Scott Holland: Proper Tree Care through the Seasons

Caring for the trees on your property is a job requiring constant vigilance and consistent care. Throughout all seasons, there are certain tasks you must do to keep your trees providing value to your property in many ways. If properly cared for, trees can provide shade, fresh air, beauty, and consistency to any and all properties throughout their long lives. In addition to increasing the property value and curbside appeal of your property, trees give your yard a sense of staying power and comfort. Here are some tasks you should perform each season to keep your trees healthy and thriving:

• Spring: Remove any trunk protection and old mulch. Re-mulch at the base of the tree. Cut away any old, dying, or diseased limbs.

• Summer: Try to keep weeds away from your tree. Weed as needed to ensure other plants aren’t using your trees’ water and nutrient supplies. Check for insect or disease damage throughout the summer.

• Fall: Plant new trees during the fall and water and mulch them regularly. Conifers especially thrive if planted in the fall. Make sure you clean up fallen leaves promptly.

• Winter: If you have a dry winter, regularly water newly planted trees. Cover all tree trunks with tree guards to protect them from rodent damage and the cold. If you have fruit trees, prune them in late winter.

For excellent landscape maintenance services in the Portland area, contact Scott Holland of Tigard, OR. Holland specializes in regular gardening care throughout all seasons.

Scott Holland: Use Trees Wisely

Trees add many benefits to all outdoor gardening designs. If you’re trying to design for curb appeal, thereby increasing your property value, planting a tree or two gives your property a beautiful setting for years to come. If you’re willing to wait for your tree to grow, you will reap the benefits for years. The trick to getting the most out of your tree is choosing the right one for your particular yard. The word “tree” is deceptive because it describes many different species that grow in many different ways. Some trees grow above your yard and provide shade for your outdoor activities for years to come. There are many different shade trees that are excellent additions to many different kinds of yards and outdoor spaces. Some are evergreen—they never lose their needles—some are annuals that lose their leaves in the fall.

Consult with your gardening design professional to determine which kind of tree would be perfect for your yard. Trees come with some risk—storms can knock them down into your house. It’s important that you care properly for your trees if you decide to plant them in order make them last as long as they can. Prune your trees regularly and protect them from insect infestations and other dangers that can compromise their structural integrity.

Scott Holland of Tigard, Oregon specializes in cleanup, pruning, and planting, and focuses on the Portland area.

Scott Holland’s Thoughts on Pruning

Each plant has within its genetic code information on how big and wide it is going to get. What can control its growth are environmental factors such as soil quality and exposure to light. When plants get too big for their site, it is usually because it was planted in the wrong place. Pruning can assist somewhat; but, it is usually a better idea to remove the plant and replace it with one that is suitable for its site. 

For those plants that are well placed, pruning can enhance the health and aesthetic appeal. Regarding health, it is a good idea to open up the inside of the plant to allow for airflow. This involves thinning cuts i.e., pruning a branch back to its point of origin. Size can be reduced via heading back cuts. This is pruning a branch back to an outward facing bud. This is usually done when a branch is sticking out into a walkway. To achieve desirable aesthetic goals, after removing all dead wood, the desire on my part is to remove no more than 1/3 of the plant while at the same time giving the plant a natural appearance allowing no impression that anyone pruned it. This takes many years of practice and it involves hiding cuts deep inside a plant. I also try to achieve a balance in branch structure regarding weight. Branches are of three different types: coarse, medium, and fine. The inner trunks of a shrub for example are of the coarse type. The outer branches are more the fine type. In between are the medium. 

Another factor to consider is how the plant is growing with regards to its particular microclimate. If a shrub is leaning to the right, it is folly to attempt to correct this to an upright shape. The plant will simply grow back to the right. It is best to enhance what is already happening while at the same time removing any blocking limbs.

A specialist in landscape maintenance, Scott Holland of Tigard, Oregon possess considerable insight of pruning, planting and cleanup.