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Greetings Friends,
Fall harvest is officially in full swing at Johnson's Nursery. Many species of deciduous trees are harvested in autumn, and they will safely remain in our holding yards until spring. Our Horticulturists are as busy now as they are in May, getting material reserved for the 2018 season. Since the spring harvest doesn't begin until mid-March (weather depending), savvy homeowners and wholesale customers pre-book plant stock before the end of the year, to ensure their desired species and quantities are available.
It's no secret that many younger and older generation homeowners alike are ditching larger homes and downsizing for lower maintenance yards with green space views, even in the cities. Municipalities are also planting more trees in compact urban sites and streets than ever before, bringing in a taste of the north woods. This month's article is about Urban Trees: Narrow Space Savers, written by Monika Sancho, Horticulturist/Retail Designer. The plant of the month is the American Beech.
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In This Issue
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Monday: Closed
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by Monika Sancho, Horticulturist/Retail Designer
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A common theme we see in landscapes today are small spaces in need of a vertical accent. Whether you have a limiting lot size or an existing bed with a hole you need to fill, there are many options out there that make for eye-catching height additions. Here are some of our favorite narrow space-saving trees; all of which remain less than 10' wide into maturity.
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SMALL: UNDER 15' TALL
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Trautman Juniper
Juniperus chinensis 'Trautman'
12' TALL, 4' WIDE
Selected by the late Herbert Trautman, this compact, slow growing evergreen has excellent blue-green foliage, and prefers to be grown in full sun. Trautman Juniper is a superior alternative to Blue Arrow and Blue Heaven Juniper because of improved disease resistance. The Trautman is also deer resistant due to sharp needles, making it a great choice for almost any setting.
Chalet Swiss Stone Pine
Pinus cembra 'Chalet'
12' TALL X 4' WIDE
This specimen pine grows slow into a dense tree perfect for a small landscapes. Soft blue-green needles with white undersides add a whimsical elegance to this anchor plant. Best planted in full sun, the Chalet Swiss Stone Pine is an extremely hardy choice for our cold winters. The soft needles and colorful cones add character for year round interest.
Cinderella® Crabapple
Malus 'Cinderella'
8' TALL X 5' WIDE
An attractive crabapple selection with a compact habit that prefers to be planted in full sun for optimal blooms. The Cinderella Crabapple boasts snow white spring blooms followed by dark green deeply cut summer foliage, finishing the season with a yellow-gold fruit display. These fruits are very attractive to birds, and the branching structure of crabapples make for a great shelter.
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Trautman juniper green screen
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Cinderella crabapple snow white spring blooms
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Cinderella's late season yellow-gold-red fruit display
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MEDIUM: 15-20' TALL
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Firespire® Musclewood
Carpinus caroliniana 'J.N. Upright'
20' TALL X 8' WIDE
A multi-useful tree that can be planted in full shade to full sun and tolerates moist soil conditions. This selection has an outstanding upright form and a vibrant orange-red fall color. It functions as a stand-alone plant or can be used for a screen if planted in multiples. Smooth, gray bark resembling muscles adds four season interest to this versatile plant that can be purchased in a single-stem, or multi-stem form.
Standing Ovation™ Serviceberry
Amelanchier alnifolia 'Obelisk'
15' TALL X 4' WIDE
Standing ovation is a multi-stemmed tree that thrives in full sun. In spring, the tree will be covered completely in white flowers that turn to edible berries in June that the birds absolutely love to eat. The dark green leaves turn to red and orange in autumn adding an extra season of interest. This selection is upright with a perfectly oval shape that adds height in small gardens and provides elegant structure in winter.
Gladiator™ Crabapple
Malus x adstringens 'Durleo'
20' TALL X 9' WIDE
Gladiator crabapple is a superior ornamental tree that has a profusion of bright pink flowers followed by small reddish purple fruit on a stately upright crown. The glossy bronze purple leaves will remain all season long- making it a great alternative to a Japanese maple for sunny, unprotected spots. This selection is highly disease resistant and won't lose its leaves mid-summer like many other crabapples do in our area.
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Firespire outstanding fall color
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Multi-stem Standing Ovation Serviceberry
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Gladiator spring flowers display
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Gladiator glossy bronze leaves
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LARGE: 20'-40' TALL
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Cypress Spruce
(Columnar Norway Spruce)
Picea abies 'Cupressina'
40' TALL X 10' WIDE
Fast growing, evergreen specimen that thrives in full sun. This selection is highly disease resistant and boasts a very dense branching structure that persists from top to bottom. An advantage of the Cypress Spruce is that they are deer resistant unlike most arborvitaes- which are like candy to them. The cypress spruce is an extremely urban tolerant tree that withstands heat and humidity better than many other evergreens and can withstand a heavy snow load in winter.
