It’s that time of year again. The weather is hot, and the days are long. The plants are growing, blooming, and the season is in full swing. The last thing on your mind is spring bulbs! This time of year, bulbs are at the forefront of mine.  Updating our bulb selection and preparing for our Early Order Bulb Program can take quite a bit of time. Last year, we revamped the program. Largely due to the quantity increase from 50 tulips per box to 100 per box and the daffs from 50 to 75. Along with the increased quantities in these bulb sizes, we added an additional value to our customers by offering quantity breaks at 2 boxes for all of our Crocus and unusual varieties, including Chionodoxa, Hyacinthoides, Iris, Muscari, and Scilla.

The Early Order Bulb Program allows our customers to take advantage of some substantial savings. Although there is still a discount for the more boxes you buy, it doesn’t even compare to the savings of getting that order in quickly!

This season we have added a few more selections to choose from.

Unfortunately, every season we lose a few varieties that we have enjoyed. The good news is that there are so many fun choices it is exciting to see what each season holds in store! Be on the lookout for our bulb mailer that should land mid-July, but you can digitally check it out and print it if you click here! (The password is the same as the availability password on your e-mail) We also have the flyers at all our service counters. And don’t forget your BulbTone!!

Welcome back – I hope that everyone had a great holiday. Whew! Spring is finally over! For me, summer is a time of slight relaxation. 2023 is humming along and I have a month until I must start 2024. (Let’s not think about that!).

I wanted to check with everyone and make sure you all saw some of the new plant varieties at the nursery – if not, come on in as there are more newbies here and incoming.

There are a couple of new plants that I am excited about. Of the hundreds of new cultivars every year it is hard to know what to choose. Sometimes, I throw dice, sometimes I look at the magic 8-ball, and sometimes it has to do with a catchy name (I am a sucker for a catchy name!). Then I do some research and decide if the name is catchy enough! Check some of these out:

I have a couple of newer grasses this year, as well. My favorite is the Andropogon gerardii cultivars. Check out ‘Holy Smoke’ (Cheech and Chong movie ??), ‘Blackhawks’ (again with the movie?), and Red October (another movie!). ‘Holy Smoke’ and ‘Blackhawks’ both are going to be 4-5’ tall and ‘Red October’ is a dwarf coming in at 2-4’. All 3 are native prairie grass and rock hardy. All 3 also have purple-green leaves and get varying shades of red from mid-late summer through fall.

I also have a couple of new Hydrangeas! Please don’t tell Chris!!! They are a secret. The one I am most excited about is Hydrangea paniculata ‘Puffer Fish’, “a Bobo on steroids”! It has white flowers that age lime and pink. They will typically send another flower at this same time and rebloom over top of older blooms. It gives the effect of double flowers – very showy. It seems everyone likes the compact habit of the ‘Tuff Stuff’ so take a look at this one ‘Pop Star’ . This one is from the Endless Summer people. This is a typical blue or pink lacecap (macrophylla). However, ‘Pop Star’ is far more compact (and looks far denser) than the traditional ‘Endless Summer’. Its biggest claim to fame is that it reblooms much faster than a traditional ’Endless Summer’.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get my hands on Jeffery’s Weigela ‘Bubbly Wine’. If you were unaware, Jeff Good is now the patent holder of Proven Winners® Weigela ‘Bubbly Wine’. I will let him tell you all about it. I on the other hand will tell you about a relative of Weigela ‘Midnight Wine’ with darker, shinier burgundy leaves and a 12’ tall about 3’ wide habit. W. ‘Midnight Wine Shine’ is also much denser. Finally, W. ‘Very Fine Wine’ is a dwarf – 30x30” with better hardiness and heavier rebloom.

Before I let you go – let’s talk Ilex crenata ‘Sky Pencil’ I have not grown this personally and we have not had it at the nursery before. Everyone is yelling at me about this plant. Everyone wants it and I keep saying it is not hardy enough for us, you keep saying it is! I have special ordered this plant in the past and those that have put it in the landscape have told me they are hardy. So, this year I will stock a few. Ilex crenata ‘Sky Pencil’ is a female ilex and will need a pollinator to bloom (any ilex that blooms at this same time will work.) ‘Sky Pencils’ get to be about 6-8’ and 2’ wide – yes, with a very columnar habit. It is a very dense tightly branched shrub. Considered a solid zone 6 possibly a zone 5 – it may all depend on the winter. Berries or not, it is a good-looking plant!

