December 29, 2017
by Johnson's Nursery
Categories

Ginkgo Trees

Ginkgo trees, Ginkgo biloba, also known as Maidenhair Trees, are a staple in any Asian or Zen garden and landscape. Although very slow-growing, they mature into large shade trees. You may be familiar with Ginkgo trees because of their fan-shaped leaves that turn a vibrant yellow in fall as the tree […]
December 29, 2017
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by Paul Schwabe
Categories

Preventing Cedar Apple Rust

Preventing Cedar Apple Rust Preventing Cedar Apple Rust Cedar-apple rust is an interesting and complex disease involving alternating hosts to complete its lifecycle. This disease is caused by the fungus (Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae). Now that is a mouthful to pronounce and something great to discuss with guests while at a party […]
December 29, 2017
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by Carrie Hennessy
Categories

Chickens & Japanese Beetles

Chickens & Japanese Beetles This is Effie. Effie is a chicken. She belongs to a boy named Ethan, whose mom works at Johnson’s Nursery, and they often share Effie’s eggs with the staff. But besides laying delicious, organic, protein-rich eggs, Effie and her friends provide another service for her human […]
December 29, 2017
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by Carrie Hennessy
Categories

Leaf Lore: Yarrow

Leaf Lore: Yarrow Leaf Lore: Yarrow The 1986 edition of the Old Farmer’s Almanac featured the article “How to Find the Perfect Mate”. They listed several superstitious acts to perform if you want your true love to appear, beginning the list with “Pluck a stalk of yarrow and stick it […]
December 29, 2017
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by Carrie Hennessy
Categories

Plant Size & Investments

Plant Size & Investments There is an old grower\’s adage about plant size — \”If it\’s not growing, it\’s dead\”. Aware of this truism, Johnson\’s Nursery provides a range of mature heights and spreads for shrubs, trees, and evergreens. A plant’s mature size and how well it performs commonly depends […]
December 29, 2017
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by Johnson's Nursery
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Garden Goals

Garden Goals Months of monochrome landscape dormancy caused by low light and cold will soon give way to swelling buds, warming winds, muddy boots, greening grass, and ever-increasing birdsong. Oh, the anticipation! What will my garden be like this year? What to grow? What to change? What should remain? The […]
December 29, 2017
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by Carrie Hennessy
Categories

2018 Color of the Year

2018 Color of the Year – Ultra Violet 2018 Color of the Year – Ultra Violet The Pantone Color Institute has announced the 2018 color of the year…and it’s going to be “reigning” purple. 2018 will have a cosmic hue, the final color in the rainbow spectrum – Ultra Violet. […]
November 30, 2017
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by Johnson's Nursery
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Water Your Plants

Water Your Plants Don’t forget to water your plants! Proper watering of a newly installed plant is critical to its establishment and future growth. Though watering may seem like a simple task, proper watering is a complex subject that does not easily offer a one-size-fits-all guideline for the quantity and […]
November 13, 2017
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by Johnson's Nursery
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What’s A Red Maple, Anyway?

What’s A Red Maple, Anyway? I am often asked if we carry Red Maples at Johnson’s Nursery. My reply is, what do you mean by “red maple”? In this article I break down what is and isn’t a red maple, and why it matters to you. Red Maple The true […]
November 13, 2017
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by Johnson's Nursery
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Wisconsin Natives

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, […]
November 13, 2017
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by Johnson's Nursery
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Urban Approved

Urban Approved The goal of the Urban Approved standard is to be the starting point when selecting plants for difficult sites in built-up areas. Decisions regarding the Urban Approved title are made conservatively, and we will not grant the title to a plant that has not been adequately tested. What […]
October 26, 2017
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by Carrie Hennessy
Categories

Fall Harvest & Planting

Fall Harvest & Planting Fall Harvestno-repeat;left top;;auto 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. The cooler temperatures invite most people to slow down from our busy summer schedules in preparation […]
October 16, 2017
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by Carrie Hennessy
Categories

Seasonal Needle Drop

Seasonal Needle Drop The cooler temperatures of autumn are approaching and while humans are putting on extra layers of clothes, evergreens are shedding their old needles. This annual occurrence is called “Seasonal Needle Drop” and is completely normal. Think of it like people shedding their hairs. So don’t panic when […]
October 11, 2017
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by Mike Yanny
Categories

Native Junipers You Should Know

Native Junipers You Should Know Juniperus virginiana and Juniperus communis – we have a boatload of these plants and they are really nice! I remember growing Juniperus virginiana and Juniperus communis years ago and they didn’t look as good as they do today. The bottom needles would turn brown and […]
October 10, 2017
by Johnson's Nursery
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Urban Trees: Narrow Space Savers

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 […]
October 6, 2017
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by Mike Yanny
Categories

Crabapples for Birds

Crabapples for Birds I’m sure there are some of you out there that are thinking, “Yeah crabapples are for the birds, and not for me. They have disease problems (scab) that knock the leaves off the trees by August and the big, stinking fruit that drops all over the sidewalk […]
October 4, 2017
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by Ben French
Categories

Allelopathy

Allelopathy Competition for light, water, nutrients and space can drive plants to extreme measures. Since they don’t really have the option to act as animals do, like eating one another or running away, they must resort to more subtle techniques. Some plants grow fast, relying on speed to get ahead […]
October 2, 2017
by Ben French
Categories

