Designers need to consider many factors when choosing plant material. Evergreen, herbaceous, deciduous? Foliage or flower color, bloom time, preferred growing conditions and so on. One of the most important considerations is plant habit and "ultimate size".

What does "ultimate size" mean?

• Complete in natural development or growth.
• A tree or plant that has reached a desired size or age for its intended use.

Like the old saying goes “Right plant, right place”. Planning and research is vital when evaluating ultimate size to avoid future problems. In addition to knowing how large a given plant may grow, you also should factor in the growth RATE. Dwarf plants aren't always that small at maturity but if it takes them 50 years to get there is that really going to be an issue? On the other hand, popular plants like Colorado Spruce or Weeping Cherry tend to outgrow their siting in a decade or two.

Research is important, and not just on the habit and size of the plant but also the root system, which is often overlooked. For example, don’t plant a Willow tree over a septic tank. Yes, someone I will call ...John Doe... did this to get back at his landlord. Now that might be an example of someone who knew what “ultimate size” would do with the wrong intentions but, planning is everything.

Is it going next to the house? Sidewalk? Driveway? Near power lines? If it’s a row of pine, are you planting them too close to each other making them susceptible to needle diseases in the future? Will the property owner be able to shimmy past the planting bed to get to the building entrance a few years from now? These are just a few examples of what to consider when choosing the right plant.

Above image courtesy of the Arbor Day Foundation (www.arborday.org)

Last year while attending a business webinar I heard a story that really stuck with me. Frank Mariani from Chicago’s North Shore was talking about the early days of his landscape company and some of the challenges that he'd faced.

His client, from an exclusive community of high-end homes, asked him for a quote to plant two trees in the back of the house near the pool. The 75 year-old client wanted shade while watching the grandkids. Frank wrote up a quote for two 2.5” shade trees, explaining that the fence and stairs around the pool prevented the installation of anything larger.

Two weeks later, when he showed up for the weekly maintenance, he was appalled to see one of his competitors at the house using a very large crane to place 8” caliper trees in the requested spots - by lifting them OVER the house! When Frank asked the homeowner why, the response was simple. “You said you couldn’t, and we found someone who could. The money wasn’t an issue. We wanted the shade now.”

That lesson stuck with Frank. Years later his company was presented with a similar situation. Access only allowed for a 3” tree. Frank, thinking back, told his salesperson to quote in two ways. One, quote 3” trees ball-carted to the desired location. Second, quote 10” trees placed via HELICOPTER CRANE. Of course, the price difference was astronomical. But the client decided he had more money than time and Mariani Landscape placed 10” shade trees via helicopter crane, creating a happy customer and a profitable job.

This story made me think about the odd things that we have had requested of OUR company. Now, we have never had to "helicopter" a tree into place. But we have arranged deliveries to Mackinaw Island - picture a semi-truck on a barge with the waves washing over the bow and under the truck. Or the time we sent send a semi-load of material to Minot, North Dakota. If it is important to the client, money is secondary to the action.

Just last night my wife was flying home from a much needed vacation. Then at 2 AM the last leg of her flight was canceled. There I was, searching flights on my iPad to get my exhausted wife home. Price meant very little to me. Getting her home with the least amount of headache added to an already stressful trip was the most important thing.

Knowing your clients is part of what you do every day. Make sure you use this to your advantage. You never know when your biggest challenge may also become your biggest success, leading to one of your most successful marketing pieces.

During your regular commute, have you noticed that some companies - like skilled trade contractors, construction companies, law firms, restaurants, or fellow Green Industry contractors - have an alpha-numeric pairing on their building, sign, or the sides of their trucks? It looks something like this: “EST 19xx”.

What's your reaction to this? Does it seem like bragging or boasting, is it a marketing tool, or just something neat to put on the truck Maybe all of these? I have another one: “pride”. Pride in having survived and prospered from that long-ago day when the doors first opened on that new business.

Starting a new business is difficult, VERY difficult. You’ve probably heard that most new businesses fail. Here’s a couple statistics from Fundera.com: 50% of new businesses fail to exist after their first 5 years, regardless of what industry they are in. If that isn’t bad enough, 70% of those surviving business fail by their 10th year.

Let’s get into some history questions. How many companies didn't survive the Great Recession of 2007-2009? How many companies are still around from the 1990’s, 80’s, or the 70’s? I’m going to go further: How about the 1950’s and 60’s when money was extra tight and convenient power equipment wasn’t as readily abundant and available? Further still: How many companies have been around since our parents were teenagers, or toddlers, or not born yet? How many companies have been around before World War II, World War I, or even at the turn of the 20th century?

