I have been attempting to get a good photo to share with you for some time. On the north side of my home, I planted several Praire Fire Crab Trees. They have a great pinkish red flower in the spring. They flower right around mothers day weekend. The Spring color is great. The other great thing about the Praire Fire Crab is it gets & retains small apples, about one quarter to three eights of an inch. The apples are small enough  so they are not a mess to clean up. Since they stay on through the winter, they can be a “Free Breakfast” for birds.

Because of the amount of snow we have experienced this winter, the birds are needing to find sources of food that are not covered by the snow pack. These 3 Pheasants along with several more that are not in the picture have been enjoying many meals provided by these crab apples. I can stop by my window several times a day & watch the Pheasant eating. They are such a large, colorful bird. They almost appear too large to be in a tree.

This is just one example of the other people or creatures that benefit when planting a tree in your landscape.Even though you have gone to the expense of planting the tree, many others can enjoy the beauty, food & oxygen produced by that tree for years to come.

For more information on what trees Arbor Hill Tree Farm has available for planting in your yard, please go to our tree photo gallery at http://www.arborhilltreefarm.com/photo-gallery.php  . In addition to a photo of each tree, you can click on that tree & learn more about the trees characteristics.

Even though Spring is officially here tomorrow, the weather is unseasonally cold & snowy.But have faith, Spring will come and we may enjoy it more just because we had to wait a little longer. Below is just a reminder of what beauty Spring has in store for us. A flower from the Praire Fire Crab Tree. Enjoy, Jerry

Last week we were exhibitors at the Mpls Home & Garden Show. I enjoyed talking with everyone that stopped by our booth. One of the questions I was asked about was Tree Spading large trees. I would like to address that question in this blog post.

Arbor Hill Tree Farm has the equipment to move or transplant large evergreen & shade trees. The trees can be selected from our growing fields. Check out our http://www.arborhilltreefarm.com/large-trees-for-sale-installation.phpPage on our web site.There is a partial list of what we have to offer.

We can also move  your trees on site or location to location.We have a truck mounted 90inch diameter “Big John” tree spade for larger trees. Smaller trees can be moved on site or balled & burlapped using our skid steer mounted 36 inch & 48 inch Care Tree Tree Spades.More info on this is available at our tree spade page http://arborhilltreefarm.com/tree-spade-transplanting.php.

March is here and the recent snow we had will soon melt away & we will be able to start our Spring Tree Planting. Take some time to plan for your Spring projects. We encourage customers to place your orders now as Spring gets very busy. Orders are filled on a first come basis.

We have some great savings on our 5ft and 6ft Black Hills Spruce & Colorado Blue Spruce. Trees are $70 OFF per tree. We have thousands of trees to select from. Trees are freshly dug per order.

Give us a call with any questions regarding your project or to schedule a visit to our farm. Thanks, Jerry

February has been a rather snowy month. It seems we have not had any large amounts of snow at  one time, but several snowfalls of 2-3 inches. All that accumulation has made for a snow pack of approximately a foot at our tree farm. During the winter months it is always a good idea to get out and knock the snow off your evergreens periodically. Snow can get heavy on the branches & can cause damage to the trees. It is best to remove the snow soon after a snowfall because as temperatures fluctuate, the snow can partially melt and refreeze on the tree, making it difficult to remove.

Some positive signs of Spring is on the way is the average daytime temperature is 30 degrees F. Daylight is also getting noticeably longer.

With Spring coming near, it is a great time to start planning those outdoor projects. Arbor Hill Tree Farm will once again be exhibitors at the Minneapolis Home & Garden show at the Mpls Convention Center Feb 27-Mar 3. We are at booth number 726, located in the Lawn & Garden area. Please stop by and we can help you with any of your tree questions. For some great savings on trees this Spring, please check out our tree specials page http://www.arborhilltreefarm.com/coupon.phpon our website.      We have also been doing some updating on our home page http://www.arborhilltreefarm.com/. We have added an area of scrolling pictures we call Window into Arbor Hill Tree Farm.

As Spring draws near, we encourage you to place your tree orders now. By ordering now you are able to lock in an early planting date,best price & selection. Orders can be placed now by contacting us. A 50% deposit is required when placing order. Thank you & THINK SPRING.

THINK SPRING

Probably one of the most important factors in determining a businesses success would be its reputation. A good reputation will affect a businesses longevity and its sales. A good reputation is built by providing good quality products & services consistantly to customers.  

I am proud to say Arbor Hill Tree Farm has been in business since 1989. In that time our sales have grown from very little in the first years to 2012 being our best year ever, serving over 350 customers.

We attribute the success of Arbor Hill Tree Farm to a large degree on our customers satisfaction. One of the biggest compliments a business can get is a repeat customer or a referral from a customer. Repeat and referral customers every year help increase our sales. We put very much effort into making sure our customers are very  happy with our products & services.

Our website has a testimonials page where customers can share there experiences with Arbor Hill Tree Farm. We welcome your comments.

Here we are again in the middle of Winter in Minnesota. The temperatures have been varying widely, but today is a typical cold, windy wintery day.

