Category

Trees

Jan 11
0

Can tree wells save your trees?

By | Lawn Care, Trees | No Comments

Lawn struggles

Typically, when I show up at a new lawn care job, I walk the lawn to check for obstacles and hazards. One of these clients had a small struggling tree planted in the lawn; and if you read my blogs regularly you already know where this is heading.

Trees planted in lawns struggle with competition from the grass and therefore don’t always thrive. They will do fine but they may not thrive. It was definitely the case here. When I got close to the tree I could see bark injuries from line trimmers. Even if you’re careful, it’s likely you will slip up. I know this from experience.

Stress!

Every hit with a line trimmer or worse, mower, is a stressful injury requiring the tree to allocate precious resources for repairs. What we really want is for the tree to grow. Repeated weekly injuries will kill the tree.

So, I cut the lady’s grass and then went back to the tree. Since I don’t usually carry plastic tree guards with me, I grabbed an edging shovel (flat bottom) and I created a tree well around it. Those two items are recommended ways for protecting trees from lawn care machines. The third suggested item is what we’re doing with this blog post: education! Keep your machines away from trees!

Fall review

Now, the rest of the mowing season is a blur. I’m busy. But then the lady texted me in the fall saying how happy she was. The tree leafed out nicely, pushed out flowers so we could identify it properly as Sourwood (Oxydxendrum arboreum) and it produced beautiful fall colours. According to her text, this sourwood has never looked so good! Awesome.

Happier Sourwood with a new tree well!

This is a good example of using tree wells to keep lawn care machines away from tree bark. Tree wells also help the tree collect water and nutrients by pushing competing grass away. But by far the biggest benefit is eliminating the constant stress of getting hit by string trimmers.

If you have trees planted in your lawn definitely consider creating tree wells around them.

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Jan 04
0

Important lessons from one Japanese maple!

By | Pruning, Trees | No Comments

Unhappy senior

There she was, another gray senior citizen and she had lots to say about the person who pruned her prized Japanese maple last year. She didn’t like the job and she paid hundreds for it. Then there were some promises and the man never came back.

I’ve heard all this before. It’s important to hire professionals like Proper Landscaping and Red Seal Vas and go over the pruning work so it’s clear.

I told the lady to relax. I would come prune it for her and it wouldn’t ruin her retirement. So of course she called me this fall when I was still extremely busy and the maple was still covered in leaves. This leads us to lesson number one.

Hand-pruned maple

Wait until the leaves drop!

Now, when you wait for the leaves to drop, you help me see the full tree crown, which makes it easier to execute my pruning cuts; and see anything dead, diseased or crossing inside the crown. I can prune your tree with leaves still on but it makes it more difficult when I’m still busy chasing leaves.

Luckily, this old lady listened to me and waited because she was getting a great deal. I would prune her maple and she wouldn’t have to rejoin the work force to pay for it.

Last year her maple was quickly power sheared by an enthusiastic, low-skilled, side-gigger motivated by quick cash. Which leads us to lesson number two.

Don’t power shear your maples!

I get it, power shearing is very fast. Just run the blades along the crown, rake up the debris, collect your cash and disappear. I brought a small step ladder, snips, hand saw and pole pruners; and I still got it done quickly. Plus the clean-up was easy: small branches as opposed to shredded bits of tree tissue.

Hand cuts are way more precise; power shears run indiscriminately along the crown outline so many cuts don’t make sense. You can’t really cut close to a bud with power shears.

Prune your maples before Christmas!

It’s a good idea to prune your maples before Christmas, and I just made it. After Christmas, maples start to run their sap so when you make your pruning cuts, sap “bleeds out”. It’s best to avoid this and let the tree do its thing.

Conclusion

If you follow my suggestions above your maples should be in good shape. Don’t trust low-skilled side-giggers with your trees. Get them nicely, professionally done. Call Proper Landscaping for help.

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Dec 28
0

Kentucky coffee tree surprise!

By | Plant Species Information, Planting, Trees | No Comments

What’s this?

One day this fall, I walked out from my front steps and when I reached the boulevard I noticed newly planted trees. Oh, what’s this? A nice surprise from the City of Port Moody! They were obviously bare but luckily one had a tag still attached to it.

Kentucky coffee tree ‘Espresso’

I had absolutely no clue what tree species they were: Gymnocladus dioicus (Trade marked Espresso) didn’t ring a bell. And that’s mildly distressing for an arborist. So of course I googled it right away and entered it into my ‘blog ideas’ file.

