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Plant Talk - Johnsons Nursery
Plant Talk Februar y2015 by Michael Yanny Where Have All the Young Trees Gone? (This is my modified version of the song Where have all the Flowers Gone by Peter, Paul, and Mary) Where have all the Young Trees Gone Long time passing. Where have all the Young Trees Gone Long time ago. Where have all the Young Trees Gone Nurseryman didn’t plant them Oh no that can’t be true Oh yes it reeeal---ly is. Oh, so sad!!! So sad it is to hear me sing about the cold hard truth of tree shortages in nurseries right now. I know it is hard to fathom but the shortages may be worse than my singing! Ever since the mortgage market collapse in late 2007 lead to the recession in 2008, nursery and landscape businesses have suffered. Most of our businesses had to make adjustments to compensate for the decrease in sales activity. Many good people lost their jobs. A number of nurseries went out of business. And most of us in the green industry had to find ways to save money. The poor economy had a dramatic effect on the plant supply stream, creating huge excesses of plant materials, starting with the liner suppliers and moving up to the finished plant growers. Many nurseries greatly decreased the amount of plants they were putting in the ground because of this. Some stopped putting in liners altogether in some years. Most if not all nurseries had to destroy large parts of their plant inventories that weren’t sold as expected. Mike sings Where Have all the Young Trees Gone? This behavior was a survival tactic that had to be implemented by most growing operations. Now as the economy has turned around, the industry is seeing ramifications of this adjustment in the form of nursery stock shortages. The major tree whip producers, primarily in the Willamette Valley in Oregon are selling out of stock of many varieties of trees in the last two years. In fact, many were sold out of much stock before the trade show season began in January. So the B&B growers, who had decreased planting during the recession, are having difficulty fulfilling their needs to build up their inventories now. The point of all of this historical nursery production information is to tell you that we are in a period of plant shortages in the nursery industry. In all likelihood, it will get worse in the next few years before I expect it to stabilize in about two years. The liner growers are gearing up now, although labor shortages may hamper this to a certain extent. Plug producers and small seedling growers can ramp up relatively quickly. It takes tree whip producers a couple of years and finished stock producers a few years more. The reality is a lack of availability in 1-3/4” to 2-1/2” shade and ornamental trees in the market currently. Large sized container material is also hard-to-find for many cultivars. Tree liners of many of the popular varieties have been difficult to get in the quantities necessary for spring planting. continued on page 2 262.252.4980 MARCH 2015 Where Have All the Young Trees Gone? cont. I think this is a good problem to have in some respects. At least it indicates an uptick in business relative to the recession years and is a needed adjustment of inventories as a result of the recession. I also think this has made most if not all of us smarter business people. We had to make adjustments because of the circumstances and I think all us have learned from that. So what can we do about this, now and into the near future to make our businesses successful? Be flexible. Even though there are shortages of plant materials in many varieties, there are still plants available in bigger sizes and in alternative varieties that can be used effectively. For instance: Two genera of plants that are outstanding for our area and are not being used to a great degree are upright Junipers and Hawthorns. With the drought we had 3 years ago and the first rate performance that both Crataegus crusqualli inermis (pictured below) and Cratagus phaenopyrum (pictured on page 4), Washington Hawthorn, displayed, I think these plants should move up on the list of preferred plants for use in Southeast Wisconsin. I especially like the Hawthorns for their horizontal forms in the winter. After a fresh snowfall, they