The temperatures this morning are in the single digits and a strong wind blowing from the north, making for a wind chill factor of minus 11 degrees. Not a real pleasant time to be outside.

As many of you may know because you are also dog owners, dogs do not understand it is very cold out. They still need to go outside for obvious reasons and get some excersise.

Pictured is our member of the family, Lucy. She is a young Golden Retriever who lives for being outside & chasing a tennis ball forever. As I was outside with her this morning, throwing the ball for her, I was extremely happy to have a large Spruce Tree to be able to stand behind to block that very cool wind.

Evergreen trees in general make for excellent wind breaks.Wind takes away heat from homes as well as people. By stategically planting trees on your property to slow down the winter wind, you can also help reduce your heating bills.

I like to feed the wild birds in the winter months. What I notice on a cold windy day is the birds do not come to my feeders as often. They are also utilizing the evergreen trees to protect themselves from the severe winter elements.

Some varieties of evergreens that make for great screening, excellent wind breaks & shelter for birds would be Black Hills Spruce, Colorado Blue Spruce, Balsam Fir, White Pine & Austrian Pine.

Happy New Year from Arbor Hill Tree Farm.2012 was a very good year for our family & tree farm. We want to thank all our customers for there patronage. We very much appreciate your business in 2012 and look forward to your business in 2013 and beyond.
Here we are in January and the weather forecast is calling for mid to high 30’s for daytime temperatures and possible rain. Even though it may be quite odd to see above freeezing temperatures and rain in January, it may be very helpful for the trees to tolerate the winter better. The ground should be able to absorb some of the moisture as snow melts because there may not be much frost at this point.The heavy snow we recieved in the late fall came before any frost was present, having an insulating effect.
Evergreen trees take in moisture all year, including the winter, so any moisture that can enter the ground or be absorbed by the needles definitely helps.
Even though it is January, Arbor Hill Tree Farm is busy preparing for Spring. We have been updating our website and have a number of Spring Tree Specials available. We very much encouage you to start planning now for your Spring & Summer projects. We are available for taking tree orders now. Orders are processed and planted in the Spring on a first come, first serve basis. Please contact me to discuss your tree needs or to place an order. Orders require a 50% deposit.
One of the advantages of purchasing trees from Arbor Hill Tree Farm is we are the grower of the trees we sell and you are welcome to walk through the over 30 acres and select from thousands of trees.
Please take the time to look over our website. We have tried to make our web site informative and easy to use. The installation methods page is very helpful for understanding how we transport & plant the trees in your yard.Pictured is 1 of our evergreen growing fields.
Again we are available this time of year by email or phone, or by appointment for visiting our Tree Farm.
We will also be an exhibitor at the Mpls Home & Garden Show at the Mpls Covention Center Feb.27th to March 3rd. Please stop by and see us.
Thanks, Jerry Knutson

Birds are just one of the benefactors when planting trees.
The birds pictured are enjoying a meal of crabapple fruit from a Prairefire Crabapple tree planted for a customer north of Cohasset Mn this late fall.
We appreciate photos sent to us by our customers.The birds pictured are a Pine Grossbeak.
Other forms of wildlife also use trees for protection from the elements. Today is a cold, wintery, snowy day & I have been watching some Cardinals in my yard flying between a feeder & a Colorado Spruce tree.
Jerry Knutson

Santa Clause has been visiting Arbor Hill Tree Farm the past 2 Saturdays & is scheduled to make 1 more appearance this Saturday December 15.He will be here from 11-3pm for the last time before he goes back to the North Pole to prepare for Christmas Eve.
The young & the young at heart have been sitting on his lap to discuss there Christmas wishes.
Plan to stop out and say HI. Thanks, Jerry

December is here and Christmas is approaching fast.Arbor Hill Tree Farm has precut Fraser Fir Christmas trees available in 6 to 10 ft sizes. Prices start at $59.00 and go up to $99.00.
The Fraser Fir makes a great Christmas tree because it has good needle retention, very fragrant & dark green color. Needles are soft but the branched are stiff enough to support lights & decorations.
We have most of our trees displayed inside our pole barn for pleasant viewing even during unpleasant weather.
We are equipped to make a fresh cut on the tree trunk as well as securing the tree to your vehicle.
Hours of operation for Christmas Tree purchases are weekdays 12-8pm & on Saturday & Sunday 10-6pm or later by appt.
Santa Clause will also be visiting on Saturday December 8th & 15th from 11-3pm.
Hope to see you at our Farm this season. Thanks & have a very Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year, Jerry

Arbor Hill Tree Farm took part in the annual Halloween Parade in Cottage Grove, Mn. This year the crew at Arbor Hill Tree Farm took advantage of a couple rainy days before the parade to construct a GIGANTIC Spider that was mounted atop our Tree Spade Truck. The spider had glowing eyes & perodically sprayed venom toward the parade spectators.We recieved a large trophy for the Best Halloween Spirit Float in the parade.
Pictured is the Spider as well as the Owners & Friends of Arbor Hill Tree Farm.
Thank You to everyone who participated in the Parade & helped construct the Float. Jerry & Lisa Knutson