Meet the Kentucky coffee tree

Now that I knew the species name, I had a second question: why this tree species? What made the City of Port Moody buy and install Kentucky coffee trees on their boulevard? There had to be a good reason because I know from my work experience at the City of Coquitlam that tree species decisions aren’t made lightly.

Thank you J F Schmidt

The source of the information below comes from J F Schmidt. Thank you!

The Kentucky coffee tree Espresso sports large, frond-like, double-compound bluish-green leaves (yellow in fall) which form a canopy of dappled shade. Where they are, we’ve been trying to grow lawn so in the future we can expect the grass to struggle.

The tree is city-tough and gives us an airy, tropical feel.

One crucial feature of the Espresso cultivar is that it’s seedless. That makes a huge difference in the neighbourhood and for landscape maintenance crews. I hear people calling trees “messy” every year and considering the tree’s mature size it would be an avalanche of debris every year. Seedless is good in this setting.

Conditions

The list of conditions is the real kicker. The Kentucky coffee tree tolerates heat, drought, cold and alkaline soils. I believe the crucial factors are heat and drought, as the city looks into the future on a warming planet. It doesn’t usually get that cold on the West Coast and the soils are definitely acidic. Here’s where my second question is answered. Why plant the Kentucky coffee tree? It tolerates heat and drought!

One faux pas

Considering the tree’s mature height of fifty feet and spread of thirty five feet, I don’t believe the city planted them with enough room between specimens. Although it’s unlikely I will be alive to see the problem develop.

Full marks to the City of Port Moody for planting trees with a warming future on their minds. I can’t wait to see the trees leaf out in 2025.

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Dec 02
0

Do we need to cut down majestic old trees for the holidays?

By | Arborist Insights, Forests, Trees | No Comments

Holidays

Just last week my daughter wanted a Christmas tree so she got one at Walmart for something like C$50. It looks fine and it should be good for several more years; and we don’t have to worry about fire hazards and post-holiday shredding. Then today I opened up my newspaper.

Jennifer Cole’s article (The Globe and Mail, December 2, 2024, A11) headline says it all, “We don’t need to cut down majestic old trees for the holidays.” And I agree. It’s been a long tradition in many European cities and the Vatican to cut down old trees and dress them up for the holidays in a high profile city square location. I’m sure it looks awesome but the world is changing.

I believe that an eighty-year-old tree should stay in the forest. Let it provide habitat and sustenance for birds and animals while it sequesters carbon in its tissues. It seems wasteful to cut down an old tree for a bit of holiday fun. I will always vote for the trees. What about you? Leave me a comment.

Yes and no

As the climate changes we need to keep our trees healthy and plant new ones. But people love their traditions so they fight and write petitions. You are either a tree hugger or you love traditions and cutting down one old tree is no big deal for you. But I agree with Cole that cutting down old trees for the holidays is hardly necessary.

In Vancouver, the giant tree in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery is a 76-foot artificial cone. No one complaints, writes Cole. I suspect it’s because this is a cheaper option over the costly installation and removal of a real tree. Cole writes that the Edmonton Downtown Association said that paying for a large real tree didn’t make sense any more.

Happy holidays!

Whatever you do at home with your Christmas tree, I hope you enjoy your holidays. If your city square installs a huge real tree then go enjoy it. And if it upsets you, sign a petition.

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Feb 28
0

Why I love & hate memorial trees

By | Trees | No Comments

A great idea!

Memorial trees are a great idea. When I die, I’d love to get a tree planted somewhere with my name on it. But sometimes the technical aspect can be troubling, which explains my love and hate relationship with memorial trees.

Scott’s tree

I have no idea who Scott was. I discovered this memorial tree while installing twenty yards of soil amender in the same courtyard. It took me four days to complete the project and every time I wheeled my wheelbarrow by Scott’s tree I counted my blessings. I’m older than Scott and I’m celebrating twenty-five seasons in the landscape industry this year.

I have no idea how much time I have left so I’m counting my blessings.

Scott’s tree is technically a shrub. Prunus lusitanica is a Portuguese laurel from the cherry family. Given its location in a sheltered courtyard, I expect Scott’s tree to do fine. Also, laurels are easier to plant and establish than trees; and they’re also cheaper and.

Eventually the laurel will need some pruning but for now it’s working really well. Note that it’s sitting in a large tree circle where lawn machines can’t injure the bark.

Thea’s tree

Now, when my sister and her partner tragically lost their daughter in a car accident they also planted a memorial tree. But this project was stressful.

