Oh, Deer! Tree Services for Bigger Pests

You prioritize tree services like pruning, trimming and fertilizing, but what happens when you’re not the only one admiring your landscape? Deer are a real problem for many homeowners, especially those who have yards with flowering shrubs or immature trees that look too tasty for deer to resist. These big pests might look beautiful, but they can easily destroy a yard or garden if they get a taste for your plants. Fortunately, there are many safe and humane ways for keeping deer out of your garden. The most obvious solution is to avoid stocking your yard like it’s a deer buffet. Unless you’re truly going to indulge in a fruit or veggie feast, that might not be the best use of your landscape. Deer have palates similar to human vegetarians, so if you can’t resist the call

Tree Services: To Top or Not?

When thinking about tree services, a task a lot of homeowners feel confident with is tree topping. As long as a tree or shrub isn’t massively tall, this task seems pretty easy. You just snip off the top so it’s the desired height and you’re good to go, right? Unfortunately, it’s not that easy, and even if it were, a lot of arborists warn against the dangers of tree topping because it does more harm than good. The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) defines topping as “the indiscriminate cutting back of tree branches to stubs or lateral branches that are not large enough to assume the terminal role.” You also might know topping as hat-racking, heading or tipping. In many cases, topping flies in the face of national standards for good pruning and can cause s

Tree Services: Easiest Ornamental Trees

When it comes to tree services, there’s no reason beauty has to equal hard work. Ornamental trees can be easy to care for, especially when you have an arborist on your side to help you with planting, pruning and maintenance. The easiest trees to care for are always the ones that grow naturally in your region. The Arbor Day Foundation reports that landscaping with ornamental trees can increase a home’s value by up to 20 percent, so ornamental trees give you a great ROI as well as beautify your yard. Look for trees that require little additional watering and minimal pruning. They should naturally repel pests and diseases (some trees are more susceptible than others), and there should be minimal litter via fruits or leaves. Evergreens fit this description and are very popular, b

Tree Services: Fast-Growing Trees

Part of being able to provide quality tree services includes knowing which trees grow fastest. You can always choose to plant a mature tree that’s already large, or you can take a more cost-effective route and choose local, native trees that are known to grow quickly. Your arborist can help you narrow down the best species for your location and soil. The empress tree is a popular pick that explodes with light-pink blossoms in the spring and can grow up to 50 feet in just three years. The willow hybrid is the quickest-growing willow. It’s good to plant along long drives because it grows tall, uniformly, and makes for great privacy. It can grow up to 40 feet in the first three years, and can reach 75 feet at its mature height. You’ll notice the willow hybrid along luxury e

Tree Services: Cleaning Up Pine Needles

If your tree services include pine needle cleanup, you already know that so-called evergreens actually shed almost as much as their leaf-bearing kin. Pine trees look great year-round, and are especially beloved around Christmas, but they can be a nightmare for property owners. Needles truly needle into just about everything from your gutters to the seams in your sidewalk. Cleaning them up can be a maddening effort. If the needles are far enough from the home to not cause damage, it’s a good idea to just let them be. Dropped pine needles are acidic and naturally kill any grass, flowers or other living plants they land on. Trying to prevent this will drive you batty, but the good news is a blanket of needles is a natural and beautiful landscape on its own. Plus, you don’t ha