Expertise To Go

Brent Jacobs has managed the landscape tree division of the Owasso Tree and Berry Farm for the past eight seasons.

Brent Jacobs of the Owasso Tree and Berry Farm offers soil expertise on the go with The Garden Bag.

The snow is gone, the grass is greening up and it’s time to start planting. Brent Jacobs has managed the landscape tree division of the Owasso Tree and Berry Farm for the past eight seasons and has hundreds of trees ready for spring planting. While the ideal time for tree planting is fall, Jacobs says spring planting can be just as successful. “It just takes a little extra attention to watering, and you can enjoy your new trees all summer long.”  

Brent loves the spring season, and he is anxious to share newer, improved versions of old favorites that are both beautiful to look at and practical to grow in our rough climate. “We grow our trees in grow bags right here on the farm, which ensures the trees are acclimated to Oklahoma conditions,” he said.

Ornamental trees are Brent’s passion, and Owasso Tree Farm boasts a large variety. Traditionally, crabapples are the number one seller at the farm and a personal favorite of Brent’s. Royal Rain Drops and Lollipop crabapples are beautiful in the spring. He has a variety of flowering trees including Big Cis plums, Eastern, Texas White and Forest Pansy redbuds, Canada Red choke cherries, Purple Robe locusts and Morning Cloud chitalpa trees. Vitex purple or blue varieties are available in tree or bush form.

Red and Japanese maples add color and texture to any landscape design, and weeping trees include Lavender Twist redbuds and Louisa crabapples. Cascade Falls cypress trees add visual interest as well. Traditional loblolly pines provide constant color, and there are many shade trees to choose from, including Triumph, Bosque and Emerald Sunshine elms, Bald cypress, Tulip trees, Dawn redwoods, Persian parrotia and Chinese pistache trees.

The Owasso Tree and Berry Farm’s tomato plants reached over 6 feet tall last summer using The Garden Bag.

If you are looking for larger caliper trees, as required by some homeowner’s association covenants, Owasso Tree Farm offers two-inch caliper trees, which can be hard to find locally. Pin oaks and Green Vase Zelkova trees are available in 30 gallon sizes, and Patmore ash, Royal Raindrops crabapple and Red maples are available in 60 gallon sizes. The popular Red Sunset maple is available in both 30 and 60 gallon sizes. Brent will deliver trees in the Owasso area for no charge, and planting is available for a small charge.

This year, the Owasso Tree and Berry Farm is introducing The Garden Bag for sale to customers. The Garden Bag is a $19.95 instant gardening spot. Brent said over the years he has had many customers who wanted to grow their own vegetables and expand their flower beds but had less than ideal planting spaces or soil conditions. The Garden Bag is his answer to the problem and is a great product for use in the backyard garden, existing flowerbed spaces or apartment balconies, patio homes, or elevated platforms to allow for gardening for the elderly or handicapped. “We have used the bags to grow our trees for over 10 years, and we’ve had tomato plants over six feet tall in our personal garden using The Garden Bag.”

The Garden Bag is 18 inches around, 13 inches tall and comes prefilled with a customized blend of soil and its own fertilizer to add at home. It has handles to make it easy to move, and it lasts for several years. All it takes is a bag of fertilizer and nutrients each year to recondition the soil, and it’s ready to produce a new harvest of vegetables, beautiful plants or blooming flowers. 

Brent said the advantages of using The Garden Bag are many. There are no concerns about bad soil quality, you weed only an 18-inch circle, you save water, and you can plant when you are ready, regardless of the ground conditions. Plants in The Garden Bag air-prune themselves, resulting in hardier roots, healthier plants and bigger yields. “It’s our soil expertise in a bag,” smiles Jacobs. “You take it home, add your favorite plants and start growing. We think our customers will love it.”

The display area, located at 129th East Avenue, just south of the parking lot, is accessible all week. The farm is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Appointments can be scheduled for weekdays after 5 p.m. by calling the farm at (918) 272-9445.

For more information, contact

Owasso Tree and Berry Farm

(918) 272-9445

www.owassolandscapetrees.com