For, lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of the singing of birds is come,
And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.

           ~ Song of Solomon as quoted by Ernie Harwell

My wife will tell you that one of my faults is I love every season that Michigan has to offer.  Even winter, much to my wife’s displeasure.  I do really enjoy what every season has to offer.  They all bring new opportunities, adventures, and pleasurable pursuits.

Spring offers a time for starting fresh.  Everyone is in the mood for new starts.  Windows on houses are open for fresh air to come in.  Dads are out in the garage getting them ready for summer toys to be used.  And landscaping crews are out cleaning up landscapes.  Getting ready to start installing fresh material.  Spring cleaning and spring training.

Christensen’s Plant and Hardscape Centers are no different.  Equipment has had all of its needed maintenance.  All of our winter polyhouses are open with the hoops removed.  And load after load of fresh shade and ornamental trees have started arriving every day from all over the Midwest.

Spring marks the time in the landscape industry when all of the last season is gone.  Even the memories are fading.  Allowing all of us to start the year with fresh minds full of new ideas for the coming year.  I would urge all of you to go into this year with fresh eyes full of hope, looking for those fresh ideas.  You never know who those ideas are going to come from.  Most often the best ideas come from the least likely of sources.  You need only be ready to realize it.

May your year be full of prosperity.  We are here to help all of you.

It’s that time of the year when peace and reflection are prominent in our minds here at Christensen’s. Even more so this year for me, as a friend of my family recently passed away. And while his death was not unexpected, the timing was at 76 years young.

Our families had met when Chuck was the representative for a nursery selling plants to our nursery. He and my father became friends. Soon after, my mom and Chuck’s wife also became friends and thus started a 40-year friendship. 

After his passing, my family caught up with his family on Facebook. Time and distance had separated us for many years. So, it was good to catch up with old friends. We spent the better part of two hours chatting over Facebook Messenger, reminiscing of times spent with each other. We then caught up again at the celebration of life his daughters held for him. Again, spending time catching up about life. Like my life, their lives had changed in the years since I last saw them. Easy conversation with people who I have been friends with for almost my entire life.

This year has been filled with changes in the landscape industry and at Christensen’s Plant Center. And the future holds more change for all of us. My hope for all of you is that the change is for the better. And wherever life takes you, do not forget that there is always time in our busy days to talk to a friend.

Please have a safe and wonderous holiday season! I look forward to seeing all of you in the spring and hearing your stories from the time we spent apart.

For many years, people and companies have spent countless hours and dollars on re-inventing themselves. We’ve witnessed changing logos, hairstyles, business practices, flavors, and cultures. But did they really re-invent anything, or were they just bored?

This winter, Christensen’s updated our point-of-sale system to the current model. There was nothing wrong with the version of the software we were using, except that it was older, and the manufacturer would no longer support the old version with updates to keep it credit card compliant. In other words, a forced upgrade. So here we are with the new version. It looks almost the same as the old version. The colors are different, and there are some buttons in different places. But overall, the systems operate the same and look very similar.

Like Coca-Cola becoming New Coke and then going back and becoming Classic Coca-Cola. Nothing really changed, and perhaps it never should have. Frequently, we are asked to look and see the newest, latest, and greatest shiny thing. However, very often, the original is way better, works more effectively, and did not even really go out of style.

Much of the nursery and landscape industry is just this way. We do many of the same tasks that we have done for 100 years because it is the right thing to do. Pruning, mulching, plant care. It is wise to make sure, in your company, you are not changing just to change. Some of our industry’s greatest strength comes from the fact that we perform time-tested services to ensure the best possible outcomes. It is also wise to avoid the fad that only looks good for the moment. I think that it is time that our industry celebrates our endurance and stability. We should be telling our clients that what we do has stood the test of time. While we may tweak what we do, our history is what makes us stand apart from others.

For our 92^nd year in business, Christensen’s is maintaining itself as your premier partner in the landscape industry in Michigan. And this year is starting out with a good outlook. Fuel prices are beginning to stabilize, and even drop in some areas. This is allowing freight to stabilize across the country. Hardscape material shortages of the past years have been dealt with and the manufacturers are not anticipating large issues in supply this year. Plant material remains in tight supply. The past several years of sales have not allowed the supply of plant material to catch up to the demand. And unfortunately, it will take years for this to catch up. But rest assured that our team of professional buyers are doing their very best to find all of the material that you need for this year. After all, it is what we do.