Have you tried these new varieties? Let us know what you think of them! We welcome your feedback on the plants we stock.

I hope to see you around the plant center, checking out all the new stuff!

Bee-lieve it or not, I have never, in my life been stung by a bee. In all my years working here at the plant center, I have managed to avoid that painful sting. Often by running around like a crazy person, screeching. The fear of the unknown is probably worse than the actual pain. As scared as I am, there are so many benefits to planting pollinator-friendly varieties that I would like to share with you. The pollination of food-grown crops, the growing number of endangered insects, easy maintenance, and low-cost gardening are just a few. Pollinator plants attract bees, wasps, butterflies, bats, and even hummingbirds. These benefits far outweigh the fear of the sting.

Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the male parts of one flower to the female parts of another, within the same species. Pollination results in fertilization, which is essential to fruit and seed production. This process is accomplished by insects, birds, reptiles, and some mammals. Fertilization is essential in food-grown crops such as fruit trees. Approximately 75% of the world’s flowering plants and 35% of the world’s food-grown crops depend on pollinators for their success. That’s roughly one in every three bites! That makes pollinators an essential factor in the global food web.

Another important reason to grow pollinating plants is the declining number of honeybees and other pollinators. This is largely due to human actions such as pesticide use, urbanization, emerging pathogens, parasites, and predators. US beekeepers are losing up to 30% of their colonies each year. While there are still over 2.88 million honeybee colonies in the US, some species are still considered vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered. 

Pollinators are important for many reasons. Global food production, making sure invaluable insects endure, and helping our environment, and the important ecosystems within it thrive, are just a few. Planting pollinators is cost-effective, low maintenance, and will help you feel that you are doing your part to preserve our valuable planet. Just try not to get stung, I’ve heard it hurts!

My inspiration for this week’s Sticks & Stones is a trip that my family took last year. We traveled over to the Netherlands and France to cheer on my daughter’s team. But being a plantsman, I really noticed how trees are done along the roadways in Europe. I wondered if there is a way that we could do something similar here. I was impressed by the way the trees were well-manicured to keep the line of vision clear for drivers.

Since we are looking at the smaller crab apples, another overlooked variety is the Malus Sargent Tina. It fits into the dwarf category at about 4’-5’ tall and wide when mature. When the buds start to form in the spring, they start out with a pink color and then go to a brilliant white that is fragrant. While it is not as “fragrant” as a Cleveland pear, it differs in being considered a pleasant scent as opposed to the generally distasteful aroma of the pear. As with the Sargentii’s, Sargent Tina also attracts pollinators in the spring and has a ¼" fruit in the fall that attracts and sustains birds through winter.

There are so many reasons for individual homeowners, and hardscape or landscape installers to use a professional landscape designer when it is time to create an outdoor space.

Some of the best hardscape and plant installers I know have an artistic eye and can create beautiful outdoor areas. Can those incredible spaces be done without professional input or planning of some type? Sure, but only considering the aesthetic can have detrimental downsides. For example, installing the wrong paver on a driveway can result in broken pavers and unhappy clients. Installing the wrong plants can mean dead plants, the wrong balance of plants, or plants that outgrow the space they were intended for.

While it might seem quicker to just show up on a site with a truckload of random plants and start installing them on a property, there is a higher chance of failure. If you’re providing a warranty on those plants, that is money out of your pocket in time, manpower, and loss of installation time on another site that could be making you money.

Everyone has their favorite part of an installation. Whether it’s hardscape or softscape, we all have our opinions on what’s most important. While I love a good hardscape, I am most passionate about plants. But as a professional designer, I realize that the plants I use can be made to look more impressive if they are incorporated with a good hardscape. The reverse is also true. The simplest hardscape design and installation can be better when plants are added to showcase its structure, use, colors, etc. It’s my job to sense the whole picture and meld both of those items for the best result. Melding both is how the best designs are created. Then, of course, professional designers can add lighting, pots, structures, and many other design elements to step it up to the next level. A professional designer always keeps the big picture in mind and never just focuses on one aspect of the outdoor space.

