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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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