Sargent and Sargent Tina Crabapples are two of the most unique and reliable ornamental trees you can find. They offer beautiful colors year-round, are very low maintenance, and are great for wildlife. These Crabapples are extremely versatile, they can be used anywhere from focal points in gardens to lining driveways. Due to their dense and spreading growth habit, they can also work well as a privacy screen.

Sargent Crabapple’s growth habits make them unique. With dense winding branches that spread wide from the tree, they can provide a large canopy. If left unpruned branches may grow all the way to the ground providing a more shrub-like appearance. Sargent Tina is the smaller of the two varieties, they will grow to a height and width of about 5 feet. For this reason, they work better as an ornamental focal point in smaller landscapes. Sargents can grow to a height and width of about 10 feet.

Beautiful year-round, these crabapples both start with pink buds in the early spring that open to bright white blossoms covering the whole tree. As their flowers begin to drop they reveal a dense canopy of dark green leaves. The leaves will turn shades of gold in the fall before dropping and revealing a beautiful winding branching structure. In the fall the tree will also produce bright red fruits that are very attractive to birds and can persist into the winter.

Both varieties prefer full sun, regular moisture, and require minimal pruning. When planted the trees require regular watering until established. Once established they are relatively resistant to drought, insects, and disease. Pruning in late winter to remove dead, damaged, or unwanted growth is the best practice. This is also when it is easiest to see the full branching structure of the tree allowing you to shape and alter its irregular spreading growth habits.

If you would like to learn more about crabapples, check out Jacob's article from last year, Don't Worry, Be Crabby!

Something about the Independence Day holiday weekend feels like a signal to slow down a little bit, even if it’s just for the weekend.  It’s an apt time to think about water features. 

Fountains and water features are some of the best ways to elevate any garden, patio, or walkway.  They’re a simple, excellent add-on when selling an installation. Everyone loves the peaceful sound of flowing water while taking in the surroundings of a beautiful landscape. We offer several Easy Pro kits in our store, and many more that can easily be ordered for pickup or delivery straight to you. These kits are easy to assemble and include everything you will need to install an elegant and relaxing water feature.

While these 2 fountains are all we keep in stock, we also offer many other features. Catalogs are available here at Christensen’s as well as online through Easy Pro. These features include different pillars, bowls, vases, and sculptures. They typically arrive within a few days and can be picked up here in our store or sent directly to you. Water feature kits include the basin, pump, plumbing, and lights. All you need to do is assemble, bury the basin, fill with water, and enjoy.

From “Just-A-Falls” kits to Spillways, you can relax, Christensen’s has you covered with Easy-Pro Pond Products (and pond-less products)!

Red Maples are some of the most commonly planted trees across North America due to their hardiness and beautiful fall color. There are dozens of varieties of Red Maples to choose from. Their differences may seem inconsequential but there are pros and cons to each variety depending on the location and desired appearance. I will outline the differences between two of the most popular varieties:
Redpointe^® and Red Sunset^®.

Red Sunset has been the standard for red maple for many years. They grow into a more oval and natural shape than Redpointe. Fall color of these trees is more of a reddish-orange and tends to last longer than other varieties. In the summer the leaves are a lighter green and may have hints of yellow due to leaf chlorosis caused by higher PH soils. Red Sunset are less resilient to heat and waterlogging but are more drought tolerant and require less sunlight. Consistent watering is still needed after planting but once established these trees require very little maintenance. They also are notably preferred for their sap production which can be used for maple syrup.

Both varieties will reach heights of 40-50 feet when mature. However, the spread of a Red Sunset can be 30-40 feet, 5-10 feet wider than a Redpointe depending on pruning. Redpointe may also require some maintenance once mature to remove some of the inner branches that become overcrowded due to their stronger upright growth habit. Both trees are fantastic options for a variety of landscapes. However, considering the conditions of the location and desired finished look of the landscape can help you decide what is best for every situation.

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.

Walking around Christensen’s this spring you may notice a few distinct differences from previous years. You may see our new signs or the new machines at the hardscape center. However, the difference I am talking about is nothing new at all, it is nothing. The most obvious change for many of us is the half-empty field and the lack of towering evergreens waiting in our yard. As our investor for Deciduous, Ornamental, and Evergreen Trees I have been looking across the country for this material and the simple answer is that it just does not exist in many cases.

Arborvitae are experiencing an exceptionally brutal year on the east and west coast. After severe drought hit the west coast last spring and summer fires started burning across Oregon. We were being sent images of entire fields turned brown due to a lack of rain in what is historically one of the wettest regions in the country. Further east in Tennessee certain varieties of arborvitae have been hit by a yet to be identified disease. Paired with the unusually wet spring they have experienced and high demand these plants are not as readily available in large sizes (7-8’) as they once were. We have been buying up as much as we can stock due to the unpredictability of this crop.  Currently, we are overstocked in 4-5-6’ Emerald Green and have placed them on sale, but it’s hard to say what will continue to happen throughout this season with this genus.

Red Flowering Cherokee Dogwood are experiencing a similar issue. These trees are particularly susceptible to damage from excessive water, but also fungus and mold which thrive in wet conditions. Tennessee’s wet spring has resulted in crop failures and a lack of available material.

These droughts and diseases only account for a small part of the shortages, but they do contribute to the problem.  As we’ve mentioned before, the real disease behind the shortage is the pandemic we have all been living through. In addition to the increased desire to landscape, everyone sitting at home also pointed us towards a recession which was combated with a huge drop in interest rates. This created a boom in the housing market. Now demand for plants was not only surging for renovation but also for new housing developments.

This new housing boom is the largest our country has seen since well before the market crashed in 2008. As we mentioned in Eric’s article, Bring On Spring, trees take 5-10 years to size up, and 5-10 years ago we were on the back end of a huge recession. Due to financial difficulties, planting heavily to plan for the next demand surge was not an option. Pulling ahead on smaller and smaller crops starting in 2020 caused size shortages. This “overselling” is most obvious with evergreens, most large sizes are not available because they have all been sold as smaller trees in previous years.

So here we are in 2022, available product on many popular varieties is down to 6’ and 2” trees. As long as demand stays high, and everyone keeps selling, the next year’s available material will be smaller and smaller. And while the economy is slowing down, historically, an increase in fuel prices drives down vacations and increases investments in homes for “staycations.” If fuel costs stay high, we may be looking at yet another season of homeowners pouring financial resources into their landscapes.

Unfortunately, there are no real substitutes for pine, spruce, and arborvitae but there are some options. While larger sizes of popular varieties such as Emerald Green and Green Giant Arborvitae are harder to come by, similar varieties can be easier to find. We have good quantities of Hetz Wintergreen Arborvitae available which work great as a narrow evergreen and for screening. If you can substitute smaller sizes, check out the Emerald Green Arborvitae sale (see Sticks & Stones e-mail). Crabapples or Pink Dogwoods work as a bright flowering substitute for red flowering Cherokee Dogwoods. Many growers we have spoken with have learned from this unprecedented situation the industry is in. They are planting as much as they can to try and keep up, but it could be 5 years before we see a full recovery.

We’ll continue to keep scouring our sources to keep you supplied with the best plant material as long as this landscaping boom keeps going.