The best designers listen to the clients’ needs and wants and work to achieve a buildable and sustainable overall plan. The hardscape must serve the needs of the homeowner while working within the limitations of the site, building codes, and product limitations. The plant selection needs to be attractive, and long-term with the right care. That care must fit the homeowner’s ability to do the work, or their willingness to hire a pro to care for it. When selecting plants, this information can make a difference in the long-term happiness of the client.

Did you know that our industry dumps thousands of new plants onto the market each year? Using a designer that is highly trained, has hands-on knowledge and continues to stay up to date on the latest plants, problems, products, and trends can make for a better installation process and result for the entire group of people involved. Save yourself the time and headaches of sifting through all the nuances by utilizing a designer.

A professional design doesn’t happen in the blink of an eye. Site information needs to be collected. Client desires, lifestyle, the intended use of the spaces, etc. must be considered. Then, the design process starts. It’s a time-consuming process that needs to be thought through to meet all the criteria for all parties involved. There is VALUE in good design. I’ve owned my own design/build firm. I have worked for other firms. Now, I do freelance design for many companies and homeowners. For my entire career in the green industry, I’ve stressed the fact that designs should never be given away. There is value in good design, and it needs to be treated with that respect.

If you would like to talk more about the pros and cons to professional landscape design, Beth Rowley can be reached at barowley02@gmail.com or 734-890-9386.

Recently, my wife and I celebrated what would have been the 100th birthday of her Aunt Ruth. Every family has at least one of these relatives. You know, the ones that keep the family together and focused. It's been tough on the family cohesion since we said goodbye to her. Ruth was a product of the Great Depression - frugal, smart with her money, hard-working, yet generous. Like many of her generation, she saved and re-used to a fault - old-fashioned recycling. Most notably she never threw away a good box. Somewhere somebody or something could always use a good box. Sometimes, we would open up some of the boxes only to find inside, you guessed it, more boxes. As she neared 90 my wife said she was a very neat, organized hoarder.

Well, at Christensen's we have thousands of good ‘boxes’. But we don't hoard them, we sell the #*%@ out of them. No sooner does a new group of boxwoods arrive when you see swarming sales reps tagging off pre-sold material, often arguing over whose customer is first in line on the backorder list. It can get ugly! Stock has moved so quickly that there are usually large patches of open gravel, usually only seen in early spring or late fall.

However, Buxus is not the only game in town. Many contractors have comfort zones so they don’t necessarily look at other options. But they are missing the opportunity to diversify their selection.

The most obvious substitution for boxwood is another broadleaf, such as Ilex. Box hollies are perfect but unfortunately do not consistently perform through our desiccating winters. Ilex opaca, or Inkberry, performs well and the newer varieties, Shamrock and Gem Box, can easily be mistaken for boxwood.

Azaleas are also perfect, but many shy away from the Rhodoendron family due to a perceived difficulty in establishing these plants. Contractors who do not plant these may not realize the need for a premium (more nutrient rich) medium and plenty of fertilizer. Also, the timing of the plantings of many broadleafs can make the difference between success and failure. Getting the plants rooted early will help the growth and development of Azaleas. If you add these practices into your Azalea planting routine, they make an excellent flowering substitution.

The newest group at Christensen’s is Box Honeysuckle, Lonicera nitida 'Thunderbolt.' Yes, this honeysuckle is evergreen, and its species describes it as shining and glittering. This and more box honeysuckles seem to be making their way here by way of Europe. It is much faster growing than Buxus and can be trimmed into any imaginable shape. This lends itself to both traditional and more contemporary applications.

Our Aunt Ruth was quite the world traveler. She probably saw hedges of these Honeysuckles years before I learned of them. And, I'm sure there are many beautiful hedges at her current home.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. I know, with all the pink popping up, it’s probably hard to forget. Since 1 in 8 women will be affected by this debilitating disease in their lifetime, you may even know someone diagnosed and receiving treatment. While my grandmother fought it twice and was victorious both times, my aunt passed away 12 years ago at the age of 46. As you can see, this cause is very personal to me.

