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November 30, 2021
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. […]
November 30, 2021
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 […]
November 30, 2021
Understanding Nursery Stock Sizes Understanding Nursery Stock Sizes Most commonly, growers use caliper, container size, and height (inches or feet) for units of measurement for nursery stock. Why do we need multiple units? Because all plants are uniquely different and grow differently. In any of those 3 size units, it’s […]
December 30, 2017
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 […]
December 29, 2017
Grow Agreements Grow Agreements Simplify Logistics Why A Grow Agreement? If you’ve ever been excited about a big project only to discover your initial vision and goals were diluted because your preferred plant material was not available in the quantities or sizes you wanted. If you’ve ever had to answer […]
December 29, 2017
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 […]
November 13, 2017
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, […]
October 11, 2017
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 6, 2017
Fall Planting Fall Planting In the fall, I am asked the same question over and over: Is it too late to plant? The answer? Not at all. But it is a good idea to get perennials and evergreens in the ground by mid-October. You want to give perennials enough time […]
October 4, 2017
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 […]
July 17, 2017
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
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° […]
June 14, 2017
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 […]
May 2, 2017
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
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 1, 2017
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 […]
March 12, 2017
Content Redbud in Wisconsin Here at Johnson’s Nursery we have been growing Eastern Redbud trees almost since the beginning of our time. These are beautiful small trees that get to about 20 to 25 feet tall and wide, with a somewhat rounded outline. In flower they are absolutely stunning! They […]
February 15, 2017
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 […]
February 14, 2016
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 […]
August 24, 2015
Trautman Plants The Legacy of Herbert F. Trautman at Johnson’s Nursery Herbert F. Trautman, has long been an important part of Johnson’s Nursery. Herbert influenced both Clark Johnson, the founder of Johnson’s Nursery, and his son Wayne Johnson, who built the nursery into a thriving business from 1970 through the […]
April 20, 2015
Homegrown—It’s Good Stuff!!! Back in the 70’s, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, when my hair was halfway down my back, when Robin Yount was truly ‘the kid’, when Pink Floyd was on tour, and when a “google” was a drunk giggle,– ‘homegrown’ had a different meaning for some of us […]
March 9, 2015
Tree Shortages In The Nursery Industry Tree Shortages In The Nursery Industry This article was originally published in March 2015. Oh, so sad!!! So sad it is to hear me sing about the cold hard truth of shortages of young trees in nurseries. I know it is hard to fathom […]
February 7, 2014
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 […]
December 11, 2012
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 in January. We […]
November 30, 2000
Boxwood Blight Boxwood Blightno-repeat;center top;;auto — UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2019 — \”I was really impressed with the new area you guys created to keep boxwood and pachysandra separated from other stock until the 30-day observation period passes. It was well thought out as it keeps any water runoff going into a […]