Knecht’s

The following article is being submitted by Paula Kangas - our Assistant Retail Manager. Sunrise Sunset (Rosa ‘BALset’ (PPAF) has been developed by Bailey Nurseries

‘My favorite new rose! As the name implies, Sunrise Sunset is a stunning blend, with bright fuchsia pink petals changing to apricot yellow near the center. The slight blue-green foliage is very disease resistant on this everblooming shrub. Its dense, spreading habit makes it an ideal ground cover and is very well suited to mass plantings. A vigorous grower, even in zone 4.

If you haven’t stopped in yet to see our fushia shade cloth covering the greenhouses - I’m sure you couldn’t have missed it — then you would not want to miss this stunning rose!! It captures your eye and it is extremely hard for us plus it is fushia. You will love it!

One of my favorite miniature hostas is Pandora’s Box. We have had this planted in one of our boulder gardens for several years now and it does exceptionally well. It is a sport of Baby Bunting and was developed by Shady Oaks Nursery from Waseca, MN. It will reach a mature height of 6″ or so and with bright purple flowers in mid-summer it will delight everyone!

I’ve done several different blogs over the years about the wildlife adventures here at the nursery. Well - one of those you have to see it to believe it moments has happened here this last week.

To back up a moment - we have thousands of potted trees for sale here and to keep them from blowing over in the wind - we have installed wood racks and we tie the trees with string to the wood racks which has worked incredibly well. Obviously with the wind this last few weeks - we have noticed several trees that have tipped over with the wind. We then instruct employees to be more diligent about making sure that all the trees are tied in.

Well…. Heidi (our Retail Manager) saw several pieces of rope lying on the ground and started to investigate further. On one of the wood racks in the apple tree section, a robin was in the midst of building a nest. In the nest were several of the ropes. Now - this was yesterday. This morning - Leif wanted me to see it and we went over and there were several more pieces of rope dangling and she had “mudded” the nest. Hopefully she’s through untying the trees and ready to lay her eggs. We tie these trees with a bow -just like your shoe lace so she just pulled at the loop and there you go - she had the string.

Labels: Wildlife

Yesterday we had some of our employees out to help us with some of the “final” touches to the gardens at our home in preparation for next week’s Northfield Garden Club Tour. Pictured here is Peter Douglass and Jason Hendricks. The other crew members there yesterday included Rob Abbott, Richard Middleton, Kevin Boren, Caitlyn Borek, Mike Schlottman and Todd Marnie. With the nursery being open 7 days a week and Leif and I are here most of that time - it’s hard to keep up with everything. We usually get it all done, but with everything having the same deadline of next week - we called in the troops. We thank all employees for all of their hard work at helping us get ready.

Tickets are available on site as well as here at the nursery. Please see the previous blog post concerning tickets and more info!

The bark on young trees is completely different than that of big old trees. When mowing grass, clipping grass or cutting it with a string trimmer - you need to exercise caution. Please read through Leif’s article for the June 9th - Northfield News as he is discussing damage caused to young trees - mostly unintentional by people who “love” their trees sometimes to death!

“Last week I made mention of some factors that often cause plants in the landscape to struggle, and one of these was over-aggressive use of string trimmers around tree trunks. This is one of the most serious tree problems that I see with regularity. Bark that carries important nutrients and water to the leaves is damaged, and the tree loses vigor.

Healing from string trimmer damage is difficult because most of the time new wounds are being inflicted on a weekly basis. The problem usually just gets worse and worse, since the person causing the damage does not realize how serious the problem will be in the long run. There are different degrees of damage, but sad to say, I have seen far too many valuable trees that have no bark left in a little band all the way around the base of the tree.

I have seen cases where on some property complexes tens of thousands of dollars of damage has been inflicted on the trees by string trimmers. A much friendlier approach is to mulch around each tree after first killing the grass with a spray of Roundup and Weed Be Gone. Avoid scalping out sod if possible since you will also be scalping out important fine feeder roots that are important for the tree. Spray grass and weed killer when winds are light in order to make sure the herbicide lands where you want it. Keep the spay nozzle very close to the grass to minimize drift and do not allow spray to hit the tree. Just get close to the trunk with contact herbicide. Mix herbicides and apply only at the rates suggested on the package. Later on as grass migrates into the mulch, spot spray once or twice a season to keep the mulch clean, or pull the invading grass and weeds by hand.

