Crescent-shaped notches along leaf margin mostly occuring on Yew (Taxus), Hemlock (Tsuga) and Rhododendrons. Bonide Systemic Insect Control Use June 10th, 20th, 30th, foliar spray, preventative & curative Bayer Systemic Tree & Shrub Insect Control Use June 10th, 20th, 30th; foliar spray; preventative & curative Top of the tree suddenly dies and wilts; gouting of […]

While Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer, the actual end is the Autumnal Equinox of around September 21st when the sun’s rays focus on the equator making the daylight hours of duration the same all over the earth. The shortened daylight duration is already affecting a shutdown in growth and to be followed […]

Even with nothing growing outside and the nursery closed except for seminars, that begin February 4th, the work at the nursery never ends! Much of the work at hand concerns getting ready for the spring and sometimes 3 years ahead or more. Purchase orders are generated, plant and hard good orders are being tweaked, descriptions […]

Now that we are past the summer solstice, July is spastically our hottest month. While the west is experiencing record drought, the eastern half of the country seems to be adequately moist. In the west one of the problems is its increase of population over the past 20 years to where water is in short […]

For a month now it’s been mum madness at the nursery as mums of all sizes, asters, cabbage, kale, violas and pansies are all the rage.  We have restocked with hundreds of mums this past week although stocks are very low to wiped out in some places.  No doubt that sales have been abnormally brisk […]

With the break in the weather of temperatures above freezing and no rain I was able to respray the rhododendron, azalea garden with a product called Deer Stopper that is effective in repelling browsing deer for about 6 weeks. To spray the foliage of the plants required 7.5 gallons of the solution unlike 2½ gallons […]

Well, it happened again for the fifth time!  Another partial load or 30 ft. of arborvitae and Green Giant Cedars came in last week. The plants have always been popular for screens, windbreaks and noise barriers but for some reason this year has been their year. New Ajugas from Chris Hansen have arrived and are […]

For the nursery, the Blueberry Festival will be centered around the Owl Barn Market as wagon rides, music and food originate from this location. Preparation for the fest are made almost beginning from the end of the previous year’s celebration in order to book various performers much in advance. In southwest Michigan, blueberry fields encompass thousands […]

Normally, I begin a blog with a comment on weather as in the plant business, weather is the greatest factor affecting growth, planting and sales at the nursery. Set up of the outside sales yard will be delayed about 10 days later than last year due to the continued cooler than normal weather. In fact, […]

With February now past with its record high temperatures, March is traditionally the month that comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. Strangely though, February mostly went out like a lamb with temperatures and sun feeling like spring when it even isn’t spring! Sadly, many spring flowering bulbs have awakened early […]

After a week of hot weather the temperature on Monday was only a high of 82ºF making it easier on plants and people alike. Another ¼ inch of rain fell and while not enough, already the soil was adequately moist. The orders for next spring are nearly in with Monrovia to finish up. With nursery […]

Important!!  On all bare root material, DO NOT let roots dry out in wind or sun for even 10 or 15 minutes or soak in water for more than 24 hours.  A good place to store bare root material is in the refrigerator with roots packed in moist material. Rhubarb is a temperate-climate crop and […]

While the warmer days of May have arrived, the rain continues with a few days of sun in between. The creeping phlox in the Wolf Creek botanical garden is finally blooming in its shades of pinks and blues as it spills over the rock wall down below from the Owl Barn. The single late tulips […]

Coming upon Memorial Day for sure the time has come to plant the garden. The official frost-free date for northern Ohio is May 30th which does not always hold true as on June 15, 1972, a frost occurred in Hartville, Ohio and some other areas. Warm ground temperatures of at least 55ºF play an important […]