I believe they picked a hawthorn because they are on a ranch outside Kamloops where it’s cold in winter and very hot in summer. The soils are also poor and there is limited water in summer.

As soon as the tree was planted, the girl’s grandma planted up the heart-shaped tree well with annuals. Personally, I don’t like the idea this early. We need the tree to establish and annuals can deflect rain drops away from the tree; and they also compete with surface roots. Alas, grandma is an avid gardener.

Then we get to watering. Newly installed trees should be flooded but this isn’t practical on a ranch with limited water resources. I also suspect there might be ashes in the planting hole: I didn’t have the balls to ask. When I poked my finger in the tree well to check on moisture levels I got raised eyebrow looks which more or less answered my question.

Last year the tree had to be moved and I believe it’s doing ok at the moment. Still, every time my sister mentions it I feel a bit of stress.

There is tons of pressure on memorial trees to thrive.

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Feb 21
0

One key to your YouTube channel success

By | Blogging, Trees, YouTube | No Comments

Disclaimer

Let me start by saying that my little YouTube channel is tiny; I’m far away from success but the key idea comes from another YouTube video. It’s a great, tested idea. Interestingly, I stumbled upon it by accident: I uploaded some tree videos and watched the views climb quickly. So keep reading.

ASQ

This is all you have to know: ASQ or Answer Specific Questions. People visit YouTube to find answers to their questions. What’s funny is that I published my most-watched videos without even realizing I was answering people’s questions. It become obvious after the views piled up and the videos stood out. Kind of like my “Aha” moment.

Leafiness

My video on leaf clean-up got 5.7 thousand views. I called it a leaf clean up hack, sort of tongue-in-cheek, because the idea was to simply bury lots of leaves in shrubs for later pick-up. Clearly, leaf clean up is a major pain point for people. Now I’ve given people permission to bury their leaves for later pick up.

Tree stubs

Next comes my video on tree stubs so people obviously like to know how to cut off a tree branch properly. One lady confessed to butchering trees around her campground and promised to do better! I think that’s already success, reaching one viewer.

Tree planting

People love trees! You can’t go wrong by uploading tree videos. The next two most-watched videos were shot on the same day. One shows how to find the root flare before planting; and the other discusses proper backfilling techniques. Both videos sit at 2.5 thousand views.

Tree planting is a science in itself. It’s crucial that we get this part right because it determines the tree’s long-term survival. Tree planting is an investment. Plant the tree at the right level and backfill with the original soil. Water it in nicely and possibly stake it for the first 14 months.

YouTuber Vas

Well not really a YouTuber but my channel is a companion to my West Coast Landscape Pro blog. Some people like to read, some prefer to watch. If I can answer someone’s question, life’s great.

If you’re thinking about starting your own YouTube channel, think ASQ. Answer specific questions.

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Feb 04
0

Easy winter tasks you can do

By | gardening, Grasses, Pruning, Trees | No Comments

Easy stuff

As I write British Columbia is very cold. It’s minus twelve degrees Celsius and it feels way worse when you’re actually outside. But, once it warms up, you can attend to some easy garden tasks.

Trees

Broken branches can’t wait. They look awful, they could create a hazard and the last thing we need is diseases getting inside our tree through open wounds.

Stewartia pseudocamellia

Use a sharp pole pruner and take it out nicely.

Hakonechloa

Japanese forest grasses (Hakonechloa) can also be snipped because they’re on their way out. Use sharp hand snips and flush cut them at ground level. Just watch your fingers.

Hakonechloa
Hakonechloa nicely flush cut.

Plant separation

As plants grow and mature, they collide and then require separation when it gets out of hand. One example is the common snowberry being invaded by a mahonia.

When the snowberry is in leaf, this isn’t so obvious. And landscapers also have other, slightly more important, tasks to attend to during the busy season. In winter there is time for separation pruning.

So, one plant has to go. Since the mahonia creeped in and it’s smaller, I elected to cut it completely. This leaves the snowberry alone to do it’s thing. It’s a native plant which produces clusters of white berries, thus the common name snowberry. The botanical name is Symphoricarpos albus and I encourage you to Google it and get one for your garden.

It’s a good native plant. I rescued two specimens a few years ago and planted them at my commercial site. One has white berries and the other has pinkish ones. They’re doing well in their new home.

Enjoy your grasses

Miscanthus

This Port Moody homeowner gets a gold star for leaving her Miscanthus ornamental grass standing so it can ornament the neighbourhood. I drove by today and it looked awesome moving in the breeze with fresh snow on the ground. Cut it back in roughly two months before the new growth starts appearing.

