Category Archives: Trees

Rice County Master Gardeners

January 17, 2012 – 12:32 pm

Leif Knecht, owner of Knecht’s Nurseries, will be the featured speaker at the monthly meeting of the Rice County Master Gardeners. on Tuesday, January 17, 2012.   The meeting is at 7 pm at the 4-H Building on the Rice County Fairgrounds.

Topics covered will be what’s new in trees, shrubs and perennials and how nurseries are using a new technique to produce better plants for landscape use.  Attention will focus on plant materials that are a little to a lot more compact so they can be used in smaller spaces such as the Crimson Spire Oak and the Apollo Sugar Maple.

If you are interested in becoming a Master Gardener, contact the Rice County Master Gardeners or the University of Minnesota Extension Service.

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By Deb Knecht | Also posted in Community, Events | Tagged | Comments (0)

Blue Beech

January 2, 2012 – 8:09 pm

Blue Beech in Big Woods State Park

Blue Beech is a lovely small native understory/edge tree that is not well known, but deserves to be used more often in southern Minnesota landscapes.  Characterized by smooth grey/blue bark that covers the undulating wavy trunk wood, an appearance developes that resembles the rippling muscles and sinews of a body builder’s forearm, earning this interesting native tree it’s other common name of Musclewood.

Fall color of the Blue Beech

Botanically named Carpinus Caroliniana, Blue Beech occasionally can be found growing wild in remnants of the Big Woods deciduous forest dominated by Oak, Maple and Basswood.  A native size of 20-30 feet tall by 20-30 feet wide, makes Blue Beech a good choice where a native tree of modest size is desired for a small area, perhaps to lend a mid-level architecture to a shade garden.

My favorite features of Blue Beech are the very pronounced veins that give the leaves outstanding texture, and the lovely ornamental seed heads that hang on the tree for several months with splayed petals similar to a fuschia.  An outstanding mix of yellow/orange and red fall color is yet another reason to consider including Blue Beech in your landscape

Visit our Ornamental Tree Lists on our Plant Page for a listing of other trees we have available.

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By Leif Knecht | Tagged , , | Comments (2)

Protect Your Trees

September 7, 2011 – 10:13 am

Now is the time to think about protecting your trees from damage going into the winter season.  We have several different types of tree protectors available – depending on the size of the tree and your intitial purpose of protection.  This past weekend – we installed tree protectors on a few of the trees in our meadow at home.  In the past, we have learned our lesson the hard way after we discovered “buck rubs” early in September.

You have invested alot into your trees – monetary and with TLC – and the next step is to protect them going into the winter.  The heavy snows of the past two winters saw lots of trees with rabbit and mice damage to them.  When food is scarce – the critters will start nibbling away at the bark of young trees.   If the damage is too severe, the tree will not recover.   These protectors help to eliminate this from happening.  Heidi has set up a great display here at the nursery and there are descriptions and advice on each of the protectors we have available.  All of these protectors can be used for many seasons which makes it a very inexpensive investment.

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By Deb Knecht | Also posted in How To Advice | Comments (2)

Prairie Sentinel Hackberry

August 6, 2011 – 3:34 pm

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.

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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in Retail Sales | Comments (0)

Kindred Spirit Oak

August 6, 2011 – 3:26 pm

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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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in Retail Sales | Comments (0)

Apollo Dwarf Sugar Maple

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.

 

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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in Landscaping | Comments (0)

The Heat is On – Be Sure to Water Your Plants

July 17, 2011 – 7:39 pm

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!

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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in How To Advice, Perennials, Shrubs | Tagged | Comments (0)

Japanese Tree Lilac

June 23, 2011 – 11:11 am

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!

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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in Retail Sales | Comments (0)

Trees on Sale

June 23, 2011 – 10:53 am

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.

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By Deb Knecht | Also posted in Trees-Specials | Comments (0)

Tree Sale on Balled & Burlapped

June 16, 2011 – 4:01 pm

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!

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By Deb Knecht | Also posted in Retail Sales, Specials, Trees-Specials | Comments (0)

Black Walnut Toxicity Alert

June 16, 2011 – 3:36 pm

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.

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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in How To Advice | Comments (1)

String Trimmers and Trees – Not a Good Idea

June 3, 2011 – 2:28 pm

As spring rains have caused rapid growth of lawns and the need for frequent mowings, I have once again seen fresh examples of severe damage to landscape trees.  Careless use of string trimmers is the most common cause of severe damage to trees that I see during the many site visits I make to help people evaluate their landscapes and diagnose tree problems.  When the bark gets damaged, sap flow is reduced to leaves and tree quality declines.  More damage with each use of the trimmer can eventually result in the death of the tree.

The cure is very simple:   String trimmers should never ever touch the bark of a tree, no matter the age or size of the tree.  I repeat:  NEVER, EVER.  The damage inflicted from one careless round of string trimmer use can run into hundreds of dollars if the bark is touched by the trimmer string.

