June Field Notes

~ June 1, 2025

*UPDATED pictures in the gallery 6-17-25

The month of June is off to a great start! As many of our nursery friends are aware, our son Joey was in a serious accident earlier this year. A few weeks ago, Joey came home from the hospital and joined us back at the nursery – just in time for pruning season!  We are all thrilled to have him back here on the farm with us. Our entire family is so grateful for everyone’s love & support following the accident and during his recovery.  Joey continues to heal more and more every day. Working in the trees helps!

We are kicking off the month with our crews split between pruning, staking, and weeding. The weather this season has been beautiful so far! In the next few weeks, the main focus of our crew will be pruning Oaks. We start by un-staking 2nd & 3rd year trees, letting them “flop” around a bit, pruning the tops to reduce canopy weight, re-staking as needed. Because of these extra steps, Oaks take the most time of any genus we grow. Here is a link to some videos & posts from previous seasons about our Oak pruning process:

• Pruning Oaks

• Growing Oaks at SGN Trees

Our Oak blocks always look AMAZING once this process is complete, and it’s one of our favorite spots in the nursery! Now is the time of year we can really see what’s shaping up in the field, what’s growing great, and what needs a little extra attention with pruning and staking. We couldn’t be happier with the crops we have coming on for the next few seasons. Here are a few video clips of our staking machine in action over the last few years. Becky’s Dad built this custom staking add-on to our tractor. It has staked thousands of trees over the years for us and works perfectly for what we need!

• Staking SGN Oaks Video 2023

• Staking SGN Oaks Video 2022

For more videos throughout the year, check out our Instagram page @springgrovenursery

Besides working on Oaks, we have been busy pruning and staking in other tree blocks as well, like Maples, Honeylocust, Crabapples, Baldcypress, and Elms. Eventually every tree in the nursery will get some special attention. And since it is June, the “Juneberries” (AKA serviceberries) are going to be ripe & delicious in just a few weeks! We have enjoyed snacking on them while out and about in the nursery over the years. We are looking forward to harvesting a basket or two to make some yummy serviceberry crisp and jam! Here is a fascinating blog post Maggie put together about this important tree in our landscape:

• The History of Serviceberry Trees

In between field work & Serviceberry snacking, we are loading and shipping out trees daily.  We have over 1000 trees available for planting projects, and they all look healthy and fresh – ready to plant & grow! Check out our SGN Photo Gallery for some updated pics of trees in our above ground SGN Sales Yard:

• SGN SALES YARD PICS

• SGN SALES YARD VIDEO

The first day of summer is quickly approaching, and we are looking forward to the longer days and slower pace that summer brings to the nursery. This year on Friday, June 20–the Summer Solstice–we’re celebrating by hosting the first Leaf by Leaf Book Club at the Nursery! You can check out more info in our blog post and RSVP:

• Introducing Leaf by Leaf: A Book Club Rooted in Community & Nature 

• RSVP for June 20th Book Club

Summer is a beautiful time to visit the nursery. The crops for this fall and next spring are starting to take shape, so it’s a perfect time to think about the next planting season and lock in some beauties from our field. We welcome you to visit us anytime this summer!

Here are a few images from around the farm this season: