Aesculus glabra ‘J.N. Select’ Sunset™ Buckeye
Zone 3 H: 35' S: 35'
Sunset™ Buckeye is a seedling selection found by Michael Yanny in 1981. The original tree, at about 30 years old, is approximately 30’ tall by 20’ wide. Sunset ™Buckeye gets its name from its bright red fall color. Its form and growth rate seem to be similar to Aesculus glabra seedlings, though it does show better late season foliage quality. Sunset™ Buckeye produces very few seeds giving it great potential as a street tree. The reason for the near seedless nature of the tree is that the pistils do not elongate enough to be easily pollinated.We have successfully propagated this clone by side-veneer grafts on potted Aesculus glabra in July under mist. Sunset™ Buckeye should be further evaluated for scorch and blotch resistance, hardiness and fall color consistency. Ease of production in the nursery should also be looked at.
Fraxinus americana ‘Marcy Gold’ Marcy Gold White Ash
Zone 4 H: 30-35' S: 30-35’
A medium sized tree with a umbrella form crown; smaller than other white ash selections. Produces consistent clear gold fall color.
Fraxinus americana ‘Oklahoma' Oklahoma White Ash
Zone 4 H: 50’ S: 30-40’
An Earl Cully selection introduced by Johnson’s Nursery, Inc. A Vigorous grower with a dense, oval crown. Fabulous fall color! Glossy, reddish-purple color on the outside of the crown with yellow and orange tones on the inside. It’s even better than ‘Autumn Purple’. A female selection, that rarely sets a heavy crop of seeds.
Fraxinus pennsylvanica ‘Johnson’ PP 9136 Leprechaun™ Green Ash
Zone 4 H: 18-20' S: 16-18'
This is a genetic green ash, miniature in every way when compared to the species. Discovered by Johnson’s Nursery, Inc., it is greatly appreciated by utility companies seeking tough trees to fit under overhead wires. Grafted on 6’ stem. Leprechaun™ green ash is a dwarf cultivar selected by Michael Yanny at our Menomonee Falls location. It was found as a three-year-old seedling growing in a row of budding understock. The original tree at eleven years old stood eleven feet tall by seven feet wide and had a trunk diameter of four inches at six inches above the ground. A species green ash would typically have dimensions two to three times larger at eleven years of age. The twigs of Leprechaun™ have internodes only one-third the length of the species. The leaves and leaflets are diminutive as well, being only half the normal size. This gives the tree a finer texture. Like the species, Leprechaun™ is a tough, durable tree. It should prove very useful in restricted urban settings where conditions are harsh. The tree is patented and the name trademarked. Leprechaun™ is an introduction of Johnson’s Nursery, Inc. and J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co., of Boring, Oregon. Contact J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. for licensing.
Malus ‘Birdland’ Birdland Crabapple
Zone 4 H: 25’ S: 30’
Large, mounded form. Very uniform shape. The best ornamental crabapple that we have seen for attracting birds. Virtually a self-filling bird feeder with the birds eating the tiny, orange fruits from November through March.
Malus sargentii ‘Select A’ P.P. 12621 Firebird® Crabapple
Zone 4 H: 7' S: 9'
Firebird® Crabapple originated from open-pollinated seed collected in 1980 by Michael Yanny at Johnson’s Nursery, Inc., Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. A seedling crop was grown and transplanted to the Jackson, WI farm in 1984. From this block of plants, trees were evaluated primarily for fruiting qualities, habit, disease resistance and hardiness. Firebird® Crabapple showed superior fruiting qualities early on in the selection process. It has small, red crabapples slightly less than ½” in diameter. Unlike most Malus sargentii selections which have small, red fruits which quickly soften in the autumn after a few hard frosts and are taken by birds, Firebird® Crabapple fruit remain hard and colorful late into the winter. It’s ornamental fruit quality and persistence is better or equal to that of Malus ‘Donald Wyman’ and approaching but not equal to Malus ‘Red Jewel’, in Wisconsin. Firebird® Crabapple is a small-scale plant similar to its parent Malus sargentii, though a more compact version. It grows more upright than the species when young eventually spreading out to 8’ wide by 5’ tall after about 18 years. Firebird® Crabapple shows much more of a tendency towards annual flowering and fruiting than its parent. Red flower buds open to sweet smelling, one-inch diameter, snow-white flowers at the time when Viburnum carlesii is in full bloom.On young, vigorous shoots, Firebird® Crabapple has distinct, tri-lobed leaves 2 3/8” long by 2” wide with a prominent central lobe. Older, more adult foliage, most prevalent on slower growing shoots, is mostly elliptic, oval being about 2 ½” long by 1 ¼” wide. Firebird® Crabapple has excellent resistance to apple scab disease. Fireblight has not infected it. A growers license is required by law to propagate and sell this plant.