Nursery 
WI Natives 
Trending Topics December 29, 2017
Garden Goals Months of monochrome landscape dormancy caused by low light and cold will soon give way to swelling buds, warming winds, muddy boots, greening grass, and ever-increasing birdsong. Oh, the anticipation! What will my garden be like this year? What to grow? What to change? What should remain? The […]
December 29, 2017
2018 Color of the Year – Ultra Violet 2018 Color of the Year – Ultra Violet The
November 30, 2017
Water Your Plants Don’t forget to water your plants! Proper watering of a newly installed plant is critical to its establishment and future growth. Though watering may seem like a simple task, proper watering is a complex subject that does not easily offer a one-size-fits-all guideline for the quantity and […]
November 13, 2017
What’s A Red Maple, Anyway? I am often asked if we carry Red Maples at Johnson’s Nursery. My reply is, what do you mean by “red maple”? In this article I break down what is and isn’t a red maple, and why it matters to you. Red Maple The true […]
November 13, 2017
Wisconsin Natives At Johnson’s Nursery, we love our native plants. They fill unique roles in our landscapes, are adapted to our soils and climate, and have co-evolved with our other Wisconsin native species to create the mosaic of diversity that is Wisconsin. In addition to their special use by wildlife, […]
November 13, 2017
Urban Approved The goal of the Urban Approved standard is to be the starting point when selecting plants for difficult sites in built-up areas. Decisions regarding the Urban Approved title are made conservatively, and we will not grant the title to a plant that has not been adequately tested. What […]
October 26, 2017
Fall Harvest Fall Harvest no-repeat;left top;;auto Fall HarvestFall harvest at Johnson\’s Nursery, and autumn in Wisconsin, is a special time. Roadsides are painted in orange, red, and yellow. The air smells crisp and it’s time to get out the sweaters. The cooler temperatures invite most people to slow down from […]
October 16, 2017
Seasonal Needle Drop The cooler temperatures of autumn are approaching and while humans are putting on extra layers of clothes, evergreens are shedding their old needles. This annual occurrence is called “Seasonal Needle Drop” and is completely normal. Think of it like people shedding their hairs. So don’t panic when […]
October 11, 2017
Native Junipers You Should Know Juniperus virginiana and Juniperus communis – we have a boatload of these plants and they are really nice! I remember growing Juniperus virginiana and Juniperus communis years ago and they didn’t look as good as they do today. The bottom needles would turn brown and […]
October 10, 2017
Urban Trees: Narrow Space Savers | Small – UNDER 15’ TALL Urban Trees: Narrow Space Savers A common theme we see in landscapes today are small spaces in need of vertical accents and urban trees. Whether you have a limiting lot size or an existing bed with a hole you […]
October 9, 2017
Perennial Mums vs. Hardy Mums When the morning temperatures turn chilly and the air smells of dried leaves, I get the overwhelming urge to buy chrysanthemums. The summer annuals on the porch are running out of steam and being threatened by the first frosts anyway. Luckily, garden centers, like Johnson’s […]
October 6, 2017
Fall Planting Fall Planting In the fall, I am asked the same question over and over: Is it too late to plant? The answer? Not at all. But it is a good idea to get perennials and evergreens in the ground by mid-October. You want to give perennials enough time […]
October 6, 2017
Crabapples for Birds I’m sure there are some of you out there that are thinking, “Yeah crabapples are for the birds, and not for me. They have disease problems (scab) that knock the leaves off the trees by August and the big, stinking fruit that drops all over the sidewalk […]
October 4, 2017
Allelopathy Competition for light, water, nutrients and space can drive plants to extreme measures. Since they don’t really have the option to act as animals do, like eating one another or running away, they must resort to more subtle techniques. Some plants grow fast, relying on speed to get ahead […]
October 2, 2017
Naughty Natives – Part 3: Perennials Naughty Natives – Part 3: Perennials If you remember from Part 1: Trees and Part 2: Shrubs, we\’re highlighting Wisconsin native plants that have a bad reputation as \”weed plants\” or that they are aggressive. Sometimes the aggressive nature, or undesirable traits, can be […]