People are asking me about  my availability of White Birch Trees.  We do not carry them as they will eventually succumb to the Birch borer which will eventually kill the tree.  We do carry one variety of Birch Tree which is the Multi-stem River Birch.  Although they do not have the white peeling  bark of the the White Birch tree it does have a lovely cinnamon pink bark that does have the same exfoliating bark quality as the White Birch.  This will provide the winter interest and is also a good choice for upright night lighting.  They have a dark green foliage that turns a beautiful golden yellow in the fall.  And yep – they are resistant to the borer.  They are very hardy and great for urban plantings.

Multi-stem River Birch

Multi-stem River Birch

Today we started the first day of the digging season.  A large Magnolia in west Oakville is being moved.  Presently, it is planted in the precise spot the new sitting room of the new house is going to be built.  It will be moved further down in the backyard so that it may be admired from the enlarged home to be.  Trees that flower are without doubt, the major part of our digging along with Japanese Maples and Beech trees that are colourful.

Digging trees that are in excess of a 10″ – 12″ caliper is a three day process. Our success rate is between 90 to 95%.  Unlike machine digging, we can go where equipment is unable to and dig trees well beyond any equipment’s capacity to move.  When a problem is unearthed while digging, we access the situation and decide whether not to abort the dig.  This saves unnecessary  costs or disappointments with the outcome.

Send us a picture of trees that are part of your life and home.  If it is too close to to the house or in the way of expansion, we would be happy to give you a professional opinion on whether or not the tree is worth the investment to move.  Sometimes replacing the tree is cheaper rather than wrestling with digging conditions or damage and disease that makes the decision a bad investment.

The outside surroundings of your home or building are the first impression.  First time impressions are a one time opportunity.

Magnolia before the dig, march 23, 2015

Magnolia during the dig, March 27, 2015

We are getting many inquiries on certain varieties of trees and what are recommendations would be.  If you are looking for a deciduous tree I would recommend an Ornamental Pear.  My husband and I are both in the landscape industry, and believe me , the last thing we want to deal with during the season is maintenance on our own property.  The Ornamental Pear is a tree for all seasons.  In the spring it produces an abundance of showy white flowers.  After it is finished blooming a bright green foliage appears turning to rich dark glossy green over the summer.  In the fall it turns a brilliant red.  They produce a small marble sized fruit that stays on the tree and in December and January birds eat them all so they don’t drop. See – low maintenance!  The have a nice shape as well which makes it a great choice for street or yard planting.  The other plus about this tree is that is disease resistant – how perfect is that!

Here are some pictures so you can see…

White Blooms in Spring

Summer foliage

Fall foliage

As spring fast approaches, we renew our energies and to begin to focus and concentrate on what we know best.  Our trees and nursery are what we have spent our whole 40 year career doing and it still has the same magic effect every spring when the sun tells us it is time to start to grow again.

Last year we moved around 16,000 large trees to our new farm, 5592 Trafalgar Road, 1/2 kilometer north of where our main farm has been for 28 years.  The new farm has much more rolling land with meadows.  A beautiful old iron bridge straddles the 16 Mile Creek that cuts through the farm and nursery that leads to our newly laid out fields of mature root pruned trees.  The new farms are laid out with fresh grass planted between every row to allow us to take you to see all the trees and pick exactly what you want.

Having all these trees moved has given us the opportunity to be able to dig pretty much anytime during the 2015 season.  On very hot days in the summer, digging might be delayed until cooler weather permits.  The nursery is designed for production of heavier caliper specimen trees for commercial and residential projects that demand more.

Our experience in the past 40 years in horticulture has provided us with unique  one of a kind projects.  This knowledge and insight provides results on the most difficult demands that any horticultural situation can provide.  Please come and visit or email us with your needs and inquiries for 2015.

Paul Offierski

Row of Gingkos October 2014

Well it finally feels like spring is coming.  I am not going to write about the weather, everybody knows it was horrible.  Instead I am going to focus on 2015!   A lot has happened at PAO since I have last written, the first big news is that we finally moved!!  We are now at our new location 5592 Trafalgar Road just ½ kilometre north of our original location.  It was no easy feat moving 15,000 trees!  The good news is they are all now root pruned and ready to grow and sell and now we can sell throughout the summer.  The new location is nice and we invite you to come for a tour.  The new farm is laid out with wide roads for easy viewing and tagging. We are still in the construction phase at the front of the yard but once the weather breaks we will start that in earnest.  Our other farm has now produced some larger specimens as well this year and we will have another 8000 trees for sale.

In late spring we plan to have a couple of shipments in from the west coast which will bring some specimen material that we are known for.  We are specifically focusing on Japanese Maples, Boxwoods and some other topiary specimens.  As spring unfolds I will keep you posted on the blog as what is news and some pictures.  We cannot get into the field yet…but soon!

August 2014 – the First half of the office leaves old PAO