When you see that sign that says “EST 19xx”, keep in mind you're seeing a company that's succeeded in staying in business, long term, for a reason. Companies see great employees come and go. Some companies go through different ownerships and continue to thrive. History has proven that over the last 100 years, with plenty of ups and downs, many companies have found ways to adapt to changes, demands, struggles, and rewards.

I view the Green Industry in Michigan as a large family. We’re all in the same place, we’re after somewhat similar goals, and we all have to adapt to the challenges of weather, economy, the labor market, and changing fashions in landscaping. Older companies can share their wisdom on what to expect on projects and how to maintain the balance of quality, productivity, and profitability. New companies can teach new technologies and techniques to further enhance or improve that balance to elders that feel that they need to break away from old processes and procedures.

So be proud of that “EST” date, whether it’s 1819 or 2019. And if it’s not on your truck or building yet, now may be the time to think it over. Be proud - you've earned it.

As the 2018 season draws to a close, you are probably ready for a well-deserved break. We are, too!

But did you know that even during the off-season we are here to assist you? I know it’s probably the last thing you want to think about right now, but if your bid is due or you’re planning your upcoming season, we can help with these needs.

During the winter months we have a few members of our team staffed to quote your bid or upcoming job. The advantage of doing this early is that we can search for and source specific material so it can be brought in once the season starts. When material is as scarce as it has been the past few years, getting orders in early can make all the difference. Let’s say you need some 5” Oaks or something else we don’t regularly stock - getting that information to us as soon as possible is vital to ensure we can meet your needs.

The process is easy, you can go to our website (Christensen's Plant Center) or download our app and click on the contact us / quote link to submit your request. Contact any of our salespeople directly with questions or to request a quote on your project. Our knowledgeable and long-time sales staff can help you select everything you need for your landscape projects – quickly, efficiently and affordably – so you can get back out on the job.

Not sure who to contact? Any of our salespeople would be happy to assist you! Call our main office at (734) 454-1400, or if you prefer, fill out the contact form and we will contact you.

Let us help you get the year started off right!

You’ll never really know your profits for this year until you finish your replacements next year! Winter protection can help reduce these.  Although we don’t mind selling you replacement plants, we do want your business to be as successful as possible

Three common practices we have covered in previous articles are applying Wilt Pruf on your broadleaf evergreens, putting up burlap screens as barriers to salt and wind, and using bark protectors to prevent deer and rabbit damage. There are two other recommendations I can give you.

Preventing frost cracks. Previous minor wounds, scuffs or scrapes on a tree trunk even when healed react differently to expansion and contraction from freezing and thawing repeatedly during the winter. The wood can split right open, sometimes with a sound like a rifle shot. This commonly happens on the sunny south or west side of the tree. One way to prevent this is to apply tree wrap each fall. This is a 4” wide waterproof, crinkled paper that you wrap around the trunks of young, thin-barked trees to protect from both sunscald and moisture loss. The death of the sap-carrying tissue from cracks or cankers can cause a surprising amount of damage higher up the tree. The tree wrap should be removed in the spring.

Provide adequate moisture. You may say “The plant has lost its leaves, why do I still need to water?” You may not realize that the optimum time for roots to grow is the fall season, right up until the ground freezes, which in some years is not until January. We often get rain this time of year but newly planted trees often need supplemental watering while they are replacing roots lost from being moved. 

Even during winter months plant roots continue to replace moisture lost to drying winds and sun. Evergreens, both needled and broadleaved are particularly vulnerable. Plants that take up enough water will have the best chance to survive our winters and be ready for the spring push. 

So water well, and mulch those beds to prevent desiccation during those below freezing weeks and hopefully your landscape jobs will look as good in the spring as they did when you installed them.

​Does Frost Really Crack Trees? by Michael Snyder​​​

Even though Red maple is on the Fall Hazard list, the Freeman Maple hybrids (Acer x freemanii ) like Autumn Blaze® (‘Jeffersred’) are not considered a poor risk. Being a cross between silver and red maple, they are tough, fast growing, adaptable trees. They are drought tolerant when established and hardy to Zone 3, making them good candidates for fall digging. Norway (Acer platanoides) and Sugar (Acer saccharum) maple also tend to move well in the fall.

Some others to consider are Ginkgo and ‘Ivory Silk’ Tree Lilac (Syringa reticulata) - even though that last is not technically a shade tree we do see demand for them in landscapes where space is at a premium.

Any of our knowledgeable staff would be happy to help answer questions or give you the most suitable substitutions regarding fall hazard trees.

