Within 24 to 72 hours, places on the leaves that are slightly torn or cracked start to have some cells of the leaf tissue dry out and turn brown.  After a few more days, the dead brown areas fall off the leaf, leaving what looks like feeding holes from insects.

This unsightly condition is called leaf tatter.  Leaf tatter can cause a little stress on the tree, but usually not excessive stress, but it certainly can make it look pretty bad.  Often people think their tree is dying, but this is not the case.

My recommendation is to give your tree a mild fertilization with Miracle Grow at a rate of 1 T of the green crystals per gallon of water.  Apply 2 gal. for small trees under 2″ trunk diameter, 5 gals for trees 2″-4″ and 10-15 gallons for larger trees.  A healthy tree will put out some more new growth, and if heavy winds do not affect this new growth before it thickens and matures, the new growth should appear normal.  Good luck with your leaf tattered tree!

Print This

Crimson Sunset Maple not only displays excellent reddish/burgundy leaf color, but it has a lovely almost star shaped leaf that adds a very nice texture to its appearance.  A modest mature size of 35′ tall by 25′ wide makes Crimson Sunset Maple an excellent choice where space is limited and a large shade tree might be too overhwelming.

Crimson Sunset Maple is a hybrid of the versatile Norway Maple, and the handsome Truncatum Maple.  This combination results in a tough tree that is pleasing to the eye.  For a nice addition of great color and beautiful form to your landscape, you may want to consider Crimson Sunset Maple.

For best results, plant in soil that drains properly, and where there is plenty of sunlight.  As with most maples, it is a good idea to put a white tree trunk protector on the tree in the fall and winter during its first 4-6 years in your landscape.   (Photo courtesy of J.Frank Schmidt & Son Nursery)

Print This

Every once in a while, you need to step outside the box when considering landscape plants.  At the end of February, we toured several of our nursery suppliers on the west coast and were awe struck at the Iseli Nursery in Boring, Oregon.  We just received our shipment of creative evergreens this week and they are definitely amazing. 

Whether you are thinking tall and skinny evergreens, contorted shapes, shorter, slower growing, whatever – we now have the evergreens needed for that special spot. Definite conversation starters for sure!

To the top left, you’ll see the ‘Uncle Fogy’ Contorted Jack Pine!  Wildly, undulating, pendulous branches give unique character to every plant of this distinctive form of Jack Pine.  The plants bend and swoop to create a curvy, living sculpture.  This is definitely a collector’s plant!

One that is absolutely beautiful (and a little more traditional) is the ‘Cupressina’ Norway Spruce.  This is an upright narrow form that makes it a must have for urban lots where size is a definite consideration.  (see previous blog)

Perhaps one of the most impressive plants that we saw in the massive display beds at Iseli was the Weeping Norway Spruce – pictured here on the right.  We saw a mature plant that reached nearly 30 feet in height and was perfect in every way.  Incredible.  The dark green, Weeping Norway Spruce is trained into an outstanding upright specimen or can even be trained to become a undulating groundcover. 

These are just a few examples of what we have for “Creative Evergreens”.   Quantities are limited in these varieties so if this is something that gets your imagination going – don’t delay in stopping in and “stepping outside the box”.

Print This

Prairie Rose Flowering Crab

The Prairie Rose Flowering Crab has to have the most stunning flowers of any crabapple tree!  These rose like flowers bloom just a little after the other flowering crabs put on their color show. 

Print This

Not only is Triumph Elm a great choice for it’s disease resistance, but it is also a beautiful, fast growing, hardy, and versatile shade tree.  While triumph Elm is not a true American Elm, it certainly has an appearance very similar to American Elm, with noticeably larger leaves than Asian elms and a graceful, upward spreading vase shape that becomes a large tree casting plenty of cooling shade.

Triumph can grow in almost any soil, but will grow most quickly in soils with good moisture retention qualities, and plenty of sunshine.  At maturity Triumph Elm will reach 60′ – 70′ tall by 40+ feet wide.  Hardy in zones 4-7.

Another variety that has shown itself to be quite resistant to Dutch Elm Disease, and it offers a modest sized alternative to most of the other new Elm varieties that grow to a larger size.  Discovery Elm grows quickly, forming a dense, rounded, compact shape, and has limited seed production, which reduces litter.  The appearance is tidy and shapely, so much so that when I met a tree spade operator in one of our fields recently, he remarked how nice they were, and wanted to know which variety it was!

Like other elms, Discovery can be grown in a very wide variety of soil types and is super winter hardy with a rating into the very cold zone 3!

Print This

Renaissance Oasis Paper Birch is a result of a 40 year breeding program at Evergreen Nurseries in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin that set a goal to develop paper birches with increased resistance to bronze birch borer.  Oasis took it’s name from its demonstrated ability in test plots to survive in drought, excessively drained soils, but Oasis  Paper Birch really grows its very best in soils with good, but not excessive moisture levels.  Avoid water logged soils.  Happily, Oasis can tolerate soils with moderate alkalinity that can cause the more widely planted River Birches to gradually turn yellow and die.  If you have alkaline soils, you may want to give Oasis Paper Birch a try.

Renaissance Oasis Paper Birch is most often seen in the landscape as a clump form, but you may want to consider using 5 or 7 single stem trees in a staggered layout that imitates the thickets of birch commonly found in the wild.

