Articles

Anti-arborist historians won’t tell you this, but the Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus) is at least partially responsible for the Revolutionary War. Once a massively popular timber tree, the Eastern White Pine was prized by shipbuilders for its long, straight trunk used in the production of ship masts.

If you’ve missed out on spring planting this season, we have some good news for you – fall planting is here!

If you’re looking to grow a majestic conifer, you’ve come to the right place. In this blog, we’ll be reviewing what makes the Grand Fir (Abies grandis) so monumental, its attributes, its pros, and its cons.

Are you looking for a different variety of conifers to help grow your business? Exotic Firs, also known as “less common or unusual firs” according to the Michigan State University Extension, might be a great place to start looking.

The Exotic Conifers blog series continues as we take a closer look at the Noble Fir, also known as Abies procera. Keeping in line with our previous installments, we will review the attributes, pros, and cons of this particular tree species.

Welcome back to our Exotic Conifers blog series. So far, we’ve covered information about Trojan Fir, Turkish Fir, and Canaan Fir. In this blog, we’ll be reviewing the attributes, pros, and cons of the more unique exotic Fir, Korean Fir, also known as Abies koreana.

Christmas tree growers are looking to more resilient evergreens that originate in faraway places to withstand Michigan’s increasingly more unpredictable and extreme weather, otherwise known as exotic Firs. These newly popular Firs promise better performance in acclimate growing conditions.

Michigan’s weather has become increasingly more unpredictable and extreme, which does not bode well for some of the ‘tried and true’ conifers that Christmas tree growers are familiar with. Now, growers are shifting their efforts towards exotic Firs, which can be less finicky alternatives.

When Christmas trees come to mind, growers are familiar with the “tried and true” species such as Balsam Fir, Douglas Fir, Blue Spruce, and the reigning champion, Fraser Fir. However, as the weather becomes more unpredictable and extreme, growers are turning to less finicky alternatives in exotic Firs.

When you receive a new shipment of seedlings, you may not be 100% ready to plant them right when you get them. Be it due to the weather or a conflict in your schedule, we wanted to offer you a few tips on how to successfully store your seedlings until you’re ready to plant.

When it comes to new seedling growers, there are a lot of things to keep in mind before diving into growing your seedlings. We’ve put together the top 5 things new growers should do before starting their business in order to create successful, flourishing conifers.

Canadian Hemlock (also called Eastern Hemlock or Tsuga canadensis) is often known for its beautiful, majestic size and shape, with the potential to live over 800 years and grow up to 70 feet tall.

Cultivating genetically superior seedlings takes close care and consideration throughout every step of the growing cycle.

Every year at Vans Pines Nursery, we evaluate top issues to tackle in the following year. This past year, in particular, weed management was a big source of frustration for us.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) recently announced that the first confirmed case of the invasive species, Spotted Lanternfly was found within the state.

Mile-a-Minute weed – a name appropriate for this invasive species – has recently been found in the state of Michigan at the Albion College Whitehouse Nature Center.

Winter in Michigan used to be quite predictable. It typically wasn't uncommon to have bitter-cold temperatures and tons of snow. However, lately we are observing winters with well below average snowfall and thawing events followed by an extreme frost.