McKay Staff
McKay Nursery Company has a team full of experienced horticulturists and specialists in trees, shrubs, perennials, potted plants, and propagation. We have over 125 years of experience growing high quality plants. We hope to pass on some of our knowledge and industry expertise to the home gardener to help gardens everywhere flourish.
Ah, honeyberries. You may not know them yet, and that's exactly why we want to tell you about them.
Sometimes called haskap, honeyberries (Lonicera caerulea) are a small fruit bush native to cool northern climates. They're one of the first plants to bloom in spring and one of the first fruits to ripen in early summer. They handle Wisconsin winters with ease, and they taste like a blueberry's more interesting cousin.
This year we're carrying two standout varieties: Aurora and Indigo Gem. Both are quickly becoming customer favorites and we'll show you why.
Meet the Haskap
Honeyberries grow on a tidy, rounded shrub that tops out at four to six feet, with no thorns and no suckering pups to chase down. They're hardy to USDA zone 3, which makes them tougher than just about any other fruit you can grow in Wisconsin. Flowers appear before most other plants are awake, in early to mid spring. By mid June you're picking fruit while your strawberries are still warming up.
The berries are deep blue-purple,
Pruning Fruit Trees
Winter is a great time to prune fruit trees. Most apples, peaches, pears, or plums, when grown in orchard situations, are pruned to allow the center of the trees to be opened up. This allows the sunlight to get into the crowns of the trees. This can be done in your yard as well.
Removing the leader (really the only plants you would want to do this with are fruit trees) will encourage more lateral or horizontal growth. By doing this, you encourage fruit production on branches that can hold the weight of the fruit, plus it allows more sun and air circulation in the center of the trees. This is a more natural way of warding off mildew or disease. Give it a try!
Pruning Trees
Oaks should only be pruned while dormant. In addition to pruning oak trees, you can also prune hackberry, honeylocust, coffeetree, tree lilacs, lindens, mountain ash, poplar, and willows. Whereas black alder, birch, maple, butternut, and black walnut should be pruned later in May so the sap won’t
As the scorching heat of August persists, nurturing your garden becomes an essential endeavor. Whether tending to newly planted saplings or nurturing well-established flora, maintaining optimal moisture levels is paramount. This blog will guide you through a spectrum of seasonal gardening wisdom, from nurturing perennials and annuals to plotting next spring's landscape design.
- Be sure to maintain good moisture levels on all new plantings and any established plants that may need additional water during the heat of the summer. Water plants early in the day rather than when the sun is at it's hottest to make sure water reaches the roots before evaporating. Also when watering, aim the water close to the base rather than the leaves, which reduces the chance of potential fungal issues.
- Spread organic mulch over the root zones of not only new plantings, but also older more established plants to discourage weeds and maintain moisture in the soil. Click here for tips on mulching.
- Newly planted
As the world continues to break heat records, and we experience increasingly dry conditions in the U.S., consider drought-tolerant plants for your landscape.
Most of the Great Plains and Midwest regions are experiencing moderate to extreme droughts this year, which can have lasting impacts for years. The shortage of rain can wreak havoc on your garden and landscape plants, which is why opting for drought-tolerant plants can be beneficial. Even if you live in an area with plenty of rain, but lack the time to pamper your plants, it could prove a smart choice to invest in these plants.
The words “drought tolerant” may conjure images of cactus and tumbleweed, sedum and succulents, but we can assure you a drought tolerant garden can still be lush, lovely, and the envy of your neighborhood. Below we dig into five of our favorites and tell you a little more about them.
The fine print: although the plants listed here are drought tolerant, all plants require a bit of extra care and water as they
June is where summer makes her grand entrance, and gardeners everywhere are busy with what they love best…. gardening! Keep your garden thriving in June by following our tips and advice:
1. June is a great time for the addition of a good organic layer of mulch to your planting beds for weed prevention and better soil moisture retention (2-3” layer). Be very careful not to mound the mulch up around the trunks of trees, as it can kill the tree.
2. Roses should be checked for aphids and other bugs and sprayed as soon as possible. Bayer All in One Rose & Flower Care is also a great systemic for prevention, but it may take a while for the active ingredient to get into the plant.
3. Spring flowering bulbs have foliage that has now turned (or is turning) brown and drying, and this old foliage can be removed without affecting next year’s flowers. Allow the spring bulb foliage to turn brown before removing it, as the green leaves make food for next year’s bulbs.
4. Spring flowering shrubs (Forsythia,
When winter is beginning to end and spring starts to approach what kind of damage can you expect from your plants? Here are some questions plant owners have regarding winter plant damage and some of our solutions to help you and your plants get through winter.
How do the winter months affect landscape plants?
It depends on what type of winter you had in your area. Unfortunately, the type of winter is very difficult to prepare for because of the variable conditions that it can have (freezing rain, ice, snow, wind, extreme cold, etc.).
So how do you know if plants are injured during these cold months?
Typically, cold injury rears its ugliness in the early summer months. However this can be plant specific as plants grow at different rates. What is the reasoning for this? A lot of winter damage occurs during the months of February and March when we see temperature fluctuations. These months are particularly hard on plants as the sun shines raising temperatures above freezing
February is a great time to prune certain trees and shrubs, and to plan out landscaping projects with a design professional to ensure the right plants are going in the right space. Planning is the key to any great landscape. Below are McKay's February Landscaping Tips:
- Fruit trees can be pruned now (when you can see the form and they are dormant). Most Apples, Peaches, Pears or Plums when grown in orchard situations are pruned to allow the center of the trees to be opened up and allow the sunlight to get into the crowns of the trees. This can be done in your yard as well. Removing the leader (really the only plants you would want to do this with are fruit trees) to encourage more lateral or horizontal growth. By doing this, you encourage the fruit production on branches that can hold the weight of the fruit, plus it allows more sun and air circulation in the center of the trees. This is a more natural way of warding off mildew or disease. Give it a try.
- Oaks are best pruned while
Below are our 4 easy steps to help protect your nursery stock during the winter months...
1. Chicken Wire
Protect the smorgasbord within your yard against rabbits by fencing vulnerable beds with chicken wire (the fencing should be periodically checked to ensure rabbits have not broken through to feed or have gotten trapped inside).
2. Cylinder Barriers
Individual trees or shrubs may be protected by constructing cylinders around them with hardware cloth or mesh of no more than ¼ inch. To safeguard against burrowing rodents, bend the bottom 6 inches of the mesh outward and delicately bury it 2-3 inches deep (be careful to stay far enough away form the base of your tree to avoid any root injury). To prevent further damage from rabbits, extend the protective mesh 18-24” above anticipated snow line accumulations and secure the outer edges with wire twist ties.
3. Sprays
Remove the protective coverings in spring to avoid the possibility of damage as your trees begin to grow. If fencing is too
- November is a great time to turn on your hose and give your Boxwood, Japanese Yews, and evergreens one good last soaking before the ground freezes. It is so very important for evergreens as they do "give off" moisture during the winter months. Having good moisture at the root systems helps prevent problems, disease and plant health issues. Once you have thoroughly soaked those plants, and any newly planted trees, and your Birch trees, then you can empty out your hose and put it away for the winter. Anti desiccants are sprays that put a waxy coating on the evergreen foliage that prevents them from letting the drying winter winds burn the foliage. It can be applied this month, and you may need to re-apply later in winter if it washes off with rains an snow. It might be a good idea for new evergreen plantings the first year.
- This may also be your last chance to mow your lawn and more importantly to shred the leaves that are still on your lawn. Shredding those last leaves with your mower