Chris Nielson – Sticks & Stones

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Fun with Freight

You may not know this, but we book all the trucks that come into Christensen’s ourselves. We want to find savings that we can pass on to our customers, so we put in the work to not only find the best, affordable plants, but the best, affordable freight. We coordinate everything with our vendors from the day it is to be picked up to the time it is to be delivered. Because of this, we have had some very crazy things happen when trying to get a load picked up or delivered.

Just this past week, we had to troubleshoot a driver (an outside contractor, not a Christensen's driver) being arrested for theft... with a load of our plants on the stolen trailer! 

Some drivers have been unmindful of what they would be hauling while they bid the job. They arrived at a nursery to pick up only to realize it was plant material and drive away because they didn’t want to get their truck dirty.

We once had a driver who didn’t pay attention to the delivery address and drove from Oregon to some other random Plymouth and called and said they were ready to be unloaded, only to find out that they were about 9 hours away from where they should be.
(Fun Fact: There are 2 Plymouths in Michigan, but the Plymouths in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky & New York are all closer when driving than the other Plymouth in Michigan!)

This one may be my new favorite, mostly because it happened very recently. We had a trucking company that was to pick up a load on Tuesday at nursery “A” out in Oregon. When the driver showed up a day early (Monday) and it wasn’t ready, the trucking company sent them to Nursery “B” where they had a pickup for Thursday. Nursery “B” wasn’t ready either but said hang on and we will get you loaded 4 days earlier than we expected. After the driver was loaded and rolling down the road the trucking company called us to schedule the delivery. That is when we found out what was going on. We were not going to be able to unload the truck until Monday the following week because of all the other trucks we had coming in and that is when we expected the material to be here. The trucking company understood and said 'that is fine,' and we would see the truck on Monday. But a few hours later they called back and asked us if there was anywhere else, they could unload the plants. As you know this is our only location, so we had to say no and let them know that next time don’t pick up a load 4 days early.

Evergreens from a Truck

The last one I have is about a driver that we use all the time. He is one of our favorite drivers that delivers material to us. He is here so often that you may even think he works here. While he is being unloaded, he is one of the few drivers that hang out in the store area. Mostly because he will make coffee and help clean up the store at times.

There are many more stories that I could tell about trying to get our material here, but it is spring and we’re all pretty busy. You probably have some stories like this as well. If you have time on your next visit, maybe we could exchange some stories while you pick up your orders.

Chris Nielson

Navigating the Boxwood Market Amidst Quarantine Regulations

As we enter our second season under the box tree moth quarantine, it’s time for an update on the restrictions. The short version is this…

The majority of our customer base CAN once again PURCHASE Boxwood from Christensen’s Plant Center.

If you need more details, keep reading…

In April of 2023, the quarantine of all Boxwood (Buxus) only included Lenawee and Washtenaw counties with some portions of Monroe and Jackson.  In July, it expanded to 10 counties; as of December 2023, 12 counties are included in the quarantine.

We are able to supply boxwood to all of the quarantine zone.  If you are planting in one of these counties: Clinton, St. Clair, Eaton, Ingham, Livingston, Oakland, Macomb, Jackson, Washtenaw, Wayne, Lenawee, or Monroe, you can stop into the Plant Center and purchase your Boxwood from Christensen’s. All we need from contractors is the installation address. We take care of the rest of the compliance.

If you are planting outside the 12-county quarantine area, you can still purchase from us, but they will need to be direct-shipped and some restrictions may apply. Talk to your Christensen’s representative about your options.

As a dedicated wholesaler of nursery stock catering exclusively to contractors, we know that the past year has been challenging for landscape professionals and business owners in our industry. The fluctuating zone has brought significant distortion to the market dynamics of this beloved shrub compelling many to seek boxwood alternatives.  While we do not wish to see the box tree moth spreading, the larger quarantine area does allow the business of boxwoods to return to a normal pace.  

We invite you to take advantage of the increased availability of boxwoods at Christensen’s. Our commitment to quality and compliance with state guidelines ensures that you receive healthy, robust plants for your landscaping projects.

For more information, Michigan State University has set up a website dedicated to the box tree moth. It includes articles and recommendations, along with contact information for experts on this subject.

Chris Nielson

Oregon Inspiration

Oregon Nursery View

A few weeks ago, I got to go out to Oregon and visit several nurseries to see their selection. It was very cool to see the variety of plants that they can grow that we can’t. Geographically, we’re almost straight across the country from each other with our southern borders hovering around the 41-42° North parallel line. We are zone 5 and they are zone 8 or 9 depending on where along the coast you are. It was amazing to hear that they can potentially gain up to 12” on a Japanese maple in one growing season or to see 4.5’ emerald green arbs that they say in a few weeks will be nice 5-6’ arbs. It was a very busy trip as I saw 10 different nurseries in 4 days, but it was totally worth it.