Very often the damage is gradual, but cumulative.  There’s no more reason to hit the living bark of a tree, than there would be to weed whip your bare leg.  Both are living tissue and both say “ouch” if you hit them with a string trimmer.

The following are ways that grass/weeds around trees can be safely controlled:

1) Trimming with hand operated grass clippers

2) Kill grass and weeds around the tree with roundup herbicide (avoid contact with the bark) and use a bark/wood chip mulch to keep a 3’—4’ circle around the tree free of weeds/grass

3) Heavy-duty tree guards that deflect the string of a power trimmer.  Thin plastic won’t be good enough.

4) Plastic or rubber mats around the tree (must have the hole for the trunk enlarged on an annual basis to accommodate the growth in trunk diameter.

5) Give the person/company that carelessly damages tree bark a $50 bill for each tree, for each time, they touch the tree bark, and insist they pay the bill, or pay to replace the damaged tree!  I suspect they will stop hitting the bark.

CAUTION:  This information will ruffle some feathers.  Be prepared for push back, but be firm and insist that trimmers never ever touch tree bark, no matter how large the tree.  (I even see severe damage to wooden fence posts from string trimmers!)

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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in How To Advice, Yard & Garden Notes | Comments (1)

Prairie Rose Flowering Crab

June 1, 2011 – 6:55 am

Prairie Rose Flowering Crab

Few flowering crabs that are hardy in the upper Midwest can match the floral display of the Prairie Rose Flowering Crab.  This tree has several distinctive traits.

First, the Prairie Rose blooms a week to ten days after other flowering crabs, thereby extending the bloom season when used with other varieties.

Secondly, Prairie Rose blossoms are unique, double pink blossoms.  This creates the appearance of a tree covered with lovely medium pink eye-popping double flowers that look like small roses.

Third, the branching and leaf shape of this tree are unusual, creating a canopy a bit more open and airy than the usual very dense crowns of most flowering crabs.

Fourth, the Prairie Rose Flowering Crab is essentially fruitless, reducing/eliminating fruit litter.  This combination of characteristics may give you reason to consider this tree for your landscape.

Plant in well drained soil with plenty of sun and you will be amazed for years to come.  We have this tree available in balled and burlapped form and we have one in our front display.  Stop in at the nursery soon while the blossoms are in their glory.

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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in Retail Sales | Comments (2)

Minnesota Strain Redbud

May 14, 2011 – 12:47 pm

Redbud along St. Olaf Avenue

I have found myself looking forward to the blossoming of the redbuds that have been planted here and there around town.  Redbuds consistently provide lovely purple blossoms, and usually lots of them.

We recommend the Minnesota Strain Redbud mostly because of their demonstrated hardiness.  As the Magnolia and Forsythia flowers of early spring begin to fade, the Redbud flowers burst right through the bark.  It’s like a miracle every year.  Unlike most flowering shrubs and trees, no flower buds can be seen on the dark grey twigs, yet all of a sudden they are erupting through the bark, and in a few days time, the tree is covered.  Redbud blossoms also seem to last longer than flowering crabs.
Minnesota Strain Redbud favors part fo full sun, and properly drained soil that has some good organic matter content.  Grows to 15′ tall x 15′ wide in 10-15 years here in southern Minnesota.  We have Redbuds available in several different sizes and price points.  Stop in soon to get your very own Redbud.
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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in Retail Sales | Comments (0)

Hardy Magnolias

May 10, 2011 – 1:34 pm

Magnolia blossom

After a long Minnesota winter, many of us are craving the sight of the spring blossoms.  Hardy Magnolias have proven to be one of the best landscape plants to provide early spring blossoms that are large and showy.
While crocuses, daffodils, tulips and cilla are other great plants to get a fix of early spring flowers, the hardy Magnolias can give a nice upright mass of lovely blossoms in a variety of mature sizes and colors.  With spring coming late the Magnolias have just started blossoming this last week.
Royal Star Magnolia has a nice white fragrant blossom with about 25 petals arranged into a width of 3-4 inches.  This is a smaller sized Magnolia maturing to 8’-10’ tall.
Merrill Magnolia also has 3” plus white blossoms with wider petals, and a sizeable mature size of 30’ to 40’ tall by 30’ wide.
Leonard Messel Magnolia sports pink and white blossoms and a medium mature height of 15’ -20’ which makes a showy statement every spring.
Ann Magnolia is another short variety, growing to 8’-10’ and has eye catching reddish purple blossoms for people who prefer more color intensity.  All 4 of these magnolias have demonstrated very good hardiness.
We do recommend on all these magnolias a once a year application of systemic insecticide to prevent Magnolia scale.  This procedure requires no spry, since the recommended soil drench requires only a pail, 1 gallon of water, a few ounces of product and 1 minute of time to mix the solution and pour it on the ground around the trunk.  Also, when planting Magnolias it is a good idea to add some additional peat to the soil as Magnolias do like a more acid soil.
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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in Retail Sales | Comments (1)