Most obvious to us are the rhythms of sleep and wakefulness, work and daily chores, leisure time and play, busy activity and quiet time, habits and rituals, human interaction and times of solitude, birth, growth, decline and death.  As we move along the span of life, these rhythms form a complex tapestry of life experience that varies tremendously from one person to the next.

Some lives are a rich fabric of accomplishment, creativity, love, sharing and generosity.  The rhythms of other lives are far different, having been interrupted, compromised, and diminished by poverty, neglect, handicaps, and lack of opportunity, education and wise mentoring.  In a utopia, limitations would melt away, and all people would enjoy a very positive life experience, but in the real world, many lives fall far short of happiness and fulfillment.  Nevertheless, we can all make choices that reward us, even if in small measure.

As we reflect on our own lives, an opportunity exists to engage in simple activities that are likely to raise our awareness and experience of some of the most rewarding rhythmus of life.  Time devoted to being actively or contemplatively involved with plants and the natural world usually helps us feel a stronger connection with the positive aspects of in the world.  As we watch a plant grow from a seed or root into a source of food, or a beautiful flower, or a tree that shades and cools a home, or provides the lumber to build a home, we gain a deeper appreciation of what life is:  dynamic, ever-changing, creative, productive and ultimately entering into a cycle of decline, death and rebirth.  Plants show us the whole cycle in a year’s time, beginning with planting, germination, growth, flowering, fruiting, harvest and finally death or dormancy.

One person may be incredibly involved in designing, planting, tending, and growing an elaborate collection of landscaped areas.  Someone else with physical abilities limited by age, or handicaps of various kinds, may simply engage in quiet contemplation of the world of plants.  In either case, much satisfaction can be gained from allowing you to have some kind of relationship to the world of growing plants, and nature in general.

One person may experience the rhythms of life by watching a house plant go through its annual cycles and another person may embark on an epic journey deep into the wilderness to make a connection with the best that nature and plants have to offer us in spiritual enrichment and renewal.

One person may touch the rhythms of the natural world by planting a small garden, while the farmer down the road may make his or her connection with and contribution to the greater good by raising and harvesting hundreds or thousands of acres that feed the world.  Each can experience a similar sense of satisfaction and connectedness, despite the great differences in the scale of involvements with green and growing organisms.  Whether we involved ourselves with artfully designed gardens and fancy hybrid varieties, or a quiet corner of a city park, on the most remote and wild places on the planet earth, we can experience a greater connection to the rhythm of life.

There is something soothing, comforting and satisfying about observing and growing plants.  Take a walk in the woods or prairie; plant a small pot of bulbs on the window sill, or plant thousands of trees to restore a degraded acreage, and you will connect you to the rhythms of life.  These are the rhythms of your life, the tapestry of your life made richer by intentionally taking some of your time, energy and attention to connect with the world of growing living plants.  Enjoy the journey, feel the rhythms, drink in the beauty and fill your soul.  Spring is coming!

I have also shared this post with the Northfield News.

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Last week, I had the pleasure of a pleasant walk through a forest area which had been almost completely clear cut by loggers about 80-90 years ago.  Because of great foresight by people back then who replanted trees, and then worked tirelessly to protect the area, the Silver Falls State Park was established, east of Silverton, Oregon, and today provides a place of incredible beauty.

Nine spectacular waterfalls are surrounded by majestic stands of Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedar, having already reached to 150 feet and more in height, and 2-4 feet in diameter.  The spectacular recovery of this landscape in less than a hundred years is all the more remarkable when you view the photos of stumps and desolation soon after the logging took place.

Today, thick emerald green moss clings to the trunks and branches of the trees and shrubs in the understory, creating a primeval and timeless atmosphere where shafts of light penetrate the canopy, illuminating a million water droplets like sparkling jewels.  The temperate rainforest enables the recovering forest to have plenty of water and nutrients for speedy growth.

At times I felt as if I was in a virgin forest, even though the rotting remains of giant stumps left by logging crews told a tale of tumultuous activity in a pioneer settlement.  Fortunes were made and lost, hills laid bare, and in a few decades, the logging village began to die.  During the Great Depression a CCC camp was established and the present State Park lodge was built along with several other buildings and extensive trails.  World War II brought an end to the CCC as men went off to war, but the trees that had been replanted continued to grow rapidly, so much so, that it’s hard to tell that the area was once devastated.

The foresight of those who plant trees gives a great gift to those generations that follow regardless of the part of the world where reforestation takes place.  In some places the climate and soils mean slower growth, but the most important thing is to get trees planted, and let time and Mother Nature bring forth all the benefits of healthy trees.

Whether we help restore a clear cut from timber harvest, selectively add trees to our urban forests, or establish farm country windbreaks or reforest marginal farmlands that are no longer used for pastures or row crops, the planting of trees leaves an incredibly valuable legacy for future generations.

I have also shared this post with the Northfield News.

