  Knecht’s Nurseries deeply appreciates the support of the greater Northfield area and has as a part of our mission to give something back to the community on an annual basis.

Shown here is one of our employees – Luis Olave – who volunteered on his day off to help with the project, and Todd Uplegger planting a large balled and burlapped maple tree which we donated to the project at 230 Spring Wheat Drive in Dundas, MN.  We also donated plant materials to the house being built in Lonsdale, MN at 127 Elm Street N.    Our hats off to Luis! 

The Habitat for Humanity program gives a start to families that have struggled in the past and have met the criteria for being selected as a recipient for the homes.  The formal dedication for these homes is Sunday afternoon, August 29th.   More information on the dedication of this year’s homes can be found in the article in the Saturday, August 28th, Northfield News.

Get the Roots Right!

The Northern Gardener magazine is the publication of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society.    Leif has written several articles for this magazine and in the current issue – September/October 2010 his article features the use of air pruning pots and root pruning plants prior to planting.  Check out the current issue of the Northern Gardener for his article.  We are proud of this article in that the trials and testing that we have done over the last twenty years in growing plants with good root systems is proving that we are definitely heading in the right direction with this method of growing plants.

State Fair Special

We are having a special tree sale starting Thursday August 26th and running through Labor Day – our State Fair Special!  Fan us on Facebook – and you’ll receive  updates of our Special Tree Sale!

“Trees on a Stick”

Bring in your ticket stub from the Minnesota State Fair and receive 20% off any regularly priced tree purchase.   (For those non-fair goers, create a ticket stub and bring it in)

This special tree sale cannot be combined with any other discounts or offers. 

 ”Trees on a Stick – Get ‘em While It’s Hot!  or come and check out our  Midway Side Show – the BURNING Bush, INCREDIBALL Hydrangea, FAT Albert Spruce, TOM THUMB Cotoneaster, BLOOMERANG Lilac, FIREFALL Maple – and more!

Landscaping at the Quarterback Club

Our crew is continuing the landscaping makeover at the Quarterback Club here in Northfield.   Our team of Jim Westlund and Todd Marnie are shown here putting in our landscape soil mix.  Good soil is key to any project’s success.  The plants will thrive in good soil.   Once the soil is in, they will begin the planting of the shrubs and perennials.  By tomorrow afternoon – a transformation will have taken place!

Other contractors that we have had work on this project are the folks at D & S Cement, Stanke Masonry, Oddette Welding Resources, DLC Irrigation and the sod will be the finishing touch and will be provided by Jirik Sod.

Wind Storm – 7-24-10

The wind came through Northfield early this morning – about 1 am and took down a large tree – just grazing the side of one of our greenhouses.  Other damage here at the nursery consisted of several of the tree racks breaking off and blowing over, various signs, and empty containers blown all over.  Overall, the damage wasn’t massive – just enough to make alot of work!  Cannon River Tree Care was here within a few hours to help us “liberate” the greenhouse.  Thanks to the help of our great employees and some even whom came in on their day off to help pick things up was much appreciated.  The damage around Northfield seems to have been pretty much limited to trees, and larger branches that broke off.  I’m sure a few hit some roofs – or the sides of structures like we had with our greenhouse.

Crazy Days Special Sale

Since the weather got CRAZY on us this morning with almost 2 inches of rain – we will be extending our Crazy Days bargains throughout the weekend – through Sunday, July 25th.  Some quantities are limited but the savings are substantial!