Eric showing size comparison
Creatively pruned shrub
Eric showing size comparison on Japanese Maple

As I drove through all those nurseries, I saw a lot of things that we used to carry but no longer do. I also saw many items that we could get if our customers needed them. The horticulture options are so vast that we cannot possibly stock everything. This got me thinking about things we can get but do not stock. There were all kinds of topiary evergreens, beech, Japanese maples, and all kinds of specialty plants.

What kind of specialty plants you may ask, well here a just a few of the things that I saw while I was out there. They had arborvitae pruned into fish, elephants, deer, ducks, and several other animals. Along with the animals, there were 6’ tall archways that came in two separate pieces so they would fit on a truck. They had several types of trees that were grown on a trellis for lower screens. They also had several types of trees that were grown on a trellis six feet from the ground to extend a privacy fence another four feet up. There were also many different types of topiary evergreens from pompoms, poodles, spirals, and just the random misshapen plant. From small to large they had them.

The last thing that I noticed was that there were a lot of specimen trees and Japanese maples. I saw several very large Japanese maples that were well over six across and tall.

 So why am I telling you all of this? It is to remind you that just because we don’t stock something doesn’t mean we can’t get it. We will try our very best to find it for you. So, when you have a customer looking for that specialty item, please ask us if we can find it, you never know what is out there until you ask.

Japanese Maples
Chris Nielson

Are You Ready for a Revolution?

Boxwoods in a Row

A Boxwood Revolution! 

Have you heard about the two NewGen® boxwood that have come onto the market? 'Independence' and 'Freedom' came out recently and are a fresh breeze of improved genetics in the Buxus arena. They have a strong tolerance to boxwood blight and are resistant to leaf miner. Both are considered zone 5-8.

Leafminers and Boxwood Blight damage

NewGen Independence® 'SB 108’PP28888'
This is a medium-sized rounded shrub with very deep green foliage that will hold its color well throughout winter. Independence has a very strong branching structure that will hold up against most snow loads. It is considered a medium grower putting on 2-4” per year. Its final size in 25 years will reach 4.5’ x 4.5’. Thriving in sun, shade, or a mixture of both, this green beauty can go anywhere in the landscape

Buxus NewGen Freedom
Buxus NewGen Freedom

NewGen Freedom® 'SB 300’ PP32421'
This is also a medium-sized rounded shrub, although it is slightly taller than it is round. Freedom has very beautiful glossy green foliage. It will grow 3-6” a year and finish off at 5'x5’ in about 25 years. Versatile like Independence, it will grow in sun, shade, or a mixture of both.

With both of these being relatively new to the market finding any that are larger than a #3 is difficult. But with more time and a few more growing seasons, I am sure we will start seeing larger plants available. At this time, we do not stock any of these at Christensen’s Plant Center but can special order them for you. I am looking at bringing some in for next spring and just wanted to make you aware of these new beautiful boxwood that are coming soon.

Chris Nielson

           

To Sod or To Seed

Green Grass

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.

Sod Pallets under the shade structure

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.

Grass related products

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.

Van Agen Sod farm with blue skies and fresh cust sod next to the sod field

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.

Chris Nielson

               

Outstanding in our field

Irrigation emitter

Ever wonder how Christensen’s stores and maintains trees in "the field" to keep them viable all year long? If you've ever tried to keep above-ground material healthy over a long period of time you know there are challenges to be met. But for the most part, it’s really not that far off from what you do when you plant a tree in a landscape - except we do it for a few thousand trees.

First, we grade out the area where the trees are going to go and then auger holes to place the trees in. After the tree is straight in the hole we backfill it with dirt and lightly pack it down.

Augering tree holes
Augered tree hole

Then an irrigation emitter is placed into every root ball. We use two different sizes of irrigation emitters, yellow for trees that are 3” or smaller and black for anything larger. We do an irrigation check on the trees at least once a week depending on the time of year. The irrigation system for the field might run 24 hours a day in the summer, so making sure that the trees get the required amount of water is sometimes difficult. We check the emitters to make sure they are not clogged, that they are spraying correctly, and that they haven’t come off of the feeder line and are flooding the tree.

Irrigation emitter

After the trees are put in the ground we apply pre-emergent to prevent weeds from growing in the root balls and the surrounding soil. We generally do this twice a year. As the year goes on if weeds begin to grow we spray with non-selective herbicide. We add a non-toxic blue indicator dye to make sure that we are only hitting the targeted weeds and not the trees.

