Knecht’s

Today - April 27th - is Leif’s Birthday and yesterday afternoon, the grandsons came up from Owatonna to tell Grandpa “Happy Birthday”. Jordan and Tyger helped water for a few minutes and they checked on the acorn and sugar maple plantings. Brandt was much more interested in all of the “big boys” driving the trucks and machines around.

For today - anyone that that comes in the nursery and mentions the “Leif’s Birthday Special” will receive 10% off their retail purchase. (does not extend to any landscape contract, tree planting or landscape design)

Leif’s article for this week’s Northfield News discusses what one should be doing for the clean-up of their landscape plants after the stresses of Mother Nature this last year - especially in Northfield. Locally, the plants with the most damage from the severe hail storm are the arborvitae and other evergreens.

“Keeping a landscape in good shape is always a challenge, but in the Northfield area over the last year, gardeners have experienced quite a range of abuse from Mother Nature. Last summer we had drought conditions, the horrific hailstorm, then a long period of winter with very little snow cover, and finally the memorable Easter Week cold snap that followed 80 degree temperatures.

Drought stressed plants were left in tatters by the hail, and plants that woke up early this spring were frozen off by the April deep freeze. All over town the results are visible. Evergreen shrubs and trees have plenty of brown spots showing up that need to be carefully pruned out. Leafy shrubs and trees need to have badly damaged branches pruned out so new growth can fill in gaps without dead branches impeding and misshaping the new growth.

On evergreen shrubs start by carefully clipping out discolored brown and shriveled foliage even if doing so will leave a gap. Once the dead or damaged material is removed, you can see the shape better and trim moderately on the live parts to get a pleasing shape.

Keep in mind that it may take a couple of growing seasons and more pruning to get evergreen shrubs to really shape up. A big help will be monthly applications of soil acidifying fertilizer such as Miracid. Vigorous growth fills in more quickly and color is improved.

You may have noticed the deciduous (leafy) shrubs and trees have a number of areas where bark is damaged by hail and have already begun to grow new bark back over the wound. Remove any loose bark, fertilize lightly the first half of the growing season, and it won’t hurt to spray fungicide on the wounds to prevent infection until the wounds finish closing up.

Even places where one or more branches were completely stripped off the tree trunk, good long term results are possible as long as canker or fire blight or some other infection does not work its way into healthy tissue. To get a balanced looking tree a couple of years down the road, you may find it necessary to cut back the length of some branches so they match better with the broken or missing branches.

Plant Spotlight: Magnolias. There are 6 to 8 varieties of Magnolia that are Zone 4 hardy for Minnesota gardeners. By following a few strategic planting tips, you should be able to enjoy the beauty of the spring flowers for years. Making the proper choice of a planting location is the most important step. Since Magnolias send out their flower buds before leaves in the spring, as soon as the sun starts to warm the ground and the tree, it will start to activate flower buds. By choosing a location where the late winter/early spring sun doesn’t reach early on, you will postpone bud activation until the danger of killing temperatures should be past. Amend the soil with some peat to help acidify it more – plant your tree and enjoy!

Varieties that have proven to be exceptionally hardy for us are the Merrill’s Magnolia with its snow white flowers, the Royal Star with star shaped white flowers and the wonderful pink of the Leonard Messel. The Merrill’s is the one that will grow the tallest – potentially growing close to 30′ or more while the Royal Star is the little one reaching only a maximum of 10-12′. Leonard Messel is the compromise at 15-20′ in mature height.”

Labels: Magnolia, Yard and Garden Notes by Leif

The hosta is my favorite perennial plant. We have lived in the woods for 15 years and obviously by design were forced into shade perennials. We started out with the usual hostas gracing our gardens - Albo-marginata, Royal Standard, and Lancifolia. That was 15 years ago. Since that time we have expanded our gardens at home from three smaller areas to at least 1/2 acre of hosta garden plus the other annual and perennial beds.

The picture here shows a portion of our hosta gardens. The front part is the original area which we thought was big 15 years ago!

