Winter hardy Magnolias are bursting into bloom all across southern Minnesota. A few days after the bright yellow color bursts of the Fosythias start, the Magnolias swell and unfold their visual feasts of white/pink and reddish purple blossoms.
Royal Star Magnolia and Merrill’s Magnolia sport pure white blossoms, while Leonard Messel Magnolia delights the eye with a delicate pink and Ann Magnolia – a rich deep reddish purple.
These Magnolia varieties have proved themselves very hardy, even in tough Minnesota winters. Mature sizes range from 10 feet up to 40 feet, depending on the cultivar your choose, so allow enough space for these magnificent small trees to reach their full potential. Magnolias are able to prosper in locations with 1/2 day sun to full sun.
Despite the mildest winter in recent memory, a Forsythia fever outbreak is spreading quickly through the population of southern Minnesota gardeners. Risk factors include a prior history of generalized spring fever, exposure to warm spring breezes, and catching sight of a neighbor’s Forsythia in full bloom.
Once an avid gardener has contracted Forsythia fever, the treatment protocol is fairly straightforward. Proceed directly to Knecht’s Nurseries where you will find Forsythia in stock, select the variety that suits your fancy, and plant in a highly visible location in your landscape. Next, allow the rich yellow burst of the first spring blossoms to soothe your soul and elevate your energy.
Within hours, winter malise should melt away, and all will be right with the world. Enjoy the wild and whacky spring of 2012, and a Forsythia feast for your winter weary eyes.
Forsythia trees are in full bloom – already – March 17th! This is truly a crazy winter – early spring season here in Minnesota.
The Gold Tide Forsythia trees come in a #7 container and are on sale at $59.00. A great ornamental tree – it brightens up your yard when there is hardly any other color around. After the flowering is over – its bright green color provides a great backdrop to other plants taking center stage.
The crocus bulbs that we have in small containers for sale just started blooming. You can bring spring inside – or plant them outside for a splash of color. To accent your spring displays – add a stem or two of pussy willow branches. We have a limited supply that I just cut this week. If you want your own pussy willow shrub – we have those on sale at $19.99 and they just started blooming as well.
We are open early this season! Stop in and just browse around for your early gardening fix!
Our first ever March tree sale has begun! With the ground thawing early and trees beginning to swell buds on some varieties, it’s time to start planting trees!
At Knecht’s we have 150 balled and burlapped trees on sale at 50% off regular prices while supplies last. There are maples, oaks, elms, honeylocusts, ornamental crabapple trees, lilac trees, pine trees, arborvitae, and spruce trees available.
We also have 300+ potted trees available at March Madness prices of 30%, 40% & 50% off! These potted trees are all deciduous trees including maples, oak, elm, crabapples and more!
Hours for March are 8 am to 4:30 pm on weekdays. The weekend of March 24th & 25th- we’ll be open from 8 am to 4 pm on Saturday, and on Sunday, we’ll be open from 10 am to 4 pm. Starting April 2nd, our hours will be 8 am to 6 pm Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm on Saturdays and 10 am to 4 pm on Sundays. We will be closed on Easter Sunday.
As soon as the ground has thawed enough to dig holes, it’s an excellent time to plant trees, and there just happens to be some great discounts. We can hold your purchase of larger balled and burlapped trees until early April. They are going quickly so stop in soon for the best selection. Now get growing!
October 5, 2011 – 9:49 am
Our annual Fall Sale started on October 1st and all plants – trees, shrubs and perennials are on sale! Some at 20% off regular price – others at 30% off, 40% off and many are at 50% off regularly marked prices.
Fall is a great time to plant – days are shorter and the watering needs in the fall are less. Pick out your new plants – get them in the ground for their long winter’s nap and they’ll be ready to wake up in the spring in your yard! Pick up our Fall Planting Checklist and you’ll be set! We’re open 7 days a week now through mid-November.
If you’re not a do-it-yourselfer – our installation crew can do the planting for you! We continue with landscape installations until Thanksgiving time. Whether it’s a job large or small we can get you on the schedule.
September 25, 2011 – 7:31 am
Fabulous Fall Color
Container trees are light weight, eassy to plant and successfully establish very quickly. We have many sizes, over 300 varieties and fantastic fall prices. Check out a sampling of these prices:
#3 container Black Hills Spruce $4.99
#3 container Firefall Maple $9.99
#7 container Autumn Lights Maple $19.99
#15 container Autumn Blaze Maple $39.50
#20 container Autumn Fantasy Maple $69.50
#3 container Oaks-White, N. Pin, N Red & Bur $9.99
#20 container Regal Prince Oak $99.00
#20 container Triumph Elm $69.00
#15 container Whitespire Birch $49.00
#3 container Technito Arborvitae $4.99
Sale prices apply to selected trees. Prices are as marked. Prices apply during Fall 2011.
We’re open 7 days a week through November 11th – so be sure to stop in and get some great deals on trees. Check outPri the incredible prices on our trees. We have over 5,000 trees in stock and ready for successful Fall planting
September 25, 2011 – 7:08 am
Fall planting of trees, shrubs and perennials has long been a tradition for many families. Landscape plants are going dormant, temperatures are cooler, water demands are reduced, and success rates remain high.
When spring comes, the new plants are ready and waiting to quickly establish and flourish. Well planned fall planting projects can also save substantial amounts of money, since great bargains are available at most nurseries.
An added plus for fall planting is the pleasant fall weather that makes time spent on a project outdoors enjoyable and easier. October and November have quite a few fabulous fall days, so there’s still plenty of time to do that project you’ve been putting off. Seize the opportunity. It’s a wonderful time. (to plant).
September 7, 2011 – 10:45 am
Many people have a tradition of doing fall planting projects, and while cooler temperatures and pleasant working conditions make this activity more fun, there is an even better reason to do fall planting. YOU CAN SAVE MONEY!!! Right now at Knecht’s Nurseries, we have over 3000 trees, shrubs and perennials on sale at 20% to 50% off our regular prices. Hurry in to get your BIG SAVINGS while we still have excellent inventories of most varieties.
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.
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.
“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!
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!
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!
Winter hardy Magnolias are bursting into bloom all across southern Minnesota. A few days after the bright yellow color bursts of the Fosythias start, the Magnolias swell and unfold their visual feasts of white/pink and reddish purple blossoms.