Visit these links for more information about Fall Hazard trees:

Fall Hazard tree lists explained (Sticks & Stones, Jeff Good)

Transplanting and a Deeper Look at “Fall Hazards” (NYC Parks Director of Street Tree Planting Matthew Stephens and Taking Root Editor Michelle Sutton)

I don't want to bum you out, but winter is just around the corner.

I know, I know. It is the end of August. You have eight more weeks of landscape work left. And I am REALLY happy about that. In fact I wish you had twelve! But the reality is that by mid-November you are wrapping up your jobs and are planning your winter.

But I have a crazy suggestion. Start planning your winter now.

I was talking to my friend Chris Koontz from Carleton Equipment a few weeks ago, and he shared how busy Bobcat was. They are so busy they are taking many weeks to deliver new machines to customers. When I asked why, I was sort of shocked at the answer. Currently, build dates for new machines have been filled by dealers across the country for between four and six weeks. Not shocking. The shocking part was that it is taking ANOTHER three weeks to get the machine shipped from the factory to the dealer due to a lack of trucking. A new machine can take up to nine weeks to be delivered to you! He went on to say that other manufacturers are having the same issue. I believe him - it took two months to receive the new Kubota tractor we just bought.

So if you finish reading this article and call Carleton Equipment (for example) and order your machine today, you might not receive it until Halloween. If you wait until the end of the month, you will get your machine in time for deer season. If you wait until after Labor Day, you will have it in early December. See the trend? If you wait until Halloween to plan your winter, you will get your winter equipment after the New Year.

So don’t wait to plan your winter. Ordering equipment NOW is the smart play. Take advantage of financing. Avoid the end of the year rush. Be ahead of everyone else.

P.S. Carleton Equipment got snowplows in the first week of August. What are you waiting for?

You may have heard of a new fungus that has been damaging and killing boxwood in the US. It was first identified in Connecticut in 2011. Called Boxwood Blight, it has now been seen as near as Ohio. It has been predicted that it will continue to spread. Spores can be transferred by physical contact, splashing water, or wind.

Christensen’s Plant Center is taking the necessary steps to make sure that we have clean boxwood in stock for you at all times. This means following the best practices that have come from growers and distributors across the country.

Boxwood Blight is easily transferred by physical contact. Even brushing up against an infected plant means that you can transfer the fungus onto other plants later that day. To that end we must ask that you observe the following when visiting Christensen’s Plant Center.

• Please do not bring Boxwood plants or parts of a Boxwood into CPC. We will continue to do our best to identify any plant material via a photograph, but we can not have possibly infectious plants brought into our clean nursery.
• We will no longer accept any returns of Boxwood for any reason. Again, we cannot accept materials back once they have left our clean environment.

These practices are for your success as well as our own. Maintaining a clean facility ensures that we will be able to provide you with material that is free of Boxwood Blight for all of your projects now and in the future. Thank you for your help!

In the links below are PDFs with more information about this disease.

MSU Extension - Boxwood Blight Disease in North America (2.33 MB)

CAES - Boxwood Blight - A new disease for Connecticut and the U.S. (1.05 MB)

I love going to Costco on Saturday mornings. Down almost every aisle you’ll find somebody doling out samples, whether it be a tasty snack, a new beverage or an amazing cleaning product. I’ve even had someone showing me how soft their pillows are. I’ve learned to go only after I’ve eaten a large breakfast, and to leave my credit cards at home. If not, I’m often left wondering how I can fit $500 worth of food in my vehicle, in my fridge and in my belly!

Sampling is a great selling technique, but an even better tool. Customers will look at a catalog and find the perfect color, only to later find that it may look different in person. Like every other catalog, brick catalogs are carefully photographed and edited. The product you receive may be a slightly different shade, or have a blend of colors you may not have noticed. A few sample pieces that you can take to the site is a great way to see how it will work in your project.

At Christensen’s Hardscape Center, we will gladly sample out most of the products we stock. The exceptions are large items such as steps that require more than a single person to manage. However we can likely match the color with a similar product in a more manageable size. We can also get samples of products that we don’t have in the yard such as those from Fendt, Oaks, or Belgard. We work closely with our vendors, and they are happy to bring us samples upon request. It may take a few days depending on what you are looking for.

As a wholesaler, we do not sell to or give out samples to the general public. Your customers may come in for samples, but we ask that you please call us in advance so we know who they are and that they are legitimately working with you. Samples are free and do not need to be returned. We do request everyone who is looking for samples to please visit us in the showroom first so we can assist you in picking up what you need. Our yard is large and busy, and I don’t want anyone getting a sample of an accident.