November 30, 2021
rootmaker container range at johnson's nursery ftimg
by Ben French
Categories

RootMaker Containers

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. […]
October 4, 2017
allelopathy juglans nigra black walnut fruit ftimg
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
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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 […]
June 17, 2017
naughty natives part 2 ftimg
by Ben French
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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
soils-wisconsin-ftimg
by Ben French
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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 […]
April 1, 2017
naughty-natives-part-1-ftimg
by Ben French
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Naughty Natives pt 1: Trees

Naughty Natives – Part 1: Trees Explaining why native plants are great could fill an entire library, trust me. However, sometimes people think that because a plant is native that must mean it is perfect, and all native plants are well-behaved and interact nicely with their plant buddies. This \”Naught […]
September 14, 2016
planting container trees in fall
by Ben French
Categories

Planting Container Trees in Fall

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 […]
June 8, 2016
gnarly natives
by Ben French
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Gnarly Natives

Gnarly Natives Gnarly: “difficult, dangerous or challenging.” Slang: difficult, hairy, bad, nasty, cool, good. I don’t even really know what that word means, how can something be good and bad all at once? All I can imagine is surfing…some guy saying “Gnarly!” when a big bad wave comes along and […]