In a misguided attempt to avoid the need for use of string trimmers around the tree trunk, many people install a ring of plastic edging around the tree, and place weed barrier fabric and rock mulch up to the tree trunk. This can look nice and tidy, but it can be a hindrance to the ideal root system development of the tree. It is not nearly as serious as string trimmer damage, but may rob a little vigor from the tree.

Edging that extends 4″ to 6″ into the ground is a barrier to the natural root system development. The top 4″ to 6″ of soil is where the most important feeder roots of the tree are found. Trees naturally send roots outwards like spokes in a wheel, and when important feeder roots have to detour down and around the plastic edging, in the long run the deformed roots may not be able to send as many nutrients to the tree canopy.

Brace roots may also be affected by plastic, brick or steel rings around the tree. As trees grow larger, the canopy of the tree catches more and more wind. Gradually over time the trees respond to the increasing wind pressure on an enlarging canopy by developing strong brace roots. A healthy tree widens just as it enters the ground. The wider base and the brace roots that are helping the tree develop a sturdier foundation need to be able to expand. Barriers such as edging can potentially cause less than ideal development of both feeder roots and brace roots.

It is better for the tree to be mulched with a couple inches of good bark or wood chips, and without edging. An added benefit will be more rapid growth of the tree since a lease some of the grass competition is eliminated. This enhanced growth rate will be most evident during the first 3 to 8 years that the tree is in the landscape.

Plant Spotlight: Spireas. These hardy and versatile shrubs can be relied on to perform well in many situations. Available in many varieties and sizes, sprieas are pretty low maintenance. Prune once every 1-3 years and try to place where they get at least a few hours of sun or more.”

Labels: Yard and Garden Notes by Leif

The phone rings several times a day with questions people have regarding the status of newly planted - and established plantings. It may be a simple question - but some take a little longer to give advice on. The article Leif published in the
June 2nd - Northfield News shares some of these problems and concerns.

“Each growing season I field a wide variety of calls about concerns people have with poorly performing plants, or plants that look sick or unsightly. About half the time through a little question and answer exchange, it is possible to get enough information to conclude that the perceived problem is not serious and that in many cases a good remedy or patience, will result in a plant that begins to perform as hoped.

In other situations, it appears that serious problems probably exist. For some of these plants, decisive action or a major undertaking may turn the tide towards good health. In some cases, it is soon apparent that the plant in question is nearly or already dead, and that the best plan is to prepare for a suitable replacement, perhaps with a plant that better fits the site condition.

Lately a lot of calls are about leaves with brown spots, holes, frayed edges and an appearance that might make you think the plant is wilting. Most of these conditions resulted from the violent winds on the weekend of May 5th and 6th, just when unfolding leaves were at their most tender condition. Two days of pounding winds frayed or cracked thin leaf tissue and within a few days, cells near these cracks browned out, and then on the next hot windy days, the brown areas mostly disappear as dead leaf tissue turned to powder and vanished with the wind. The good news is that leaf tattering is not fatal. The affected leaves will look bad for the rest of the season, but new leaves on the ends of rapidly growing shoots have a good chance of fully forming without leaf tattering, if winds are merely brisk, but not violent during the 1-2 week period that each leaf needs to reach a full size and full thickness.

Plants that have really thick leaves are usually resistant to leaf tattering. So too for plants that are sheltered from the full brunt of the wind. If your site is really windy, you may want to consult your favorite nursery professional for guidance on which varieties will stand up best to tough wind, and which to avoid.

Another concern expressed recently is trees that are growing at a slow rate. Many times the cause is poor drainage and chronically waterlogged soil in the root zone. Another big contributor to slow growth is grass growing right up to the trunk. When allowed to grow in the area within 3 feet of the tree trunk, even grass that is mowed short is a ferocious competitor with the tree for water and nutrients. An added danger is that when grass is growing tight to the tree trunk overly aggressively string trimmer use may cut into the thin bark of a fairly young tree. I’ve seen countless trees that have been almost completely girdled by string trimmers and ruined.

Hail damage is another big issue this spring. The only thing to do is to trim off damaged twigs, branches or bark and moderately fertilize once a month in April, May, June and July. With dead tissue gone, the available fertilizer will enable the plant to quickly fill in the gaps in one or two growing seasons.