Starting the first week of May - we will be featuring a different hosta on sale along with different companion plants. We stock over 200 varieties of hosta and we’ll be picking out our favorites during the course of the summer. Some will be great specimen plants, and others will boast their abilities to be great border or background plants. Watch the web blog for these weekly upcoming specials and ideas!

Labels: Hosta

We did get our first shipment of annuals in on Wednesday. The cool season annuals should present no problem now with dressing up your patio pots or gardens with them.

We also brought in patio tomatoes this year. They stay more compact than the regular tomatoes which makes growing in a container much easier! You don’t want to leave the pots outside yet with tomatoes in them, but you certainly can get them started inside and have tomatoes sooner. The cool season vegetables also are here!

Check out our April and May promotion for Bonus Bucks! For every $25 you spend during April and May, you will receive one bonus buck that you can redeem in June.

Labels: Spring Plants

After studying several weather web-sites and ascertaining that they are predicting no nights below 39 degrees in the next 15 days, I decided to get moving!

This morning I started the uncovering of my sensitive plants. I pulled back the mulch on some of my Endless Summer Hydrangeas. I found that the new little shoots had started to emerge - about an inch long along the stems that were under the mulch. They were a little yellowish/green and after a few days in the sun - they should be a vibrant green. The great thing with having used my regular mulch to cover them last fall instead of a more inexpensive grade for winter protection, I was able to rake it around the bed and not have to haul in more mulch now to top-dress these areas!

I have a Zone 6 liguilaria which has been growing for two seasons now and last fall piled about 6 inches of mulch on that as well. Since the ground is still cold in this area, it’ll be a few weeks before it’s up so I’m hoping for the best after this crazy winter and cold spring that we’ve had!

We get calls every day asking if it’s too early for this or that. We feel that it is now safe to pull the mulch back and let the plants start to grow. You need to keep in mind that the average date for the last frost in Minnesota is May 15th. Watch the weather and if the temperature is going to get cold - be prepared to cover anything that you think is sensitive.

Labels: Spring Yard Work

I usually like putting pictures in with Leif’s articles - but this week it would have to be a picture of a sad looking bleeding heart that started to come up the end of March or our daylilies here at the nursery on the hillside which don’t look very happy - so - no picture. The phone rang over and over this past week or so with questions like “What is going to happen to my perennials that started to come up?” This article will be in the April 14th - Northfield News.

“Cabin fever? Can anybody relate? Yes, the harbingers of spring were with us ever so briefly a couple of weeks ago, but we can now be sure that we do indeed live in the frozen northland.

Most of us feel stir crazy and are concerned about the perennials that started to emerge before the unusual cold of the last ten days. While there’ll be a few casualties and the already emerged foliage may be damaged, in most cases, the plants will rehabilitate with assistance. As these perennials push additional new growth, you may need to trim off some of the frost damaged parts which will mean a reduction or absence of blossoms. Wait to do the pruning until
you can see clearly which parts are dead.

The buds on many trees and shrubs swelled during the late March warm period and have essentially been at a standstill the last couple of weeks. Here again, there may be some damage to the buds but I anticipate less than on the already emerging perennials. With trees and shrubs, it will take several weeks or more to really determine how much damage occurred during the April cold snap. Don’t rush to prune because you think something might be damaged. On the other hand, if there are trees and shrubs that you were already planning to prune for size reduction or to structurally prune, go ahead and do so, but don’t prune off parts because you think they may have suffered frost or freeze damage. Be sure to see observable damage before you remove parts of the plant unless that part needs to be pruned off whether or not it is damaged.

Most plants hardy for our Zone 4 climate are capable of withstanding pretty extreme temperature fluctuations in weather and most should be just fine. This could be the year we find out if some of our Zone 5 plants that we’ve been experimenting with can handle our changing climate.