Every year at the end of the nursery season, managers and owners do the same thing I am now doing. We sit down and try to express how we appreciate our customers and having all of you as a part of our business. And every year we try not to say the same thing that we have already said. This year is no different from any other year. I sit at the computer and try to express our thanks and appreciation, but, honestly, words can’t capture the level of gratitude we have for our outstanding customers.

But this year is a little different. This was the last year Christensen’s Plant Center and Rushton Farms will operate together. Starting in 2023 the two companies will be operated independently of each other. A first, ever.

We also celebrated the retirement of Holly Christensen, who had worked here since she was a teenager. While we're happy for Holly, she left big shoes to fill and she is missed. 

So, I write this at the end of an Era. And next year will be the start of a new era. But in the eyes of you, our customers, it will be business as usual. Christensen’s Plant Center and Rushton Farms will continue to operate just as they have for the past several decades. Both companies will continue to provide you with the same exemplary quality and service that we have for years.

Starting in 2023 Christensen’s Plant center will also be expanding its hardscape line. We are excited to be adding Techo Bloc as a new offering to our customers in 2023. This new line will complement our already outstanding lineup of hardscape products, plants, ponds, pavers and walls, and low-voltage lighting. Christensen’s Plant Center remains your one-stop for landscape supplies.

As I close out 2022 and look towards 2023, I am excited for what the future holds. The future of the nursery industry looks as exciting as it ever has. Opportunity abounds for innovation and I encourage everyone to look for it. The coming season will be full of success if we simply seek it out.

As many of you know, I have brought my dog to work with for the last several years. You all got to know the gentle white giant named Garin. My faithful German wirehaired pointer became a fixture here at Christensen’s.

I lost Garin in 2020 after 15 wonderful years. He was there for me through a very large part of my adult life. The birth of my son, divorce, getting remarried, accepting the bonus kids and animals into the house (Two bonus kids, three dogs, three cats. Yep, my wife is an animal lover.) 

Whether it is the ladies, who Jango has trained it requires a dog cookie from my office for them to pass by to the bathroom, or the sales team in the office who hide their lunch, but bring in treats for him or our perennial staff who cannot let him pass without getting a “fix” of Jango or the conference room chair that Jango has claimed as his during our meetings (complete with the meeting stopping groan as he rolls over, that leads to a round of laughter.), it is clear that Jango has taken a place on the staff of Christensen’s.

Make sure you get to see Jango the next time you stop in. He is great at taking away the stress of our season and putting a smile on your face with just a few strokes of his coat.

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.

November 15 is the first day of firearm deer season in Michigan, and like many of you, I will be in my blind before sunup.

But deer camp isn’t about the hunting.

I came late into hunting. It just wasn’t something that interested me in my youth. I had always liked the shooting sports, but just never found the allure in hunting. Sometime in my twenties, my father and uncles convinced me to come to deer camp with them.

I had always thought of deer camp as this place that you went to. A place to basically sleep, as you spent all of your time hunting. I guess that is why I never was really attracted to it. Boy, was I wrong.

Deer camp allowed me to see my grandfather and uncles in a whole new light. I had always enjoyed being around my grandfather and uncles, but this was different. At camp it was only the adult men in the family. No kids, no moms. So, the rules all changed. Not that they suddenly became these crazed people, but they definitely let their hair down. And three of these guys are bald, so you can only imagine…

For the first few years I was the only grandchild there, the advantage of being the oldest of ten grandkids. And so, I got alone time with my grandfather. I got years of alone time with my grandfather. I chose a blind near his so I could have the walks in and out with him. I would get up early, which I HATE TO DO, so I could share breakfast with my early-rising grandfather and uncle. Looking back as I write this, I cannot help but smile at the memories that I made with my grandfather, and continue to make with my father and uncles.

My grandfather passed away from cancer in January of 2005. But he made it to deer camp in November of 2004. He couldn’t go to his blind, and just stayed around the camp and ate with us. But he was there. We still go to the same place to camp every year. We take the same campsites. We tell a lot of the same stories. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Out of the seven of us that go to camp every year, we average one deer every other year. So no, deer camp isn’t really about the hunting. Good luck everyone, at YOUR deer camps, and may the memories you make last a lifetime.