Birds of all kinds are feeding heavily right now in order to feed their young. Last evening, I saw a small finch land on a branch of a tree a few feet from our deck. A couple of seconds later, another bird almost the same size landed next to the first, and the first bird fed the second, putting something right into the young one’s beak. The young bird was almost as big as the parent, and could fly well, but was still learning how to gather its own food, and still relying on “Mom and Pop”.

This week the hummingbirds have been very busy at our two feeders. They must have nests of hungry little ones nearby. This coincides nicely with the annual flowers that are now producing good numbers of blossoms due to the favorable conditions for rapid establishment we’ve enjoyed during May. Mild temps and no killing frost have our annual beds looking very nice for early June. The hummingbirds certainly like the extra flowers.”

Labels: Yard and Garden Notes by Leif

August 24th, 2006 — A day that will stay in the memory of the Northfield community for years to come. The city and surrounding area was hit by a devasting 100 year hail storm. Millions of hail stones - baseball size and larger hit the community. Now most roofs have been replaced - cars have been repaired and the like - however on the evergreen trees and shrubs in the area - they are looking sad and brown. With evergreens - the hail damage doesn’t show up for several months. Over the winter, these plants were in the dormant period and now in the spring when it was time to start pushing growth for this year - the damaged areas are appearing. Leif’s article in the May 25th Northfield News gives some recommendations on what can be done. Visit our Photo Gallery for several pictures on what our nursery looked like during and after the storm!

“Property owners in Northfield and other areas devastated by the baseball sized hail last August are now seeing the full effects on landscaping plants. Shade trees, ornamental trees and leafy shrubs have tip die back on branches or even a few entire branches that failed to sprout new leaves.

Evergreen shrubs and trees of all kinds now have dead brown foliage all over that initially looked fairly good last fall. Most of these plants can be brought back to a nice appearance with careful removal of just the dead and damaged portion. Take care not to cut out evergreen foliage that is still healthy.

This “snip and clip” process can go quickly on some evergreen varieties and becomes more tedious and painstaking on others. Some will require only a minute or two, while larger evergreen shrubs and trees may take up to an hour, or even require professional tree trimming equipment such as a bucket truck. DO NOT take unnecessary risks doing acrobatics on a ladder trying to clean up a tree. Use an extendable pole pruner on small to medium spruce, pine and arborvitae, or hire a tree trimming company for larger trees.

The good news it that pruning out the dead twigs and foliage can make a dramatic difference in the appearance of the plant. What minutes earlier looked like a sure candidate for replacement might with some “snip and clip” and a nice fertilization yield a fine looking plant capable of plenty of in-filling of the small gaps left by the missing foliage.

The trick is to get yourself out the door and get started, or to call in a nursery professional or arborist. Whether you do it yourself or hire this task done, the results are bound to be immediate and satisfying. On a very few landscape plants severe damage to a very important area might still call for replacement. If in doubt, do some of the cleanup and see what you think.

The reason your established plants have an amazing ability to recover once dead foliage is removed is their large root systems. A big root system can provide the plant with huge amounts of nutrients to do a lot of healing up and filling in. Brand new plants can’t recover as fast because their root systems are tiny compared to a plant that has been growing roots in the same spot for 5, 10 20 or even 50 years.

Around the nursery some of the plants that got hail damage looked pretty tough during April. But already with just a few weeks of growth flush, its quite amazing how good most of them appear.

The time you spend in your landscape snipping and clipping this spring and early summer may be some of the most visually and financially productive activity you can do this gardening season. Several mild fertilizer applications about 3-4 weeks apart will also be a huge benefit for the plants and hasten the day when they look as nice as they did before the hail storm.

Plant Spotlight: Old fashioned Pink & white Bleeding Heart. (Dicentra spectablis) Few plants in my garden provide such consistently reliable and showy floral displays year after year. A good bleeding heart can be an anchor for the garden for many decades, and as we celebrate Memorial Day, I am reminded of the blood shed and sacrifice of the millions of Veterans whose valor has purchased our freedom. For this reason, you will find Old Fashioned Bleeding Heart at our Northfield Area Veterans Memorial as a tribute to all who have served our Nation. “

Labels: Yard and Garden Notes by Leif