In the right place in the landscape, a small thicket of single stem Oasis Paper Birch can provide a striking frame or backdrop for other landscape elements.  Oasis grows to a mature size of 60′ tall by 30′ wide, and like it’s close cousin Reflection Paper Birch, is able to produce a fairly straight tree, even in pretty windy locations.

Renaissance Reflection Paper Birch offers homeowners, landscape designers, and landscapers a white barked birch variety with very nice characteristics.  Part of the Renaissance series of birch hybrids, Reflection Paper Birch is most recognizable for its’ very straight stems and nice white bark that develops as stems increase to 2″ to 3″ in diameter.   Reflection will go to 50′ tall and also 20′-30′ wide.

Print This

EdDee approached us regarding the trees.  The City of Northfield and the Northfield Garden Club, in a cooperative effort,  purchased the 64 trees from us and we donated all of the labor and other materials used to plant the trees.  Each year we give back to the City of Northfield with  donations and this year, it is the Hwy 3 beautification project.  This donation amounted to $4,000 in labor, equipment costs and materials. 

The Garden Club also has received funds to be used to cover the costs of watering these trees for two years which is a committment under the grant.  We will be working with the Garden Club on keeping these trees well watered for the next two years!

Our crew – Jim Westlund, Todd Marnie & Ben Danielson planted these trees which consisted of Elms, Maple, Hackberry, Birch, Crabapples and Oak trees.  Once again we are very pleased to have the opportunity to give something back to the community that supports our business each and every year.

Print This

Marilee Flowering Crab

 The many different varieties of Flowering Crabapple trees here at the nursery makes for an incredible color explosion.  It’s hard to pick a favorite.  You walk by one, and say that’s so beautiful – that’s my favorite.  Then you go to the next aisle – and say the same thing!

We carry approximately 20 different varieties of crabapple trees ranging from small dwarf varieties to larger ornamental trees.  They range from snow white flowers to a deep rose/pink/magenta color scheme.

The top 3 photos on the right are of the Candymint Flowering Crab.  A smaller sized tree – reaches a height of 10′ and spans up to 15′ across.  The new foliage is tinged in purple and turns a bronze-green in summer.  This tree shows excellent disease resistance.  The beautiful red buds emerge to show-stopping shades of pink.  The fruit is a bright red.

The bottom 2 photos show  off the Royal Raindrops Flowering Crab.   This tree is one of the larger flowering crabs, growing to 20′ tall and spreading up to 15′ wide.  The purple foliage adds a contrast to all of the “green” in the summer landscape.   The bright red persistant fruit is small – only 1/4″ in size.  The Royal Raindrops also provides for excellent disease resistance.

The white flowers belong to the Marilee Flowering Crab.  This is one of the taller crab trees we carry – but it is also narrow.  It’s tops out at 24′ in height and only 10′ wide.  A great tree for a smaller yard.  The one attribute that some folks find attractive about Marilee, is that it is fruitless.  You have the beautiful white flowers which will produce no fruit and shows good disease resistance.

Crabapples are always a good choice.  They’re versatile – they love well drained soil but can also grow in soils that are a little more damp  (but no water logged soil).  Choose a spot that gets lots of sun.  Crabapple trees that receive shade will only have limited blossom production.     Think about the mature size tree that you want – and the color of the blossoms and we can certainly help you find that perfect crabapple tree!

Print This

The calls we are getting alot this past week or two is “What’s that tree with the rose/pink flower” or “I came through Arkansas and Missouri and saw the Redbuds, are they hardy here in Minnesota?”

We definitely carry the handsome Minnesota Strain of Redbud.  We have them in all sizes, some in clump form and others are single stem trees.  They are blossoming right now (which is early due to the crazy spring) and are absolutely gorgeous.  The pictures here are of our Redbud clump at our home.  This tree has been planted for 4 years now and is getting more and more beautiful with each passing year.  The early morning sunlight today provided for a magical color show.  The greens - of all shades – were glowing as was the Redbud with it’s rose/pink color, the Purple Leaf Sandcherry tree was full of blossoms and our flowering crab is in it’s glory.  

The redubd is an ornamanetal tree – reaching only 20′-30′ in height and 25′ wide.  The vase shaped tree even turns a brilliant yellow in the fall.  Preferring moist, well-drained soil,  it can be grown in full sun to partial shade.   The northern Redbud was developed at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. 

Print This

Celebration Maple

Autumn Spire Maple

While maples are among the most favored of shade trees, due to good form and nice fall color, many produce seed crops most years.  Happily, there are a handful of seedless maple varieties currently available for people who want to avoid seed litter.

Fast growing and colorful hybrid maple varieties that are seedless include ‘Celebration’, ‘Sienna Glen’ and ‘Firefall’.  Red Maple varieties known to be seedless include ‘Autumn Radiance, ‘Northwood’, ‘Sun Valley’, and ‘Autumn Spire’.

Check out these lovely seedless maple varieties if you desire a tree that provides cooling shade, good fall color and less litter.  Be aware that these trees all like acidic soil, especially the Red Maples.  Avoid strongly alkaline soil and poorly drained areas and you will have a tree that serves your needs well for a long time, as well as putting on a color show!

Print This