It’s time to welcome you back to Christensen’s! We are happy to be back to normal operations, while still observing the safety protocols we introduced last season. Don't worry, the masks won't prevent you from recognizing your favorite salespeople and we can't wait to greet you in return. We have some new employees as well, and we look forward to even better turnaround times when you visit our Plant and Hardscape Centers.

We do have some improvements to share with you, number one being the redesign of our store, with a fresh layout and new products. You really need to stop by and see what we've done!

Several of our flatbed trailers got new decks put on them to better serve your delivery needs. Our fleet of equipment has been serviced and is ready to roll for you! But there is one thing that we could not prep for...

Trucking in the country right now is going crazy, and so are the freight rates. Beyond the trucking regulations in place on drivers for hours of service, the lack of available labor is also affecting the trucking industry. There are currently trucks sitting without drivers for them. Lots of empty trucks. The next issue that came up this late winter/early spring was the situation in Texas. When the winter snowstorm hit Texas, FEMA stepped in and sent aid to Texas. Unfortunately, there is now a backlog of material those trucks would have hauled in other industries coupled with trucks that are still stuck in Texas either due to weather or inability to get unloaded. At least our product was not grounded in the Suez canal.

Due to these issues, freight rates have spiked by up to 30% over what they were at the end of 2020. Or another way to put this into perspective, freight is up almost 50% over spring of 2020. Rest assured, Christensen’s has your back. We have worked tirelessly to make sure to keep our prices competitive, and that we will have supply in our yard to make sure that you have a successful year.

From the trees to the brick to the sod, Christensen’s Plant and Hardscape Center has what you need to complete your landscape projects. So here is to another successful year!!

Oh, did I forget to mention? It is our 90^th Anniversary year!!!! We are looking forward to taking care of you for another 90 years.

As those close to me know, I love all seasons. I cannot say that I enjoy one over the other, because I really don’t. It drives my wife a little nuts, as she loathes snow. But I really love the little things that every season brings to us.

But this year is a little different. As 2020 has been for its entire existence. This year I am looking forward to the break that the winter provides to those of us in the nursery industry. A time to re-coup and re-group. And I for one am looking forward to having the time to gather myself back up.

As we re-group, we must look forward and start planning for the future. And as I look forward, I have to bring up the storm warning that I wrote about a couple of months ago. The material forecast for the spring is incredibly tight. Plant material grew very well this year, but our industry consumed a great deal of it. To give an example, many of our green goods suppliers have told us this fall that they can fill our orders, but we will be pulling from the spring 2021 crop. So, we can have it now, or next year, but not both. Hardscape suppliers are still reeling from shutdown this spring. Many intend to continue production for most of the winter to try to prevent the same thing happening in the spring of 2021.

So, as you re-group and plan this winter, I implore you. Plan out your jobs. Order your material. Do not wait until the snow is melting to arrange material for your spring projects. As the snow is flying, that is the time to be looking forward to spring.

As I write this, hurricane Laura is ashore in the gulf. In a matter of days, the remnants of this storm will most likely be bringing us some much-needed rain. (Hopefully only rain!)

This event coincides with the start of the last push for the landscape season here in Michigan. With this last push, I wanted to take a moment to remind all our contractors of the need to order all material as far in advance as possible to ensure a successful project.

All material has been moving very quickly this year. Projects are abundant, and we have been blessed with a prosperous economy. However, this has led to issues with availability across the board for landscape materials. This coupled with the coming push for the end of the landscape season is why I am issuing this storm warning.

• Place orders for EVERYTHING in advance!! Do not assume that we, or any other supplier, will “always have it in stock”. 

• Take nothing for granted. Plant material is starting to run thin, and growers are struggling with labor. (H2A/H2B program issues, etc.)

• Hardscape material is showing very long backlogs due to the early spring shutdowns. Many manufacturers have announced several products or lines that will no longer be made at all this year, and other products can have up to six-week lead times.

So please heed this storm warning. Place your orders early to make sure that your projects continue on smoothly for the rest of the year.