Plant Talk - Johnsons Nursery

Plant Talk
AUGUST
2015
by Michael Yanny
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, who built the nursery into a thriving business
from 1970 through the ‘90’s. Herbert inspired Clark
with his grafting skills and they shared ideas about
techniques and propagation procedures. Later, as Wayne
grew the business, he used Herbert Trautman as his ‘go
to guy’ for advice on nursery operations and selection
of plant materials, among other things.
In the spring of 1977, I was hired by Herbert Trautman
as an intern at his nursery where he taught me the
many propagation and plant selection skills I would
later use throughout my career. Based primarily on his
recommendation, I was hired by Johnson’s Nursery in
1980 at 23 years of age to start a propagation department.
Without Herbert Trautman’s support, I would likely
have never been hired nor would I have been able to
build a propagation department at such a young age.
Johnson’s Nursery (heck! The entire green industry in
Southeastern Wisconsin) owes a great deal to Herbert F.
Trautman. I personally will be forever grateful to him
for taking me under his wing and teaching me not only
about plants but also about life and how to become a
good person. (see poem on page 4)
Following are a few other living legacies of Herbert’s,
namely his plant selections. I am very proud to tell
you about these little known gems and their associated
stories.
Herbert Trautman and Michael Yanny at Trautman Nurseries
in Franksville, Wisconsin in the summer of 1977.
Arborvitae
Thuja occidentalis ‘Trautman’
Trautman Arborvitae
This arborvitae cultivar was selected in 1946. Herbert
picked it out of a crop of Thuja occidentalis seedlings.
The winter of 1945-46 was a severe one. It caused
arborvitae plants to severely burn throughout the Upper
midwestern part of the United States. His selection was
unscathed. He said that the weather induced damage to
the plants made such a severe impression on consumers
that for many years later he could not readily sell
arborvitae. People were afraid to plant them. So even
though Herbert had his new non-burning cultivar,
‘Trautman’, it was difficult to sell.
At the same time that Herbert had made his arborvitae
selection his friend, Brother Charles Reckamp of
Mission Gardens, made a similar selection at his
nursery in Techny, Illinois. His plant was named Thuja
occidentalis ‘Mission’, ‘Mission’ Arborvitae. In later
years, the name Techny Arborvitae was used for the
same plant and it became one of the most popular
evergreen cultivars in the history of landscaping in the
upper Midwest. Like the Trautman Arborvitae, Techny
languished in Brother Charles’ and Herbert’s nurseries
for about 15 years before the plant became popular in
the 1960’s. Trautman Arborvitae never caught on and
still hasn’t, even though it is a fine plant.
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AUGUST
2015
The Trautman Plants cont.
Trautman Arborvitae is a standard sized plant getting
20-25’ tall on average and 10-15’ wide. The plant has
very good density and is not as loose growing as Techny
Arborvitae or even Dark Green, Thuja occidentalis
‘Nigra’. Trautman Arborvitae has somewhat glossy
foliage, which readily distinguishes it from most other
cultivars. Most importantly, it is very tolerant of open,
dry fall and winter seasons when many cultivars may
desiccate or burn, showing brown foliage in the late
winter. Our nursery recently discontinued growing
Dark Green, Thuja occidentalis ‘Nigra’ because of the
superiority of the ‘Trautman’ selection.
Pines
Trautman Arborvitae at Johnson’s Nursery
Perhaps the greatest contribution Herbert Trautman
made to the world of horticulture as far as plants go,
would be his work with Pines. He was instrumental in
popularizing the cultivars Weeping White Pine (Pinus
strobus ‘Pendula’) and Waterer Scot’s Pine (Pinus
sylvestris ‘Watereri’) in Southeastern Wisconsin. He
grew selections of Pinus flexilis and Pinus puece as
well as several others. However, Swiss Stone Pine
(Pinus cembra) is the Pine that is most commonly
associated with him. All of the Trautman Swiss Stone
Pine selections are especially good looking when the
fresh new growth appears in spring. The new shoots
have a fuzzy brown pubescence that resembes Staghorn
Sumac twigs in the winter. This is the easiest way to
distinguish Pinus cembra from other species of Pine.
Herbert made four cultivar selections from this species.
All came from a single crop of about 300 seedlings that
he propagated from seed some time in the 1940’s.
