The new Tankhouse Nursery carries plants suited to Cheyenne
Published Friday, September 15, 2023, in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.
By Barb Gorges
Did you notice last summer the small forest that sprouted on the southeast corner of Interstates 80 and 25? By those old buildings, including one very long and low and another a square tower?
Eventually I saw the sign advertising a wholesale tree nursery, Arbor Valley, at 521 Southwest Drive, just north of the Cheyenne Animal Shelter. Then this year an additional sign appeared: Tankhouse Nursery. The mysterious tower is in its logo.
I stopped by a few weeks ago and met the manager, John Jacobs, who explained everything.
Arbor Valley is a family-owned nursery business headquartered in Brighton, Colorado. Cheyenne marks its sixth expansion along the I-25 corridor. The Cheyenne owner is Ed Ernste of Monument Homebuilders. He saw the need for another nursery in town as the city goes through a growth spurt.
The difference in the Cheyenne location is that in addition to selling trees and other plants to landscaping professionals, it is also open to the public as the Tankhouse Nursery.
What the heck is a tankhouse? If you lived in western Nebraska or California at the turn of the last century, you would know that it was a house attached to a tower with a large water storage tank in it, filled by a windmill.
The tankhouse at the crossroads of I-80 and I-25 was part of Stansbury Farms, a dairy for many years, John said. About three acres of the original farm is being used for setting up the small forest of trees for sale, as well as a nice display of shrubs, perennials, herbs and annuals.
The barn, house and outbuildings in the shade of old cottonwoods have potential for making a garden center, a place to go for education and fun family events. John says they have plans for fall events and sales this year. Watch for information in your Valpak coupon packet that comes in the mail and through other media.
September is a great month for planting perennial flowers, trees and shrubs here. From what John told me, his trees could be your best bet for several reasons.
You don’t have to drive out of town.
You can hire their staff to plant them, and even have a landscape plan drawn for you through their associated business, Bison Brand Landscapes.
The trees are varieties adapted to this part of the Mountain West, something the big box stores don’t seem to pay attention to.
Cheyenne might be a bit colder and windier than the Colorado Front Range cities, John admitted. But the learning curve will be shorter for Arbor Valley and Tankhouse Nursery since they are already using stock grown from local sources.
Did you know that two plants can have the same name, right down to the variety name, but where they grow will make one’s offspring more adapted to the conditions the parent is growing in than the same plant variety grown from seeds of a plant in different conditions?
So, a particular maple variety from Midwestern or Eastern stock may not be as successful here as the same kind grown from Rocky Mountain stock.
Arbor Valley grows all its own deciduous stock on the Front Range. However, its coniferous stock, though from local seed, grows the first couple of years in the Pacific Northwest.
Cheyenne is lucky to have a source for successful trees and shrubs that Arbor Valley and other area nurseries make use of. Our High Plains Arboretum is a well-known source for plant material adapted to our growing conditions: late spring heavy snows and cold, dry summers, hail, early snow and frost, dry winters – you name it. Every year seems to be a different mix of extremes.
Another advantage Arbor Valley/Tankhouse has is a couple thousand trees on site, plus knowledgeable staff like John, with years in the industry.
Although new to Cheyenne, the businesses jumped right in and recently became major sponsors of Rooted in Cheyenne, the people who are making planting street trees fun and economical. Rooted in Cheyenne, https://rootedincheyenne.com/, has a fall community planting date scheduled for Sept. 16. Volunteers and orders for trees are welcome.
See a popular column I wrote, “How to Plant a Tree in Cheyenne, Wyoming,” at www.CheyenneGardenGossip.wordpress.com.
Be sure to water your new trees, shrubs and other perennials enough the first year, even in winter, and they will have the best chance of survival.
Don’t forget your old trees. Make sure they are pruned right so snow-laden branches don’t droop onto utility lines or roofs.
Cheyenne Garden Gossip 