Nursery 
WI Natives 
Trending Topics 
Firespire® Musclewood Carpinus caroliniana ‘J.N. Upright’ Description & Overview A Johnson’s Nursery origination; J.N. Plant Selections introduction, Firespire® Musclewood is an upright form of Musclewood with outstanding orange-red fall color. It is quite similar in scale and form to Cornus mas ‘Golden Glory’. Firespire® Musclewood is an excellent choice for […]
Ball o’ Fire™ Musclewood Carpinus caroliniana ‘J.N. Globe’ Description & Overview A Johnson’s Nursery origination; J.N. Plant Selections introduction, Ball o’ Fire™ Musclewood is a compact, globe-formed tree with excellent orange-red fall color. The slow-growing rounded canopy stays full whether in sun or shade. As it is adaptable to many […]
Fire King™ Musclewood Carpinus caroliniana ‘J.N. Select A’ PP29969 Description & Overview A Johnson’s Nursery origination; J.N. Plant Selections introduction, Fire King™ Musclewood lives up to its name with its fast growth, superior hardiness, and excellent structure. Selected by Mike Yanny in 2003, this cultivar is upright in youth becoming […]
Musclewood Carpinus caroliniana Description & Overview Musclewood is a hardy, Wisconsin native tree that exhibits beautiful fall color that ranges from yellow to orangey-red. Multiple stems give it the appearance of a large shrub, but we also commonly grow it as a single-stem tree. Over time, the grey bark exhibits […]
Wisconsin Red™ Musclewood Carpinus caroliniana ‘Wisconsin Red™’ Description & Overview A Johnson’s Nursery origination; J.N. Plant Selections introduction, the Wisconsin Red™ Musclewood is a fantastic small-scale tree with a dense canopy! Improved fall color on our Wisconsin strain is reliably orange-red. Its leaf and bark characteristics resemble a small beech […]
Introductions & Originations Johnson\’s Nursery Originals; J.N. Plant Selections Introductions Johnson’s Nursery is proud to have numerous nationally recognized plants that originated in our fields. You may be familiar with trees and shrubs touting the cultivar names of ‘J.N. Select’, ‘J.N. Upright’, or ‘J.N. Select A’. These are plants that […]
My son, Jack loved to grab, throw, and chew on books when he was one year old. He also adored books being read aloud to him. I was reading him “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle and it occurred to me that we often overlook these juvenile versions of […]
Urban Trees: Narrow Space Savers | Small – UNDER 15’ TALL Urban Trees: Narrow Space Savers A common theme we see in landscapes today are small spaces in need of vertical accents and urban trees. Whether you have a limiting lot size or an existing bed with a hole you […]
Planting Container Trees in Fall Planting Container Trees in Fall How timing and plant selection can decrease stress on plant and person alike. Fall is a great time for planting trees. It\’s a total win-win. Trees don\’t like to be moved, it stresses them out. Planting container trees in fall […]
Naughty Natives – Part 2: Shrubs If you missed Part 1 of the \”Naughty Natives\” series, we highlighted trees. And here in Part 2, we\’re discussing shrubs. This \”Naught Native\” series aims to highlight the Wisconsin native plants that have a bad reputation as \”weed plants\” or that they are […]
Getting Wild Getting wild with native plants gains popularity as each year passes. I remember when I first started working at the nursery in 1980. Native Oaks were hard to come by. Few nurseries carried them. Musclewood was a cool little plant that grew down in the woods at the […]
Timing Is Everything I’ve heard it said a hundred times, “in life, timing is everything”. I believe this is true in life, love, and horticulture. Success or failure depends on it. In my life, if I hadn’t met my love, Lori, when I was a 21-year-old, wide-eyed hippie working at […]
Harvest Windows Harvest Windows Throughout the spring season, we hear from a lot of panicked people who think that their trees have to be in the ground by June. So not true! And although this video pertains to harvesting field-grown plants in the spring, the theme is the same for […]
Container Grown Trees Container Grown Trees Johnson\’s Nursery grows a variety of container trees, adding to the diversity of our growing operations and range of plants available to our wholesale clients. We appreciate the opportunity to serve and provide you with quality nursery stock. Contact your wholesale salesperson for availability […]
Deer Resistant Plants, Buck Rub & Protection Deer resistant plants is a very common topic in Wisconsin, especially in fall. It\’s often an initial question on new landscape projects of all sizes. Deer resistant, repellent, deterrent, and deer proof can all be used synonymously with the topic. Ultimately, fencing is […]
Fall Fiesta® Sugar Maple Acer saccharum ‘Bailsta’ PP11,119 Description & Overview Compact and sturdy when young, the Fall Fiesta® Sugar maple matures to a symmetrical, full-sized tree with thick, dark green foliage. It truly shines in autumn, its leaves turning a brilliant mix of red, orange and yellow color! Core […]
What is a nativar? I have had numerous people ask me what I thought about nativars and their appropriateness for native landscaping. Here are my thoughts. Allan Armitage, a horticulture professor at the University of Georgia, likely created the term nativar to mean a cultivar or hybrid derived from a […]
Wisconsin Natives At Johnson’s Nursery, we love our native plants. They fill unique roles in our landscapes, are adapted to our soils and climate, and have co-evolved with our other Wisconsin native species to create the mosaic of diversity that is Wisconsin. In addition to their special use by wildlife, […]