There are many ways to join in the fight against breast cancer, but one of the easiest for people in the horticulture industry is to buy and install the Invincebelle® Spirit II Hydrangea arborescens.

The Invincebelle® Spirit II takes the groundbreaking breeding of the original and improves on it with brighter color, more abundant flowers and a stronger rebloom. The entire plant is more compact and bushier with stronger stems.

The Invincebelle® series is a step forward in arborescens breeding, but what makes Spirit really unique is the mission to eradicate breast cancer. Donating one dollar per plant, Spirit and, now, Spirit II have raised over one million dollars for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Myra Biblowit, BCRF President & CEO, has said, “Proven Winners has made a real and tangible impact on advancing breast cancer research—raising over $1 million since 2010 to fund more than 23,000 hours of critical research through BCRF.”

Founded by Evelyn H. Lauder in 1993, BCRF-funded investigators have been deeply involved in every major breakthrough in breast cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. This year, BCRF will support the work of more than 275 scientists at leading medical and academic institutions across 15 countries, making BCRF the largest private funder of breast cancer research worldwide. BCRF is one of the nation’s most fiscally responsible nonprofits and is the only breast cancer organization in the U.S. with an “A+” from Charity Watch and Charity Navigator’s highest rating of four stars. Proven Winners® is very pleased to be working with the BCRF and plans to continue fighting this deadly disease.

Even if this particular cause isn’t close to your heart, it may affect your customers. I chose to plant an Invincebelle® Spirit in my aunt’s memory and have planted even more because the show of color is spectacular. Consider choosing this beautiful variety when installing Hydrangeas. It may mean only a little to you or your customer, but it might mean the world to women affected by breast cancer.

So, by now most people know that I am a hobbyist. I have everything from R/C cars, planes, helicopters, drones, and even an r/c boat. That’s all great stuff for the outdoors, but when winter comes, I am a solid inside guy. I don’t ice fish or ski; I have never even sat on a snowmobile, however, I have just as many indoor hobbies as I do outdoor. One of my favorites is working on a model train layout.

The train layout is around 120’ square feet and takes up ½ of my basement. I have modeled it after a modern-day early 2000 to 2010 era. This can make it challenging to find modern buildings, vehicles, and industrial equipment. Luckily though, the landscape materials are easy to find, and as many styles and designs have changed through the years, the core material is still the same. The species and cultivars of real plant materials may have changed, but on a 1/87 scale, a tiny green leaf is still a tiny green leaf.

The look that I am trying to recreate is loosely modeled around the Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio area. These areas are similar but also have a little variety between themselves such as the lush forests in the upper lower peninsula to the flatlands near Columbus and Fort Wayne. So, this involves me taking a variety of pictures in a variety of locations. Not all scenes that are being modeled are in a landscaped area like homes and businesses. I have more pictures of plants and scenery in their natural wild unadulterated habitats.  With as close to realism as you can get being the goal you want the landscape to not only make sense, but to be realistically possible. On my layout, I have a city scene, an industrial scene, and carnival scene and then a light-up wilderness scene underneath the layout itself. All these scenes allow me to have tremendous options and unlimited creative designs.

The scenes that I think are both the most challenging and most fun to create are the maintained scenes, a truly landscaped area. Some materials are store-bought, but many items are handcrafted, one-of-a-kind items. Adding mulch beds, manicured boxwoods or arborvitaes for rows and hedges, flowering shrubs, or perennials. Even a couple of mulch volcanos around trees; remember the idea is what you see in real life and not how it should be. Applying rust lines around a building to show that there is irrigation, lines in the lawn for mow patterns. The diligence to the details is just as prevalent in the hobby as it is in the real world with one exception, none of my stuff dies or needs water!

I have had one person ask me why there are no segmented walls or brick paver designs, since, after all, that is what I deal with every day, and not so much on the greener side of things. I explained that the scale being so small, the wall stones would be half the size of a piece of rice. Then I showed him the brick inlays in the city sidewalks around trees and sidewalk crosswalks!