Pinus cembra ‘Big Blue’
Big Blue Swiss Stone Pine
The largest of the Trautman Swiss Stone pine selections
is ‘Big Blue’. A 45 year old plant in my yard is 27’tall
and 12’ wide. It was selected for the bluish tint to its
foliage. The tree has a better density than the average
Swiss Stone pine seedling. The plant prefers a rich, well
drained soil with a pH leaning toward acidic. However,
The steel blue needle coloration of Pinus cembra ‘Big Blue’
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The Trautman Plants cont.
it has tolerated slightly alkaline soils in our nursery. We
typically try to keep the alkalinity in check by treating
the soil around our Swiss Stone Pine with regular
applications of granular sulfur. Heavy wet soils will
cause plants to go off color and grow much more open.
Pinus cembra ‘Short Stuff’
Short Stuff Swiss Stone Pine
This is the baby of the Trautman Swiss Stone pine
selections. A 45 year old plant in my yard is 17’ tall
by 8’ wide. ‘Short Stuff’ has a compact habit with
outstanding density. Like all of the Trautman Swiss
Stone pines, this makes an excellent screen plant or
specimen. It is especially valuable for providing green
to the winter landscape.
Pinus cembra ‘Tip-Top’
Tip-Top Swiss Stone Pine
Similar to Short Stuff in density and habit but taller. A
45 year old ‘Tip-Top’ in my yard is 20’ tall and 7’ wide.
This would be the best Swiss Stone Pine to use if you
wanted to get a screen quickly but you didn’t want it
to make too big of a footprint in your yard. The Swiss
Stone Pines are native to the high elevations of the Alps
in Europe. They are hardy to zone 3.
Pinus cembra ‘Tip-Top’ - 45 years old, 20’ tall x 7’ wide.
Pinus cembra ‘Short Stuff’ - 45 years old, 17’ tall x 8’ wide.
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AUGUST
2015
The Trautman Plants cont.
Pinus cembra ‘Twister’
Twister Swiss Stone Pine
‘Twister’ is an intermediate sized plant. A 45 year
old plant in my yard is 27’ tall by 9’ wide. It gets its
name from the distinctive twist each bundle of bluishgreen needles has. Twister has very good density and a
pleasing growth rate.
Juniper
Juniperus chinensis ‘Trautman’
Trautman Chinese Juniper
The twisty needles of Pinus cembra ‘Twister’
Of all the plants Herbert Trautman selected, this is
my personal favorite. Herbert picked this plant from a
crop of open pollinated Juniperus chinensis seedlings.
Trautman Juniper has a wonderful, narrow, upright habit
that makes it very useful as an evergreen screen which
will not infringe greatly on the living space of a small
yard. It is one of the best of all upright junipers for this
purpose. The plant grows to about 12’ tall and 4’ wide in
20 years. It is a prolific producer of ¼” diameter, silveryblue juniper berries that show nicely against its darker
blue-green foliage. ‘Trautman’ maintains its beautiful
foliage color throughout the winter. It is one of the
few upright junipers that can be rooted from cuttings,
so grafting is not absolutely necessary. I have never
seen deer browse damage on this plant. It is resistant
to phomopsis blight which commonly makes Juniperus
scopulorum cultivars brown out and become ugly.
Juniperus chinensis ‘Trautman’
Trautman Chinese Juniper berries.
w w w.johnsonsnurser y.com
Working at Trautman Nurseries
The Trautman Plants cont.
The Trautman plants are all excellent selections. There
isn’t a wimpy plant among them! Herbert didn’t select
anything that wasn’t as ’tough as nails’. That’s why, at
Johnson’s Nursery, we continue to grow many of the
plants that he selected. In addition, we continue to honor
Herbert Trautman’s legacy by always remembering his
part in our history.
By Michael Yanny
Work?.........Huh!
More like play.
Everyday.
Each was new.
An adventure of sorts.
From sticking yews,
to grafting pines.
From sowing magnolias,
to budding crabapples.
The many tasks.
You never failed,
though all was not success.
Each effort was a lesson
from which you learned
how to grow.
Not by recipe
or by the book.
But how to create.
To create your own.
Your own style.
Individuality.
To be yourself.
And to be good at it.
(Above) Michael Yanny - Happily, making juniper cuttings at Trautman Nurseries
in 1977. (Bottom) Herbert Trautman and Pinus strobus ‘Pendula’.
At Trautman’s,
you learned you.
You learned work.
And it was play.
That was work,
the Trautman way.
Plant Talk Available Online
Each Plant Talk article is available online on the Johnson’s Nursery
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]
262.252.4980
AUGUST
2015