Naughty Natives pt 3: Perennials

Naughty Natives – Part 3: Perennials If you remember from Part 1: Trees and Part 2: Shrubs, we\’re highlighting Wisconsin native plants that have a bad reputation as \”weed plants\” or that they are aggressive. Sometimes the aggressive nature, or undesirable traits, can be an asset rather than a nuisance […]
October 2, 2017
native-pollinators
by Carrie Hennessy
Categories

Native Pollinators

Native Pollinators Did you know the phrase “the bee’s knees” originally described something tiny and insignificant?  Since then it has evolved to mean something outstanding. And in August, I find nothing more outstanding than the sight of native pollinators in the landscape. One of the basics of plant life is […]
September 25, 2017
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by Carrie Hennessy
Categories

Fungus Among Us

Fungus Among Us There is more going on with autumn leaves besides the color changes of yellow, orange, and red – fungus. September is when fungal spotting has reached its peak, causing many of your favorite plants to defoliate or go dormant early.See, in spring, fungal spores are everywhere, dancing […]
August 12, 2017
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by Carrie Hennessy
Categories

Battling Buckthorn

Battling Buckthorn Wisconsin gardening comes with many obstacles: rabbits, deer, cold winters, and invasive non-native plant species. In the war against invasive plants, one of the worst enemies is Buckthorn, specifically Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) and Glossy Buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula). Many times we’ll be at a customer\’s site and they […]
July 17, 2017
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by Carrie Hennessy
Categories

Plant Sex

Plant Sex Wisconsin summers are like a tumultuous love affair. They can fluctuate from hot and steamy to cold and rainy in the course of one night. Did you know that summer love affairs are happening all around us in broad daylight? Plants everywhere are fornicating, right in front of […]
July 13, 2017
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by Johnson's Nursery
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USDA Hardiness Zones

USDA Hardiness Zones USDA Hardiness Zones are the first step in determining which plants will reliably perform in a given space. The map breaks the US into numbered zones (1-13) based on the mean annual minimum extreme temperatures over the last 30 years, which are divided in increments of 10° […]
July 13, 2017
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by Carrie Hennessy
Categories

Crazy Common Caterpillars

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 […]
July 2, 2017
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by Carrie Hennessy
Categories

Rabbit Resistant Perennials and Shrubs

Rabbit Resistant Perennials and Shrubs Recently, my husband and I were babysitting my cousin\’s kids, so we dusted off my husband\’s complete set of Looney Tunes DVD\’s and put it on to watch. I learned two things from this. 1) Kids today don\’t have an appreciation for the sophisticated comic […]
June 17, 2017
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by Ben French
Categories

Naughty Natives pt 2: Shrubs

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 […]
June 14, 2017
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by Ben French
Categories

Soils & Stones Beneath Your Feet

Soils & Stones Beneath Your Feet When you’re talking plants – you can’t ignore the soils and roots. When you’re talking roots – you can’t ignore the soil. When you’re talking soils – you can’t ignore the bedrock. Southeast Wisconsin’s “dirty” history (get it? DIRT?!?) begins many millions of years […]
June 11, 2017
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by Jill Zetting
Categories

Choosing Natives

Choosing Natives You may ask yourself, what is a native plant? Well, simply said (or not so simply) a native plant is one that has occurred naturally, without human help, in a particular place since before European settlements. These plants have existed and evolved over thousands of years in a […]
May 25, 2017
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by Carrie Hennessy
Categories

Phenology

Phenology The calendar says that spring is officially here, but it doesn’t really look like it yet. Today’s tip touches on a branch of science called phenology, meaning when climatic conditions correlate with plant and animal behaviors. Some say spring has arrived when you spy a robin. I say it […]
May 19, 2017
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by Johnson's Nursery
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History of Johnson’s Nursery

Johnson’s Nursery History Johnson’s Nursery, Inc™ (“Johnson’s Nursery”, “Johnson’s”, “JNI”) history begins its roots in the 1950’s with Clark Johnson. The original site was just south of the current location on Marcy Road in Menomonee Falls. In less than 10 years it outgrew its hobby intention and Clark opened the […]
May 16, 2017
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by Carrie Hennessy
Categories

2017 Spring Plant Draft Picks

2017 Spring Plant Draft Picks We’re excite to announce the 2017 spring plant draft picks. Tulip blooms dotting the landscape aren’t the only sign that spring has arrived. Football fans eagerly watch to see who their favorite teams will acquire to create a winning line up in fall. These players […]
May 13, 2017
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by Johnson's Nursery
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Drift® Roses

Drift Rose Drift® Roses – Groundcover Roses Made Easy The Drift® Groundcover Roses are a hybrid between groundcover roses, known for their disease resistance, winter hardiness, durability, and miniature semi-double roses. Under ideal conditions, you will see mid-spring blooms continuing until mid-fall. They are relatively low maintenance and are an […]
May 2, 2017
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by Mike Yanny
Categories

Nativars In Landscaping

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 […]
April 18, 2017
by Carrie Hennessy
Categories

Cultivar – What Is It?

Cultivar What is a cultivar? What are their advantages? My husband and I are expecting a little seedling in the fall. Thank goodness there is only one in here, but say I were having identical twins. They would be genetically identical, just like a plant “cultivar”. When the seeds of […]
April 14, 2017
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by Johnson's Nursery
Categories

Hedging & Shearing

Hedging & Shearing Featured Image: Taxus x media \’Tauntoni\’, Taunton Yew**If you are unsure if this method is best for your plant, search for your plant here in our knowledgebase and scroll down to the maintenance section within the plant\’s profile.**When should you prune?- Annually or as needed- After the […]
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