One of the aspects of climate change that is notable is not just a general warming of our climate, but greater extremes. For this reason, if you wish to experiment with Zone 5 plants, I’d still recommend that you position these plants in fairly protected areas. Another thing to consider with Zone 5 plants is that the fundamental requirements for optimum plant growth should be more carefully provided than for Zone 4 plants. If a Zone 4 plant is a little stressed from inadequate drainage, a Zone 5 plant in the same place would suffer more from poor drainage due to being marginally zone hardy. This is the fact that makes it more important to choose a spot with good drainage, fertility and sunlight – not to much – not to little when experimenting with Zone 5 plants.

While the cold and damp soil conditions might push back or prolong spring planting of row crops, these cool soil conditions really don’t present much problem with planting trees and shrubs. As long as our soil is dry enough to dig without producing clumps and clods, you can go ahead and comfortably plant trees and shrubs.”

Labels: Spring Yard Work

A favorite shady perennial for spring in our garden is our woodland creeping phlox - Phlox divaricata. The variety in the picture here is “Home Fires”. This clump has been growing here for three seasons - this will be it’s fourth. It does spread, but isn’t invasive. I have taken the runners and started other areas or simply just pull the edges out to keep it contained. For approximately two weeks in the spring - it greets us each time we head out the door with its vibrant pink flowers.

After the flowers are done - it has a nice green mat of foliage which accents the nearby hostas, heucheras, tiarellas and junipers. As the picture demonstrates - it works great in rock gardens and boulder gardens. Part day sun or full shade - it’s definitely a winner in the shade garden!

Labels: Shade Garden, Spring Plants

Plant trees and help the environment! The United Nations Billion Tree Campaign is underway. It is a program that is challenging everyone to plant 1 billion trees worldwide in 2007.

One of our major wholesalers - Bailey Nurseries - has joined the campaign with their part - entitled “Trees are Cool”. They have pledged 100,000 trees to the UN campaign and encourage others to plant a tree(s). We will have information here at the nursery this year promoting this wonderful project.

Each year, we donate trees to various organizations and will continue to do so as one small part of how we help.

The following are just some of the statistics regarding the value of a tree is to the environment.

1. In one year an average tree produces enough oxygen for a family of four, for one year.
2. One tree will absorb the CO2 from 4 cars every year.
3. To make up for the loss of trees in just the past decade, we would need to replant 321 million acres, which would entail planting approximately 14 billion trees every year - for 10 consecutive years.
4. Planting trees remains the cheapest, most effective means of drawing excess CO2 from the atmosphere.
5. Planting 100 million trees could reduce carbon by an estimated 18 million tons per year, while saving American consumers $4 billion each year on utility bills.
6. Shade trees can reduce utility bills for air conditioning by 15-50%.
7. Healthy trees can add up to 15% to residential property values.
8. The net cooling effect of a young, healthy trees is equilavent to 10 room-size air conditions operating 20 hours a day.
9. Studies indicate that trees help create feelings of relaxation and well-being.
10. “When we plant trees, we plant the seeds of peace and seeds of hope” - Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangri Maathi of Kenya.

If you can’t plant a tree - consider giving a Gift Certificate for the next wedding, birthday, house warming present, baby present, funeral memorial, etc. Donate a tree for one of your annual charitable contributions. Other ideas - use e-mail instead of “paper” mail, get involved in your local DNR or arboretum, and probably one of the easiest and maybe most important - discuss this with friends and relatives. Educate others who may not realize the importance of a tree!

Spring rose care will help get your roses off to a more enjoyable blooming season. Many varieties start blooming in mid to late spring, with recurrent bloom cycles through late fall. Unless you are absolutely looking to grow perfect blossoms for competition exhibition, roses actually require much less work than you may think. Carefully chosen varieties of shrub roses will yield a full season’s bounty of blooms!

Timing: Spring rose care should be accomplished after winter kill has become apparent, but before the new leaves unfurl. There are several ways to figure this. I’ve found it is most successful to work on the roses just after or on April 15th - barring no snow or hard frosts are coming. After the winter kill is gone, then remove the broken/damaged branches. Then prune or shape the rose bush to the new growth - where green meets old. Next clean up all branches/twigs from the area and put on the compost pile. A clean bed is a disease free bed!