are stars in the landscape. Each branch is highlighted by the snow. Few plants are more beautiful at this time. The fruit on Washington Hawthorn is great for attracting birds in late fall and early winter. Its orange-red fall color is second to none. Upright Junipers are another group of plants that are numerous in many sizes in our fields. I can’t figure out why they are not used more, especially in these times in which the deer population has decimated many evergreens in the landscape. Most of the upright Junipers are deer resistant. Another great characteristic of this group of plants is their salt tolerance. They can be put in some tough environments, where most plants would struggle. They thrive. I love looking at the native upright Junipers growing along the Milwaukee County freeway system. It amazes me how wonderful they look and that they freely propagate themselves in one of the most inhospitable places in Southeast Wisconsin. I admire that. I know many of you are thinking why I am recommending Junipers after all the burning that occurred last winter. Well, I must admit it was tragic what happened but my opinion is that was an aberration that will likely only happen once in our life time. Heck, I never saw that happen before in my 35+ years of observing woody plants. I doubt it will happen again, at least very soon. Another tactic to deal with the plant shortages is to consider larger sized materials. A number of tree species are currently sold out in the 1-1/2” to 2” size ranges. However, larger sizes of these species may be available. It is very difficult if not impossible right now to find smaller sizes of ’Skyline’ Honeylocust or Bur Oak. However, 2-1/2” to 3” plants are available. So if you can upsize certain materials you are looking for, you may have more success finding the varieties you want. Plan further ahead Another strategy for getting plant materials you want in these times of shortages is to order further ahead than you normally would. For instance, there is usually another crop awaiting growth to become the next 1-1/2” to 2” plants of a particular cultivar. If you order now for fall or next spring you will have a much better chance of obtaining the plants than if you wait to place an order. Crataegus crusqualli inermis, Thornless Cockspur Hawthorn w w w.johnsonsnurser y.com Where Have All the Young Trees Gone? cont. Contractor Sales - 262.252.4980 Communicate Perhaps the very best way of getting the materials you need is to regularly communicate with your supplier. Availabilities are changing all the time. The salespeople have a really good read on what plants are most popular and the most likely to sell out. I understand people’s trepidation with believing everything that a salesperson tells you. I often have reservations myself. But, I also know that when I meet a good salesperson that really knows their business and their product, they can be incredibly important to my success. At Johnson’s it is a requirement of our salespeople to have these qualities. If you talk to them regularly, you can take advantage of their knowledge and helpfulness. They assisted me in putting together several lists below that may help you better get through these times of shortages. Jeff Wolters The current situation presents a completely different set of challenges than we have seen in the previous 5 years. If we realize they are here and are going to be with us for the next few years, we can deal with it to our advantage. Contact us at anytime to let us help you fulfill your plant needs. I promise not to sing!!! Vanessa Mueller Some items have good quantities available in large sizes but not so with the small sizes are: Evergreens Thuja occidentalis ‘Techny’ Trees Techny Arborvitae Acer miyabei ‘Morton’ State Street™ Maple Acer saccharum ‘Green Mountain’ Green Mountain Sugar Maple Acer x freemanii ‘Armstrong’ Armstrong Maple Acer x freemanii Autumn Fantasy™ Autumn Fantasy™ Maple Acer x freemanii ‘Marmo’ Marmo Maple Acer x freemanii ‘Sienna’ Sienna Maple Celtis occidentalis Common Hackberry Cornus mas Corneliancherry Dogwood Gleditsia triacanthos inermis ‘Skyline’ Skyline Honeylocust Malus sargentii ‘Candymint Sargent’ Candymint Sargent Crabapple Quercus rubra Red Oak Tilia cordata ‘Greenspire’ Greenspire Linden