Knecht’s

The Elms are back!  There are now many varieties of Elm back on the landscape market that are disease resistant to the Dutch Elm disease.  The Elm is a tree that can handle difficult soil conditions, is a fast grower and a wonderful shade tree.  It just doesn’t show a lot of vibrant colors in the fall just more of a nice yellow color.

Some of the varieties that we are carrying now are Discovery, Danada Charm, Vanguard, Prospector, Frontier, New Horizons, Accolade, Princeton and Triumph Elm.  Some of these are hybrids and others are true American Elms.  This weekend, Mary Schier and her husband Steve, were in and purchased a Triumph Elm to be planted in their front yard.  Mary is the editor of the Northern Gardener magazine and has been a customer of ours for many years.   After doing research for articles and knowing the wonderful attributes of the Elms now with so many being resistant to Dutch Elm, they came in search for a new elm.  With the help of Leif, Mary and Steve picked out the Triumph Elm.  Triumph Elm is a hybrid between the Vanguard and Accolade Elm - features an upright oval to vase-shaped growth habit and has glossy dark green foliage.  In the next week or so - our crews will be installing this new tree in their yard here in Northfield!

We have taken our first shipment of the Minnesota hardy fall Mums!  In several shades of yellow, purple, and bronze get yours now for those fall color displays.  We also have a limited number of straw bales for fall decorating and plenty of the ever popular purple fountain grass to accent with for fall!  Get a head start on your fall decorating! 

This is the time of the season that the hydrangeas are doing their thing with the gorgeous flower balls in colors from white, pink and blue.  The Pinky Winky Hydrangea, pictured here, is a newer introduction onto the hydrangea scene.  It has two-toned flower heads with large 12"-16" flowers that emerge white, then turn pink.  The dark green foliage provides a great contrast for the flowers - which makes a stunning statement in your garden.

We have many other hydrangeas in stock as well.  The reliable Annabelle, Pee Gee, Tardiva, Quik Fire, and the blue Endless Summer.  Hydrangea flowers are also wonderful to cut, dry and use in arrangements indoors.

Now is a great time to start planning your beds for the spring of 2009!  By now you know what did and didn’t work this season and you can also see what other people have done and how it’s doing.  I can take full credit for very few combinations of annuals and perennials - most have been found by trial and error on my part or on the part of a fellow gardener.  So, make those notes now, take those pictures, and let yourself start dreaming about those colors, textures and combinations that are yet to be.

Pictured here is a glorious Morning Glory.  A blue that true will make anyone stop and take notice.  It’s like the sky dropped a little piece of itself and it landed on our trellis.  These Morning Glory vines may be annuals but they are wonderfully vigorous and fast growing climbers that can make quick work of a trellis or an arbor.  This year we planted them on the same trellis as our porcelain vine so that the trellis would fill in more quickly but also to extend the bloom season.

(The above article was submitted by Heidi Gervais - our retail manager)

We are right in the middle of our summer sale!   We have blocks of plants that are 30% off which are marked with yellow flags and other blocks of plants marked with pink flags which are 50% off. 

Perennials - these plants are 50% off!!

Prairie Sky Panicum Grass, Candy Tuft, Joicus and standard Joe-Pye Weed, Plume Poppy, assorted Iris, assorted garden lilies, Silver Lace Vine, Porcelain Vine, Yellow Japanese Sage, Pink Chimes Campanula, Superba Campanula, Joan Elliot Campanula, Virginia Water Leaf, Oriental Limelight Sage, Bergenia, Barren Strawberry and assorted Yarrow. 

The shrubs and trees that are at 30% off include -

Lilacs (except for Dwarf Korean), Tri-Lights Azalea, Magnolias, #1 container Pines and Spruce, #5 container Colorado Spruce, #3 container Norway Spruce, Black Hills Spruce, White Pine, Scotch Pine and Colorado Spruce, #7, #10, #15 container White Pine and Fir trees, and #2, #3, #5 container Fat Albert Spruce.

The shrubs and trees that are at 50% off include -

White Knight and Rumba Weigela; Arnold’s Red Honeysuckle, Alleman’s Compact Dogwood, Assorted roses, Little Lamb, Pee Gee, Tardiva Hydrangea, Elderberry, Azaleas, (except Tri-lights), selected Viburnums, selected Winterberry, Spiral Junipers, Sester Dwarf Blue Spruce, #2 Techny Arborvitae, Honeylocust, Wahoo trees, Pagoda Dogwood, Harvest Gold, Lancelot & Lollipop Crabs, #3 container trees of the following varieties: Prairiefire Crab, Pin Oak, N. Red Oak, Blue Beech, Whitespire Birch, Autumn Blaze Maple, Sienna Glen Maple, Northwood Maple, Ironwood, Chokecherry, Bur x Swamp White hybrid Oak

All of our 2008 spring dug balled and burlapped trees are 20% off through August and we still have a few 2007 dug balled and burlapped trees that are 50% off.  On these larger trees - this is an exceptionally good buy.  

With the cooler temperatures predicted for the next week or so - people are planting!!  Our August has been very, very busy!  Stop in soon and pick out some plants for that late summer or fall planting project!