Big Perennials for Big Kids Big Perennials for Big Kids I like cute little plants like ‘Firewitch’ Dianthus and ‘Lucerne’ Blue-Eyed Grass. I also like plants that have an airy texture like Prairie Dropseed or Switch Grass. I just love the subtle beauty of Musclewood flowers, these tiny jewels of […]
Understanding Cold Hardiness Understanding Cold Hardiness The hardiness of Wisconsinites is seldom matched. We can take whatever nature throws at us and revel in it. We bask in our cold, snowy winters. Heck, some of us even take off our shirts in freezing temperatures at Packer games in Lambeau Field […]
White Spruce Picea glauca Description & Overview White Spruce is a moderately fast growing native spruce with a broad, conical form. Its needles are an attractive blue-green, contrasting with its small, brown cones. This wide-ranging species is more tolerant of poorly drained and nutrient deficient sites than other spruces, but […]
Tree Cycles at Johnson’s Nursery The Stages of Production of Seedling B&B Trees Remember way back when, before you even had training wheels, when you had a tricycle. I do. I still have mine! In this Plant Talk, I’m going to talk about another kind of cycle–a tree cycle, that […]
Where Do Baby Plants Come From? In all my years of writing now, I’ve always skirted around an important issue. That is plant sex. I know most of you in the landscape industry are familiar with human sex at least from summer to winter. Spring–not so much! So, I think […]
Irish Setter™ Dogwood Cornus racemosa x amomum ‘J.N. Red Stem’ Description & Overview A Johnson’s Nursery origination; J.N. Plant Selections introduction, Irish Setter™ Dogwood was selected from local ecotype seedlings growing at Johnson’s Nursery. Irish Setter™ Dogwood has superior resistance to septoria leaf spot, which is very common on this […]
Red Feather® Arrowwood Viburnum Viburnum dentatum ‘J.N. Select’ Description & Overview A Johnson’s Nursery origination; J.N. Plant Selections introduction, Red Feather® Arrowwood Viburnum was picked out of a block of seedlings because of its two-tone maroon and green new growth. The leaves have the appearance of feathers at the base […]
Sugar Shack® Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis ‘SMCOSS’ PP26,543 Description & Overview Sugar Shack® Buttonbush is a compact selection of our native species. Its glossy foliage emerges red in spring, maturing to green, then turning to burgundy in the fall. Unique, fragrant blooms emerge in July followed by colorful red fruit late […]
Municipal Services from Johnson’s Nursery Johnson’s Nursery is uniquely able to provide our municipal customers with quality plant stock including shade and flowering ornamental trees, shrubs, conifers, broadleaf evergreens, and perennials, much of which is grown locally in southeastern Wisconsin. We’re conveniently located 20 minutes north west of Milwaukee, which […]
Season 1: Survival of the fittest – work together or go broke In September 2013, Johnson’s Nursery and SEWISC (Southeast Wisconsin Invasive Species Consortium) hosted a meeting called Where Ecology meets Economy—A Forum for Green Industry and Land Management Professionals. It was quite a successful event. Everyone fit comfortably into […]
Sienna Glen® Maple Acer x freemanii ‘Sienna’ PP11,322 Description & Overview Sienna Glen® Maple is an excellent alternative to the commonly planted Autumn Blaze Maple with stronger wood and denser branching. Its uniform pyramidal shape and strong central leader make it a close substitute for Ash trees, but with better […]
Celebration® Maple Acer x freemanii ‘Celzam’ Description & Overview Celebration® Maple is a fast growing, seedless selection of Freeman Maple. Its naturally symmetrical habit with strong, open branching structure is well-suited for street and residential use. Crisp green foliage turns an attractive golden-yellow with red hues in fall. Introduced by […]
Princeton Elm Ulmus americana ‘Princeton’ Description & Overview Princeton Elm is an American Elm selected for its vigorous, upright symmetrical habit. Its large, dark green foliage forms a dense canopy turning yellow in fall. Tolerant of urban conditions and highly resistant to Dutch elm disease, Princeton Elm is an excellent […]
Northern Catalpa Catalpa speciosa Description & Overview Northern Catalpa is a tall shade tree with large, heart-shaped leaves and gorgeous, fragrant white flowers. Long, cigar-like pods persist through winter. This tree could have been the inspiration for the story Jack and the Bean Stalk. Although it has been naturalized in […]
Understanding Nursery Stock Shapes – single stem Understanding Nursery Stock Shapes Some species can be found naturally in various shapes and forms. And over the past several decades, consumer demand has affected nursery stock shapes creating additional shapes. Customers want the perfect plant, in the right size, color, shape, and […]
What Are RootMaker Containers What are RootMaker Containers? no-repeat;center top;;auto0px What Are RootMaker ContainersRootMaker containers specialize in the growth of a fibrous root system. Johnson\’s Nursery uses them in the production of Wisconsin native trees, shrubs, and conifers. They are different than the typical, solid-wall container in a few ways. […]
Sweet Fern Comptonia peregrina Description & Overview Sweet Fern, despite its name is not actually a fern (or a perennial). Sweet Fern is a Wisconsin native shrub with aromatically pleasing foliage, especially when its leaves are crushed; this poses a great investment for wildlife and landscape use. Great for slopes […]