Tilia mongolica ‘Harvest Gold’ Harvest Gold Linden Ulmnus x Accolade™ Accolade Elm Wholesale Sales Manager Jeff has been involved with practically every function of nursery production operations since he was 15 years old. He’s not even 60, yet! Paul Schwabe Horticulturist Wholesale Sales Representative Paul has a horticulture degree from UW-Madison. He is our resident fruit tree expert and works out of the Jackson, WI sales office. Horticulturist Wholesale Sales Representative Vanessa graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in horticulture. She is the conifer queen—she really knows her stuff! Brent Gustason Horticulturist Wholesale Sales Representative Man of action. Brent has a B.S. in Biology from the University of Northern Iowa. He has been a wholesale salesperson for most of his career. Bill Smithyman Horticulturist Wholesale Sales Representative Bill graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in forestry and has worked as a municipal arborist and garden center operator in the past. 262.252.4980 MARCH 2015 Where Have All the Young Trees Gone? cont. Underutilized Trees in good supply in most sizes Evergreens Juniperus chinensis ‘Ames’ Ames Juniper Juniperus chinensis ‘Hooks’ Hooks Juniper Juniperus chinensis ‘Mountbatten’ Mountbatten Juniper Juniperus chinensis ‘JN Select Blue’ Star Power™ Juniper Juniperus virginiana ‘Burkii’ Burkii Juniper Juniperus virginiana ‘Hillii’ Hill Dundee Juniper Juniperus virginiana ‘JN Select Green’ Emerald Feather™ Juniper Picea abies ‘Mucronuta’ Mucronuta Spruce Picea glauca densata Black Hill’s Spruce Picea glauca ‘Pendula’ Weeping White Spruce Pinus sylvestris ‘Watereri’ Waterer Scots Pine Thuja occidentalis ‘Bail John’ Technito® Arborvitae Thuja occidentalis ‘Spiralis’ Spiralis Arborvitae Thuja occidentalis ‘Wareana’ Siberian Arborvitae Trees Acer triflorum Three-flower Maple Carpinus car. ‘JN Upright’ Firespire® Musclewood Carya cordiformis Bitternut Hickory Carya ovata Shagbark Hickory Cercis canadensis Eastern Redbud Gymnocladus dioica ‘Espresso’ Espresso Kentucky Coffeetree Magnolia ‘Butterflies’ Butterflies Magnolia Malus ‘Cinzam’ Cinderella® Crabapple Malus ‘JFS-KW5’ Royal Raindrops® Crabapple Malus sarg. ‘Select A’ Firebird® Crabapple Platanus x acer. ‘Bloodgood’ Bloodgood London Planetree Platanus x acer. ‘Morton Circle’ Exclamation® London Planetree Populus tremeloides Quaking Aspen Quercus rob. x bicolor ‘Long’ Regal Prince® Oak Quercus x schuettei Swamp x Bur Oak Ulmnus americana ‘Princeton’ Princeton Elm Crataegus phaenopyrum Juniperus chinensis ‘Mountbatten’ Trees Acer saccharum ‘Bailsta’ Fall Fiesta™ Sugar Maple Acer saccharum ‘Michigan Seedling’ Michigan Seedling Sugar Maple Amelanchier x grand. ‘Aut. Brilliance’ Autumn Brilliance® Serviceberry Amel. x grand. ‘Princess Diana’ Princess Diana Serviceberry Carpinus caroliniana ‘JN Strain’ JN Strain of Musclewood Cornus mas ‘Golden Glory’ Golden Glory Corneliancherry Dogwood Crataegus crus-galli inermis Thornless Cockspur Hawthorn Crataegus phaenopyrum Washington Hawthorn Crataegus viridis ‘Winter King’ Winter King Hawthorn Gymnocladus dioica Kentucky Coffeetree Magnolia stellata ‘Royal Star’ Royal Star Magnolia Malus ‘Adirondak’ Adirondak Crabapple Malus ‘Coralcole’ Coralburst® Crabapple Malus ‘Donald Wyman’ Donald Wyman’ Crabapple Malus ‘Lanzam’ Lancelot® Crabapple Malus ‘Prairie Maid’ Prairie Maid Crabapple Malus ‘Jewelcole’ Red Jewel® Crabapple Malus sargentii Sargent Crabapple Ostrya virginiana Ironwood Quercus bicolor Swamp White Oak Quercus macrocarpa Bur Oak Syringa reticulata Japanese Tree Lilac Syringa reticulata ‘Ivory Silk’ Ivory Silk Japanese Tree Lilac Tilia americana ‘Sentry’ Sentry American Linden Tilia x ‘Redmond’ Redmond Linden Tilia x flavens ‘Glenleven’ Glenleven Linden Hot items that sell out quickly Evergreens Juniperus chinensis ‘Trautman’ Pinus cembra Thuja plicata Juniperus chinensis ‘Hooks’ Gymnocladus dioica ‘Espresso’ Plant Talk Available Online Each Plant Talk article is available online on the Johnson’s Nursery Trautman Juniper Swiss Stone Pine (all cultivars) Giant Arborvitae w w w.johnsonsnurser y.com website under the Contractor Sales section. Feel free to comment, ask questions or begin new topics! As always, Mike Yanny can be reached by e-mail: [email protected]