Trees in the field

We do several other sprays throughout the year to prevent disease or insect damage. For instance, we spray for apple scab in the early spring as the trees just start to leaf out. There's also a scheduled spray to prevent gypsy moth, when the temperature is right. We do other targeted sprays as issues come up. Our nursery is inspected regularly for pests so we can be sure that our material is ready for distribution.

Tree guards

At the end of the season we put tree guards on the trunks to prevent damage that could be caused by roaming rabbits and deer. In the spring we remove any guards that are made from solid material in order to allow the trunk of the tree to stay dry and also to prevent bugs from making a home there.

Reburlapping

Lastly, when we lift trees from the field to go on your truck, we carefully re-wrap the rootball with fresh burlap if needed. You can be confident that the trees we store are ready to go on your landscape job, spring, summer, or fall.

Trees in field
Chris Nielson

Boxwood blight update

Winter damaged boxwood

Boxwood blight is a fungal disease of boxwood that results in the defoliation and decline of boxwood plants. Once it’s in the landscape it is very costly and difficult to control with fungicides. The boxwood blight fungus has a short life cycle and infections can spread quickly between plants, especially under humid, warm and wet conditions that favor disease development.

The main way that this disease is spread is through the movement of infected plants, cuttings, and boxwood debris. The sticky fungus spores are also spread on contaminated tools and equipment, worker's clothes, and water. The spores are unlikely to travel long distances through the wind. All plants infected with the fungus should be destroyed, as the chance of further spreading the fungus is highly probable. Limiting the spread of this sticky fungus is very difficult and can only be accomplished by following good sanitation practices.

Green Velvet Boxwood

Boxwood blight has been found in Michigan. Because of this we will NOT accept any returns on boxwood once they have left the nursery. We will also ask that you do not bring any boxwood plants, leaf litter, or clippings into our nursery. We reserve the right to not load any vehicle that has boxwood or debris from outside of our nursery. Please do not bring in any samples of boxwood that you are trying to match - take several pictures of the plant you are trying to match and we will help the best we can.

Boxwood blight can look like many other issues that boxwood can have, such as leaf spot, winter burn, and other non-threatening fungal diseases. This means that:

The only way to confirm whether a plant has boxwood blight is to submit samples to a professional plant disease diagnostic lab.

Winter damaged boxwood

NOT Boxwood Blight -  this is winter damage.

Cooperative extension agents will be able to help you in submitting samples if you need help. Affected branches, stems, and leaves make the best samples, don’t forget to also take pictures.

If you do suspect that a plant has boxwood blight, you can send a sample to MSU Diagnostic Services. You can contact them at http://www.pestid.msu.edu/ or through the Michigan Department of Agriculture.

More information and pictures here: Boxwood Blight

Chris Nielson

The ELD Mandate and you

semi_1

The ELD Mandate is a law requiring all over the road semi drivers to have Electronic Logging Devices (ELD) in their trucks. The device keeps track of the driver's road time and regulates how many continuous hours of driving they can perform and when they must take breaks from the road. This is nothing new for the drivers, except that the logs are now electronic - and they can't be fudged. The law went into effect in 2015 but the actual deadline for compliance was December 2017, so this shipping season is the first that we are noticing the effects of it since now every driver has to play by the same rules.

semi_3

How does this affect you?  Well, it may mean that if you are getting a direct-shipped load of plants delivered it will arrive when the driver's hours allow him to be there. In the past we always liked to have delivery as early as possible in the morning when all of your crews were there to unload, however it now could be any time during the day. It just depends on how the driver's logs work out. To help avoid any problems that this might cause, we still will require the driver to call you 24 hours in advance and also to keep you informed if anything changes.

semi_2

Another issue is the question of how soon will plants arrive at the nursery? Loads that would load on one day and deliver the next can now take two days to get here depending on the available hours of the driver. So please be patient with us. We will call you when the plants actually land so you don’t have people waiting around for material that won’t show till the next day. Remember that the ELD Mandate affects every hauler on the road today and we all will have to adjust to this new reality.

Chris Nielson

Try our professional delivery service

How can we save you both TIME and MONEY?​

With our delivery service! We will load it, tarp it, and bring it right to your job site. You don't need to own a fleet of trucks or pay your crew to drive around town when you let us deliver your order. We can select your material for you or you can tag your own. Either way the savings is yours. We can deliver plants, brick products or bulk goods - pretty much everything we carry.

Watch Chris's video below for more information on how we can help. Be sure to stay to the end - he's got a special offer for you good for the month of July 2017. ​

Chris Nielson