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I’ve always envied southern gardeners, and their ability to grow big, beautiful American holly trees. It would be so nice to simply walk to the backyard and snip a few branches with colorful berries for holiday wreaths or arrangements. During the holiday season, English holly (I. aquifolium) is popular in wreaths and greens, but unfortunately it also... Continue Reading →
In the late fall, it can be hard to find a lot of color in the landscape. Many of our flowers are starting to fade for the winter and the days are getting shorter and colder. One of my favorite things about fall is all the wonderful leaf colors through the landscape. One of my... Continue Reading →
It’s difficult to imagine, as we sweat our way through early August, but in just 8 weeks we’ll be talking about early frosts. Fall is a great time to get many landscape tasks accomplished, so here’s a quick rundown of some common landscape projects listed in order of attack. Lawn Seeding August 15th to September 15th is... Continue Reading →
Acreage Owner Question: We just bought a new house and are trying to get started landscaping it. Can you recommend some fast growing, sturdy trees? Sure thing.
Your yoga classes, meetings, and concerts are canceled. Theaters are closed. The kids are out of school and you’re being encouraged to stay home. In this time of Covid-19, here are a few suggestions to cultivate something good from the National Garden Bureau. Written by C.L. Fornari, GardenComm member. Start some seeds. Nothing is more life-affirming than checking each morning to see... Continue Reading →
One of the most enjoyable ways for gardeners to get through the dark, cold days of winter is to begin planning next summer’s gardens. Over the next few weeks, we’ll look at plants - annuals, perennials, edibles, trees and shrubs – to consider for addition to your gardens this summer. First, we’ll take a look... Continue Reading →
In most cases, hiring an arborist is the best approach. A professional arborist knows how to remove and repair severely damaged trees. Perhaps the best approach is one that utilizes a checklist format, so that comparison of several firms can be made.
Late winter tends to drag on. We can begin to plan our gardens and what new plants we will add to our landscape, but we cannot go outside and do much in our gardens because of the weather. However, there are some great plants we can enjoy even in the winter. Kentucky coffeetree is one... Continue Reading →
Looking out your window in January, the predominant colors you’ll see are shades of brown, gray and, if we have snow, white. Evergreen trees and shrubs provide some relief, but the view is still pretty neutral. An excellent way to brighten the dead of winter is to plant trees and shrubs that possess colorful fruit or bark,... Continue Reading →
The summer months are great, but they can be hot. Being outdoors in the summer months is preferred, but when it gets too hot, it can be difficult to sit outside. Shade trees can really relieve the heat of outdoors. Temperatures underneath the shade of trees can be 10-15 degrees cooler or more, according to... Continue Reading →
Floods cause damage to trees in two main ways – physical and physiological. The severity of damage is determined by many different factors, including the tree species, beginning health of the tree, length of flooding event, depth of the water, amount of soil removed or deposited over the tree’s root system and time of year... Continue Reading →
While flood waters are in and surrounding your home, it’s best to focus on the basic needs of life – food, water and shelter. After initial needs are met, those of us with medium to large trees should consider the influences of an extended period of time with excessive water in contact with the roots, trunk and base.