Red Obelisk Beech
Fagus sylvatica 'Red Obelisk'
40' TALL X 10' WIDE
Handsome columnar tree with deep purple crinkled foliage all season long. Slow growth habit and narrow form make it ideal for smaller landscapes. The Red Obelisk Beech can be used as a striking vertical accent or a specimen tree in most any setting. Smooth, silver bark contrasts perfectly against the purple leaves, making for an attractive winter interest even after the leaves fall. This tree thrives in a full sun setting with regular watering-especially in extreme heat.
Parkland Pillar Birch
Betula platyphylla 'Jefpark'
40' TALL X 6' WIDE
Boasting dense, dark green summer foliage on white bark followed by a stunning golden fall color, this tree looks great planted with the Gladiator Crabapple to create a striking contrast of colors for the whole season. This birch is fast growing and tolerant to conditions like heat, drought, and alkaline soils making it very suitable for our landscapes. If you are in need of a privacy screen for the summer months, the pillar birch looks great planted in multiples to create a unique, dense screen.
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Red Obelisk deep purple foliage
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Fast growing Parkland Pillar birch
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Parkland Pillar dark green summer foliage
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PLANT OF THE MONTH
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American Beech
Fagus grandifolia
There is something magical about a stand of native beech trees in a Wisconsin forest. As if a moment before, fairies and sprites may have been dancing among the branches. In autumn, people make such a fuss about the colors of maples and ash trees in Door County and our local Holy Hill Basilica in Hubertus, but I prefer to go hiking late in the fall, when the beeches still cling to their now bronze leaves and the crowds have died down.
Beech trees are not for the impatient- it will take many, many years to reach their mature height of 60+ feet, but they make a lovely addition to the yard with smooth, gray, often mottled bark, giving the trees a stately appearance even in winter. And not everyone has the site for a beech. They like rich soils with lots of organic matter, and need protection from the elements, so if your yard is very windy, use the house or other trees as a wind-break.
Beech trees located in Michigan and further east are being infected by beech bark disease, a necrotic fungus spread by a scale insect. So far, the disease has not been found in the Milwaukee area, but it is spreading through Door County, which is why it is so important to buy trees grown locally.
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Beech in #5 RootMaker container
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Characteristic bark on mature Beech
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| Glossy green summer foliage |
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| Picturesque fall foliage colors |
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LEAF LORE
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BEECH NUTS
It takes about 40 years for a beech tree to produce nuts. The nut is encased in a burred husk that pops open into four sections to reveal the meat inside (if you own a beech tree, you know not to walk bare foot around lest you get a husk stuck in your flesh). The scientific name, Fagus, is Latin for "to eat", because so many creatures of the forest rely on the high fat and protein content in their diets. You might be familiar with the company Beech-Nut Nutrition. Now the third-largest baby food brand in the country, the Beech-Nut brand began in 1890 New York with smoked hams that supposedly retained the nutty flavor of the hogs' diet.
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VIDEOS & GUIDES
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from Carrie's Quick Tips
Duration 0:52
Is it too late to plant? The answer? Not at all. But it is a good idea to get perennials and evergreens in the ground by mid-October....Learn more
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from The Dirt with Carrie Hennessy
Duration 4:20
Autumn in Wisconsin is a special time. Roadsides are painted in orange, red, and yellow. The air smells crisp and it's time to get out the sweaters...
Learn more
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from The Dirt with Carrie Hennessy
Duration 3:17
Spring is a great time to install fresh bark mulch in your landscape beds, before the perennials emerge. Johnson's Nursery carries several options of premium bark mulch...
Learn more
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from Carrie's Quick Tips
Duration 0:51
To commemorate your joyous occasion, we would like to offer your family a discount. The plant
will grow alongside your little one and, like your child, has been raised locally....
Learn more
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from The Dirt with Carrie Hennessy
Duration 4:54
Did you know the phrase "the bee's knees" originally described something tiny and insignificant? Since then it has evolved to mean something outstanding...
Learn more
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Watch all of our plant and landscaping videos on our YouTube channel. We invite you to visit and subscribe.
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DON'T FORGET
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Learn More |
Do You Like To DIY?
We Plan-You Plant offers the guidance of our experts, who will use information gathered from you to create a professional landscape design--at no cost--when you purchase your plants at Johnson's Nursery.
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Learn More |
Recycle Your Plant Pots/Trays
If you throw certain landscape plastics (i.e #2, #5, #6) in the trash, they will sit in the landfill and will not get recycled. You can return them to us--for free--all year long. Act locally, think globally. Recycle.
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Expanding Your Family Tree?
Have you had a baby recently? Let us extend congratulations by offering you a 25% discount on any plant of your choosing. Like your child, our plants are raised locally and will grow strong.
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RESOURCE GUIDES & DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT
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We appreciate the opportunity to serve and provide you with quality nursery stock.
Sincerely,
Johnson's Nursery, Inc.
™
W180 N6275 Marcy Road. Menomonee Falls, WI 53051 (
map)
p. 262.252.4988
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FOR MORE PLANT MATTERS...
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