I think everyone takes a piece of the work home with them, and I am no different. I am not a plant guy, but I have learned so much from being around so many creative landscapers and great employees. So, I have taken that knowledge that they shared with me and put it into my own hobby. I enjoy creating landscapes and buildings as much as just watching the layout. Watching a weathered and detailed CSX EMD go by pulling over fifty weathered, graphited, and dilapidated railcars next to a realistic backdrop is like watching fish in an aquarium, or maybe a relaxing night in your backyard on the patio next to a bonfire.

You may have noticed that the summer heat has broken here in Southeast Michigan. With a high of 74° yesterday, and temperatures projected to barely creep into the 80s for the rest of the week, as much as I hate to admit it, autumn is blowing in. And with that breath of fresh air, we start to consider fall planting.

We carry many varieties of crabapple that could be perfect for what your customer is looking for. Weeping, spreading, and upright shapes with pink, red, or white flowers and purple or green leaves can be used to fit beautifully in any landscape. My personal favorites are Coralburst with light pink flowers and the beautiful deep purple/red leaves of Purple Prince, Royal Raindrops, and the new columnar variety Gladiator.

Whatever the need, there is a crabapple for your customer. And here at Christensen’s we’re happy to help you find the perfect one.

I am missing flowers (both literally and emotionally).

How can I work for a plant nursery and have zero blooms in my yard in the middle of summer? (Maybe because I work for a plant nursery?) I get so excited at the beginning of the season with all the pretty things coming in that I take them all home and plant them. Tulips and Daffodils, Hellebores, creeping phlox’s, Dicentra. Stunning. And then what happens? After the blooms fade and the ephemerals die back, I end up with a lot of green. And then… nursery life goes into full swing and by the time I get to slow down and catch my breath, it is mid-summer.

Where is my color? I need plants. Taking a walk through our perennial lot I notice all the plants that are in full sun with beautiful flowers. I want that! Easy choices are the Rudbeckias. Echinaceas, and Hemerocallis. But what are some less obvious selections? My flower beds have some time in the shade, so in order to get the best show of color, I need varieties that can handle both. So, on my walk, I took a few notes.

Geraniums are a good choice. Full sun or part shade, “Rozanne” can be a good rambler. I need to fill in some space and I know she’s about 20” tall by 28” spread. Very low maintenance and long-lasting blooms throughout the whole season can guarantee a nice show of color through these dog days of summer.

Astilbe’s have always been one of my favorites and we offer a wide array of sizes and color. I’m a big fan of their fluffy, showy flowers. Although we have them in full sun, Astilbe’s actually prefer a bit of shade to cool them down after a long hot day.

Our Chelone “Hot Lips” are just about to pop. 2’-3’ feet high and a 1’ spread, these are great to add a backdrop or color to a dull corner. These will be perfect for this time of year! They can grow in drought conditions until established or they can grow in bog or rain gardens. They are low maintenance and will handle the full sun or partial shade.

Heucheras, I think, are going to be a staple. With many varieties to choose from, they are a great, easy way to tie any color combination into the landscape. Different heights and sizes will be perfect to tuck in around the taller plants. And again, heucheras prefer part shade, can handle sun, like it a little dry. Perfect for my needs!

There is a theme here- low maintenance and lots of color!

And finally, ground cover! Of course, some of that “green” in my yard are weeds. Since I really don’t have a lot of time to throw down mulch every year in the spring I’m going to have to plant something. We have lots of choices here at Christensen’s, however, I have found that Lamium is a great choice for spreading. Vigorous but not invasive, the two-toned foliage is striking and can fill in quickly throughout the season. If I was just looking for a colorful addition, I'd go with 'Orchid Frost'. But, I’m thinking the 'White Nancy' may be a great addition to brighten up and throw some definition into the mix.

I now have a few choices. But there are so many more! Seriously, it’s like choosing a paint color. I know if I took another walk through the perennial lot or into the Hosta House I will have a whole new set of plant varieties, colors, and textures to take home and play with! The choices are plentiful!