Feeding: If you hilled-up your roses with mulch last fall, the first thing you need to do is tear down the mulch and spread it around the roses so that is is no more than 1 1/2 inches deep. Then you will want to add a fertilizer (mostly monthly under September). Here are some types:

• Organic: Rose Tone 6-6-4 cover 4lbs per 100 square feet. Scratch into top inch of soil. Feed monthly through middle of September.
• Actagro Humic Fertilizers: These fertilizers have three advantages to them. First, they won’t burn the tender new growth, second - they stimulate rapid new growth, and third - they can protect against salt in the soil.
• Bayer All in One Rose & Flower Care: This is a 3 systemic product all in one! Fertilizer - feeds and renews, insect control and disease control. Protects against insects and diseases for up to 6 weeks. no spraying. Just mix in a watering can and pour at plant base. Kills aphids, black-spot, Japanese beetles, lacebugs, leafhoppers, mealybugs, powdery mildew, rust, southern blight, thrips, whiteflies. Use on roses, flowers, iris, hibiscus azaleas, camellias, rhododendrons and other shrubs. 32 oz. will treat up to 16 roses and other shrubs for about 200 square feet of flower bed.

Bed Preparation: Going off a clean bed is a disease free bed, a great statement! You will want to clean up all the unwanted things in your bed, including, but not limited to: leaves, twigs, branches, trash, debris,dead plant materials and weeds. This will give you a good start to a great seasons of roses and less work for you during the summer. This is recommended to do weekly or when ever you have time. The more you stay on top of this, the happier your roses will be.

Equipment: You will need five good tools: sharp by-pass pruners, by-pass loppers, small pruning saw, elbow length (gauntlet) leather or rubber/plastic gloves, and safety goggles. Don’t forget the long sleeved shirt!

• Over pruning roses in spring tends to weaken the rose. Never prune away more than one-third of the live growth.
• Where possible, cut at a 45 degree angle.
• Once blooming, roses require no further pruning in the spring. Do whatever additional pruning necessary after blooming in early July.
• Reduce Hybrid Tea to 4-5 vigorous canes not shorter than 30 inches. Grandifloras should be reduced to 5-6 canes not shorter than 36 inches. Floribundas to 7-8 canes not shorter than 24 inches. In general, try to achieve a vase-shaped plant to most roses in the categories.
• Especially on hybrid teas and grandifloras, cut 1/2 inch above an outward facing bud. Cut so the 45 degree angles allow water to drain away from, rather than into the bud.
• Mini roses, shrub roses, rugosa roses and repeat blooming antique roses just need a haircut, trimming them to size.
• Treat English roses and romantica roses as grandifloras.
• Trim modern climbing roses and pillar roses to shape. Aged canes should be removed, as should those that grow away from the support to criss-cross awkwardly. Massive rejuvenation pruning is best postponed until early July and done, if at all, every 3 to 5 years.
• To discourage diseases and insects, rake up and discard all pruned material, including leaves, with the trash.

Labels: Rose Care

Another sign of spring is the brilliant blossoms of the Forsythia. The bright yellow flowers
come to life before the leaves emerge giving an incredible color display.

Forsythia need full sun and since they do their thing first thing in the spring, the remainder of the year you will have a nice shrub that has just green leaves and doesn’t flower again. They have an insignificant fall color. Knowing this, Forsythia make a great backdrop in perennial beds, an anchor for a garden or even as a specimen plant.

As an anchor plant in the perennial garden, you will have bright spring color just as the perennials are starting to emerge in the spring. Once your perennials are blossoming, they have this nice green backdrop to show off their colors.

Forsythia are easy to maintain - you can prune them to keep their shape, fertilize lightly and that’s about it. There are many cultivars on the market and while some are as large as the old fashioned lilacs, there are many varieties now that are shorter since most yards can’t accomodate the larger varieties.

Labels: Spring Plants