Tree Care Tips

Here’s a number that keeps me up at night: 50–70% of newly planted trees die within the first three years — and the #1 killer isn’t pests, disease, or bad planting. It’s improper watering. I’ve personally watched $500 backyard maples turn crispy by August, even when the homeowner swore they “watered every day.” Sprinklers running […]

Picture this: a gentle waterfall of soft pink blossoms spilling over your patio every April, or golden needles glowing against fresh December snow—all from a tree that never grows taller than your fence. That’s the magic of small weeping trees, and it’s exactly why they’ve become the #1 most-requested feature in my landscape consultations this

Imagine stepping outside at dusk and being enveloped by a cloud of the sweetest, most intoxicating perfume you’ve ever smelled — like jasmine and peach had a baby, then rolled it in vanilla and gardenia. That’s the daily gift of a blooming puakenikeni tree (Fagraea berteroana). In Hawaii, we call it “heaven in the air.”

One crisp autumn afternoon, a single red-and-gold “helicopter” seed spins down from a towering maple and lands at your feet. You pick it up, slip it into your pocket, and six years later you’re sipping coffee under the blazing crimson canopy of the very same tree — grown entirely by your own hands. That magic

Imagine stepping into your living room in the middle of a snowy January… reaching up to a glossy green tree, and plucking a perfectly ripe, fragrant lemon that grew completely indoors. No greenhouse. No Florida sun. Just you, your Meyer lemon tree, and the right grow light for lemon tree success. 🍋❄️ For years I

Imagine walking into your yard ten years from now and seeing a perfectly pyramidal, 25-foot-tall evergreen glowing with soft, silvery-blue twisted needles that catch every ray of sunlight like spun glass. That’s the magic of a well-grown Vanderwolf pine tree (Pinus flexilis ‘Vanderwolf’s Pyramid’). Yet every spring I get the same heartbroken messages: “My Vanderwolf

Imagine this: a single palm tree stands alone on a windswept coast, bending dramatically in a hurricane—yet it never snaps. Hours later, the storm passes, and the same tree springs upright again, leaves shimmering in the sunrise like nothing happened. That unbreakable grace is exactly why, for over 5,000 years, humanity has looked at the

Picture this: You walk past a garden center, spot the cutest little miniature palm tree plant swaying in its nursery pot, and think, “That belongs in my living room!” Two months later… half the fronds are brown, the tips look crispy, and you’re googling “why is my palm dying?” in a panic. 😭 Sound familiar?

Imagine stepping outside on a warm summer morning, reaching up, and plucking a sun-warmed fig so ripe that honey-colored syrup beads at the neck the second you touch it. One bite, and you’re instantly transported to the Mediterranean coastline — except you’re in Ohio, Ontario, or even a Brooklyn apartment balcony. That’s the magic of

There’s nothing quite like the breathtaking sight of a healthy maple tree exploding with vibrant spring growth or blazing autumn color. But here’s a secret many homeowners don’t realize: the way you fertilize a maple tree can dramatically influence its growth, leaf quality, and long-term health. In fact, improper fertilization is one of the top