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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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Patience pays big dividends when doing tillage of the soil to prepare for spring planting.  Whether you do your tillage with a 4 tined hand cultivator, a garden fork, a shovel, a roto tiller, or a plow behind a giant 4 wheel tractor, wait until the ground has dried well and crumbles when worked.

If you dig when the soil is too wet, you are likely to battle a garden full of lumpy soil all the way through the growing season.  Waiting a few more days or weeks until the soil has dried usually results in tilled soil that is nice and crumbly.  Just prior to doing the tillage, spread fertilizer, compost, manure, and peat or sand, so these amendments become evenly mixed into the tilled soil.

Coarse sand is a great thing to add if you have high clay content in your soil.  Once you work sand into the clay soil, the soil will be much easier to work up into a nice crumbly condition in subsequent years.  In the photo – you will notice smaller pieces of rock/sand.  This makes this soil drain nicely and is quite fertile.  Too much sand, on the other hand, can cause plants to dry out too quickly.

It is wonderful and amazing to see how much more quickly roots of new plants are able to grow into a large root system when the soil has been made porous by good tillage and a few well-chosen soil amendments.  Your patience will be rewarded by bigger flower blossoms, vegetables that are bigger and more plentiful, and trees and shrubs that become handsome specimens in a shorter time!

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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

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There will be opportunities for work out in the landscape while the big chill is still in force.  Pruning shrubs and trees, and cutting down dead trees can be a comfortable activity if you pick days with low winds and mid-day hours when temperatures are at their warmest.    My April 15, 2009 blog on tree pruning discusses pruning in more detail and I am linking back to that post.

 If you like to make firewood during this period when the seasons are transitioning, you may have to carry in your chainsaw gear and do the cutting.  In most locations, haul out will have to wait until the ground firms up enough to allow vehicles to operate without making nasty ruts.  If you cut down ash trees that have died, it would be a good idea to check under the bark to see if emerald ash borers (EAB) have infested the tree.  The Emerald Ash Borer website has more information and photos that will help you determine if your ash wood is infested with EAB.  If your wood is infested, be sure to call the City or County Forester to report the infestation.  They will probably come out to verify and lend some advice and assistance.  It is extremely important for the health of our forests to report possible new occurrences of Emerald Ash Borer.  We all need to help out in reporting new infestations so the spread of this devastating pest can be slowed/halted.

I have also shared this post with the Northfield News.

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Recharging moisture in the deeper levels of the soil will be especially beneficial to established trees that experienced drought stress the last few years.   Larger trees have larger, deeper root systems, and larger leaf canopies to support, meaning greater needs for moisture that can be met by recharge of moisture in sub-soils.

Hopefully spring flooding will be a little less severe due to unfrozen soils absorbing some of the snowmelt.  Unfrozen ground also means it will be possible to get an early start on spring planting of trees and shrubs.  While it is tempting to rake your lawn right away, it’s best to let the ground thoroughly dry out before beginning the spring clean-up. 

Early April should present good planting opportunities, and we normally have trees and shrubs available for sale beginning around April 1^st, depending on the weather.  Our experienced and knowledgeable staff will be available to help you zero in on the plant materials that will work best for your particular situation.

I have also shared this post with the Northfield News.

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By planting the right trees, shrubs and perennials, you can both beautify the landscape and help the wildlife.  You may want to check out the publication titled ‘Landscaping for Wildlife’ put out by the Minnesota DNR. 

I am sharing this blog with the Northfield News.

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Think about what you really want before you discourage yourself with budget concerns.  When creating a plan don’t forget to incorporate an inviting outdoor living space , a place to recharge your batteries, and a place for the activities you and your family really enjoy.

Next figure out what actually installing these landscape features will cost you.  If the costs are too high, decide how to implement the changes over a period of several years, to match your cash flows.  If the costs are still too high, decide how you can change some expensive elements of the project to lower priced choices.  By following this sequence, you are likely to still get the majority of the look and feel you envision.

If you feel you aren’t able to design your own landscape, our landscape designer would be able to help you with advice during a site visit consultation or even create a landscape plan for your property.   

I am also sharing this post on my blog spot with the Northfield News.

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1. Protect a tree.  Younger trees may be vulnerable to bark damage from mice, rabbits, deer and sunscald.  Unusually deep snow means rabbits and mice can sit on top of snowbanks and chew bark above the tops of already installed tree wraps.  Simply add another white plastic tree wrap above the snow line that overlaps with protection you put on last fall down to the ground level.  These wraps also protect against sunscald from sunlight bouncing off the snow.   We do have tree protectors for sale here at the nursery. 
2. Thumb through a seed catalog.  It helps get the imagination going in a positive direction.  Order something you’ve never tried before.  It will give you something which you can look forward to in anticipation.
3. Go for walks on days with low winds, and take notice of which landscape elements you see on other properties that have a nice appearance in winter.  Make a few notes for future additions/revisions to your landscape.
4. Get on an airplane headed for any direction but north!

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