Christensen’s has been around in one form or another for over 90 years. Focusing on the green industry, we’ve been growers, retailers, and now a complete wholesale landscape supplier. Last year you probably noticed our Plant Center was remodeled, this year is the Hardscape Center’s turn! The hardscape yard was added 11 years ago and is an ever-growing part of our company. During the off-season, we considered our floorplan, moved things around, and brought in some new displays. If you haven’t visited us yet, an entirely new layout will greet you as you walk in the door.

It drives me nuts when the grocery store rearranges, and I can’t find the things I need when shopping. However, we spent a lot of time deciding on the intuitive placement of products to help you shop as conveniently as possible. We feel that the new open layout flows naturally and will make your experience in our store more pleasant and efficient.

Our new lighting section includes counter space for fixture demo and a large area for putting together your order.

With the addition of BrickStik Polyurethane Adhesive, we have your vertically stacked endeavors covered. Joining SRW Solvent-Based Adhesive, SRW Rapid-Set Polyurethane Adhesive, and Structure Bond Construction Foam Adhesive, BrickStik is one more sticky solution for your installation tool kit… You can find them all together in our adhesive section.

Perhaps the most striking makeover is to our counter. It has moved to an entirely different area of the store, where our Hardscape staff will be ready to help you with your project. Behind the counter we are displaying our selection of Boar Hog and SRW concrete saw blades, as well as the wildly popular Grabo hand-held vacuum lifter.

Inside isn’t the only place we’ve updated. Outside you will find the fabrics and grids have moved from behind the bulk bins to in front of the Hardscape Center. Speaking of bulk bins… we are thrilled to announce the return of brown hardwood fines!

All the things that you’ve come to expect from the Hardscape Center are still here. And there are even more supplies to make your stop quick and easy. We love the changes… stop by and tell us what you think!

Whether you are going to sod or to seed your next lawn project there are advantages to both. Depending on the job, leveraging your options could give you a competitive advantage with your customers. Here are how the choices stack up.

The biggest advantage that sod has is the instant gratification of a green lawn and immediate erosion control by acting as a blanket to help hold soil in place. Sod has a faster turnaround time for when your customer can use their yard. After about two to three weeks the sod is rooted in and ready for normal lawn traffic. So, for those customers that decided to re-do the whole yard right before the graduation party/outdoor wedding/backyard baby shower, think sod.

The biggest advantage when you choose seed is the initial cost. Both the cost of product and installation start out lower. Having many different choices of blends of seed to make sure that you get the right lawn you are looking for. From Kentucky bluegrass to perennial ryegrass to red fescue, seed allows you to customize your mix to the area you’re planting. Seed can be a boon when you’re working with a discerning homeowner that’s willing to wait a little to get exactly what they want out of their lawn.

Whether you choose to seed or sod, here at Christensen’s we have options for both to make sure you get the right product for your job. When it comes to seed Christensen’s carries three choices for you, sunny mix, shady mix, and fast green mix. If you require a special mix for your job beyond those, we can special order it for you. For those spots that need a little extra care, you can pick up sunny/shady lawn patch.

We also offer several items to make sure that your seed is given the best possible start. Try PennMulch, a mixture that fertilizes, holds in moisture, and holds the seed in place, over top of your seed to speed up germination and fill in quickly. Straw blankets are MDOT approved and help manage erosion, protect seeds from birds and shade the ground to help retain moisture. Talk to a sales rep about EZ Straw, fertilizer, sprinkler towers, and hoses. We stock all of these items to make your lawn and turf endeavors successful.

If sod is your choice, Christensen’s stocks a few pallets of fresh-cut sod in our yard, brought in bi-weekly. However, if you let us know when you are going to be laying the sod we can get as much as you need for your job. Upon ordering, you can pick it up from our yard or, if it meets the quantity minimum, you can have it shipped directly to your job site or yard.

So, whether you are laying sod or spreading seed Christensen’s has you covered.

I love spring! The trees foliating and flowers blooming, the smell of fresh air in the house, planting the garden, and, of course, the boat rides. Last spring was nice, not hot too soon, no crazy two-foot snowstorms, but we did have a slight amount of extra rainfall. Slight being the understatement of the year, as we had over 2 months’ worth of rain in about a week! So, for a while last year I lived on 2 lakes, one my boat was on and the other in my back yard! Detroit and some neighboring cities were hit especially hard. A combination of old or faulty equipment, the inability of the infrastructure to process that amount of water, and I’m sure some design flaws and errors along the way.

Water is the most destructive force on the planet, and it doesn’t take much of it to do a whole lot of damage. Climate changes have been producing some of the most intense and destructive weather that we have ever seen, and there is no sign of this pattern changing. What once worked before may be inadequate for today’s needs. As many municipalities change their designs on the processing and reclamation of storm and runoff water, should you also change your designs on the landscaping end?

Unfortunately, we suffer every year from the effects of our freeze thaw cycle. The water underneath thaws and refreezes so many times that it creates voids by pushing everything around it away. When it thaws, those voids get refilled yet with more water and the process restarts. The problem is that the water has nowhere to go. You can’t stop the expansion, but you can give it a path to follow. One of the newer trends has been the use of clean fill aggregate as a base for driveways, patios, and even roads.

