Your boxwoods may look perfectly healthy in October, but by February, those beautiful green shrubs could be covered in ugly brown and bronze patches. It’s a frustrating sight, especially when you’ve spent years growing a neatly trimmed hedge or invested money in landscaping around your home. The culprit is often winter burn, a common problem…
trees
Why Evergreens Need Deep Watering Before Winter
Your evergreen trees may look perfectly healthy in October, but what happens beneath the soil could determine whether they survive the winter without damage. While many gardeners focus on raking leaves, trimming shrubs, and preparing flower beds for freezing temperatures, one important fall gardening task often gets overlooked: watering evergreen trees and shrubs. Unlike deciduous…
Why Volcano Mulching Can Damage Trees Before Winter
That fresh mound of mulch around your tree might look like you’ve done everything right to protect it before winter, but it could actually be causing damage that costs hundreds or even thousands of dollars to fix. The practice is called volcano mulching, and it’s surprisingly common in residential neighborhoods, commercial landscapes, and even professionally…
Before You Pay Someone to Remove a Tree, Ask These 5 Questions
That towering tree in your backyard might be beautiful, but when branches start hanging over your roof or the trunk begins leaning toward your house, removing it can suddenly feel urgent. Unfortunately, hiring the wrong tree removal company could leave you facing unexpected charges, property damage, or even liability for an injured worker. Tree removal…
Stop Planting These 7 Trees So Close to Your House
That beautiful little tree at the garden center might seem like the perfect addition to your front yard, but planting it in the wrong spot could become an expensive mistake. What starts as a $40 landscaping purchase can eventually turn into cracked pavement, clogged gutters, damaged siding, or costly tree removal. The problem isn’t necessarily…
That $20 Tree From the Garden Center Could Become a $2,000 Problem
A $20 tree at the garden center might seem like one of the best landscaping bargains you’ll ever find. It’s small, healthy-looking, and promises years of shade, privacy, or beautiful seasonal color. But that inexpensive purchase could eventually lead to thousands of dollars in unexpected expenses if you plant the wrong tree in the wrong…
Your Neighbor’s Tree Is Destroying Your Yard — Who Actually Has to Pay?
Your neighbor’s beautiful oak tree might be costing you hundreds or even thousands of dollars, and you may not realize it until the damage is already done. Its roots are lifting your patio, branches are scraping your roof, and fallen limbs are destroying plants you’ve spent years growing. Naturally, you assume your neighbor should pay…
How to Protect Young Trees From Winter Sunscald
You might assume that freezing temperatures are the biggest threat to young trees during winter, but surprisingly, sunshine can cause serious damage, too. A bright winter afternoon followed by a freezing night can create conditions that split bark, injure living tissue, and leave trees vulnerable to disease. If you’ve recently planted a maple, fruit tree,…
The Best Tree Guards for Preventing Cold-Weather Bark Damage
You spent money on a young tree, carefully planted it, and watched it grow throughout spring and summer. The last thing you want is to discover cracked bark, exposed wood, or animal damage when winter finally ends. Unfortunately, freezing temperatures, intense winter sunshine, and hungry wildlife can cause serious problems for trees that haven’t developed…
What Is Causing Black Residue on Leaves Beneath Trees?
Black residue on leaves beneath a tree can look like someone dusted the garden with fireplace ash. The culprit often has a much more interesting story: sap-sucking insects feed high in the canopy, leave behind sticky honeydew, and sooty mold grows on that sugary mess as it falls onto lower leaves. Aphids and soft scale…