The biggest differences between the clean aggregates and the traditional is the removal of the finer particulates and a more consistently sized stone. The lack of the finer particulates does not take away from the strength and stability of the base, but it allows for water expansion without exerting outward pressure in a confined area. This also allows for excellent drainage, so no more puddles or ponds. Many municipalities have incorporated this type of base because of how effective it is in reducing icing and refreezing since the water drains as soon as it has thawed. And the best part is you do not have to use a permeable style paver to obtain the benefits of a permeable base. The cost to change from traditional to permeable is negligible, the installation is slightly different but easy to follow.

As great as this sounds, there are of course a few draw backs. Firstly, is finding the material. Permeable pavers and permeable materials are slowly becoming more popular, but you may find certain areas more challenging than others to find the supplies you need. You will have to retrain your crew for a new installation process which is not hard, but change can always be a challenge. Lastly, this base requires maintenance. If you think of the base as a sponge, when the top is covered and clogged it no longer absorbs as well. Depending on the area, the amount of traffic, and surrounding landscape, this may need some frequent attention or very minimal maintenance. So, keep in mind that a permeable based driveway might not be the best choice if you live off a dirt road. But if your sunny backyard patio is always underwater after a good rain, that might be helpful choice.

At Christensen’s Plant and Hardscape Centers, we stock a huge assortment of drainage components from companies like NDS. We also stock the clean aggregates for the Hardscapers out there, too. Stop in and see what we can help solve for you. I promise you; it will not put a drain on us!

Commercial Projects are my beat here at Christensen’s Plant Center. I spend each day advising and developing relationships with project managers, landscape architects and estimators on upcoming projects. The last two seasons have been extremely disruptive for commercial work. Many projects were delayed, abandoned, or just in limbo. Work dried up to a trickle, but, as the economy opened up, so did the project pipeline.

You can get your company into the pipeline in two different ways. Many commercial projects come through the bid letting sites, such as Dodge, BidNet (MITN), and MDOT. These are great sites to start your journey. Some are free, others charge, but each can be a beneficial resource when you’re looking.

Many projects are awarded based on relationships and connections. Project and construction managers are extremely loyal and protective of their teams. Commercial jobs can be demanding. Weather, change orders, and delays are all routine. Your team’s ability to respond and perform will earn you that loyalty. When you build these relationships, you will never lack for opportunities. I know project teams that have worked together for years.

What type of projects work for your company? Many times, project failure is just a mismatch of landscape contractor and the type of work involved. Large projects lasting many years have longer payment cycles that may not work for you and your suppliers. New construction, weather delays, inspections and approvals are all considerations and potential headaches. After you have been successful, and figured out “your type”, that should be your focus for the future.

The Gordie Howe International Bridge project is huge with thousands of plantings to be installed - how many companies can handle that scope of project, or even want to? This was never more apparent to me than this spring when I delivered some wetland plants to one of our contractors on Lake St. Clair. He was in a wetsuit, on a very nasty day, working in the water! He had his entire team in wetsuits. Now that’s a company that has found their niche and never will lack for project work. They can probably pick and choose what they want to work on. What a competitive advantage for them!

Focus your efforts on finding your projects. Build relationships with construction and project managers that specialize in your type of projects and sell your passion! Develop your team to earn more profitable projects and work on your type of projects. Don’t waste your time chasing the ones that won’t work. All projects are not created equal, so focus and discipline is required.

If I can ever assist you in developing your Project Team, let me know. The next few seasons will be like drinking out of a fire hose. The projects are going to come at us so fast and furious, we will look back at last year as the good old days. The supply chain shortages will sort out over the next few years, but last year is a taste of what’s coming. The disruption while challenging, also creates opportunities for you and your team. Start developing your Project Pipeline today. Build relationships that will keep your Pipeline full. Focus on your projects, and turn that fire hose into a drinking fountain!

Over the past three years, the green industry in Michigan, and indeed the country, has been on a high. But that high has come at a price, and that price has been our supply pipeline. The media has spent the past many months talking about supply chain woes. Anyone that has bought a car recently knows. Our supply chain woes have been slow in coming, and, regrettably, will be slow to reseed as well.

Growers in the nursery industry have spent the last three years trying to keep up with almost unprecedented demand. Unfortunately, our products take significant time to come to market; time that the growers have not had. Since an 8’ tall spruce takes almost 10 years to come to harvest, growers have done the only thing they could do to keep up with demand, which is to sell material early. In 2019, landscapes consumed some of the material slated for 2020 projects. In 2020, landscapes consumed all of that year's crop, and a large part of 2021’s crop, compensating for what was used for 2019 and covering the increase in sales. In 2021, the cycle repeated itself. 

Now we find ourselves in 2022, and there is nothing left to steal. Growers find themselves selling smaller and smaller plant material as landscapers accept smaller sizes to fill a planting. This does not allow for the filling of the pipeline with larger material, as it is all sold in a smaller size. 

With our product that takes between a few months to a decade to produce, the refill will be slow. 

Christensen’s will be a landscaper’s best friend as we navigate this supply issue. We are in constant contact with growers all over the country sourcing material. Our relationships allow us access to material often before it is published on an availability. Please use this resource! Let us use our reach instead of you spending hours trying to get answers.

Christensen’s Plant and Hardscape Centers is honored to be the resource for the landscape industry in southern Michigan. The relationship we have with you drives us every day to make sure that we are doing everything we can. And this year is no different. 

As I write this, I am watching our yard operations crew unload yet another load of trees. With the first trucks of the year arriving in mid-February, we continue our preparations for the 2022 landscape season. Plants and hardscape materials will continue to roll into our yard. I encourage you to use our 91 years of experience.