Take a good look at your garden in winter and do some easy maintenance when you get a chance. Spring is coming!

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Jan 24
0

Notes on tree planting

By | Planting, Trees | No Comments

Today I spent the day in Burnaby and I made some notes for this blog post. It’s a kind of follow-up because I don’t always come to this part of Burnaby, but it’s nice to see how things change.

Horse chestnut

Aesculus hippocastanum

This City of Burnaby planting checked many boxes. The city workers staked the tree, and they made a tree well around it. And, just to make sure lawn care people knew to stay away, they also installed a plastic guard.

Now, months later, there is some work to be done. I would weed the circle and I would get ready to remove the tree stakes. Stakes shouldn’t stay on longer than 14 months: this allows the tree to develop reaction wood in response to wind events, and thus get stronger.

I would keep the plastic guard on, even though the tree circle should make it obvious that lawn care machines shouldn’t get anywhere near the bark.

Cages

When I walked by this Styrax japonicus I immediately noticed the cage sticking out. Now, we know that planting trees with cages is totally fine. So far there isn’t any scientific evidence showing that cages cause harm. It’s totally up to you: keep it or remove it. But, it does look ugly.

When you install the tree, bend the top of the cage down or remove it completely. Don’t leave it sticking out like this. I already know that line edgers will get their line stuck in it when they show up in spring to edge the grass.

Also, there is a tiny soil volcano touching the trunk. It’s important to locate the root flare (where the trunk turns into roots) and make sure there isn’t any soil piled above it. These infamous volcanoes kill trees. You can watch my video on this important topic here. It tells you why the volcanoes kill trees.

Conclusion

Tree planting is no joke. It’s a science and we need to get it right if we want our trees to thrive. Take your time, do it well and you will be rewarded with beautiful, healthy trees.

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Dec 13
0

On the pain of planting in clay

By | Planting, Trees | No Comments

Clay is a bitch

What’s wrong with this picture?

As soon as I saw this poor willow (Salix) planted way too high, I remembered the setting. The entire neighbourhood in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia sits on clay soils which are notoriously tough to dig through and keep the soils soggy because they can’t drain. And so I knocked on the door and asked the owner what happened: and just as I suspected, he gave up digging in the clay and planted the willow high. Good enough! I guess.

Is it good enough?

Is this planting good enough? I don’t think so. With one half of the root ball showing, many roots will desiccate and die. It also looks funny. But I totally understand because once I had to prepare three holes for cherry tree planting and it was a bitch. The clay layer is so tough, it’s easy to give up. I remembered it was solid but I should mention that all three cherries are doing well and flowering every spring.

A better solution?

My solution would be this: take another stab at the clay on the bottom of the planting hole with different tools. Then, once I would run out of energy and bad words, I would “massage” the root ball to make it smaller. It’s very likely that those two steps would allow for planting at grade, just the way we want it.

You can fight clay soils with organic amendments. Adding some to the planting hole and to the backfill soil would help over time. Sometimes you just have to accept the conditions you’re given and do your best. There is no point stressing but I do find the willow root ball sitting high very annoying. I would fight to plant it close to grade. The willow would be happier and I would sleep better at night.

Dec 09
0

People love trees on YouTube

By | Training, Trees, Videos | No Comments

Closest thing to viral

People love watching tree videos on YouTube! I found that out recently through my humble YouTube channel: West Coast Landscape Pro. Normally I post short videos of my work and things I see in the landscape; and I’m lucky to get one hundred views. So, imagine my surprise when one of my tree posts hit 4.6 thousand views and generated seven subscribers. That’s like Christmas for my channel.

Don’t leave stubs

The message is clear: don’t leave stubs on trees. Make nice cuts at the branch collar. In the video, the branch collar is a clearly visible raised section between the branch and trunk. Just beware that not every tree shows clear branch collars.

When you leave stubs the tree can’t cover up the wound. Eventually, the stub dies and it can act as a vector for disease to enter the tree. Once it’s inside, it’s hard to save the tree.

Also, always use a sharp saw to do your tree pruning work. In the video I’m using a brand new Silky Big Boy hand saw and it’s super sharp. It’s so sharp, it puts a smile on my face. Thank you Japan.

Impact

Not only did I get 4.6 thousand views, I also got comments. So I did what you are supposed to do: I replied to all of them. One especially was interesting, showing how even one short video can have slight impact on people.

After watching the video, one viewer promised to treat trees better when she goes camping and scours the area for firewood. She can now make decent cuts that the tree can over time cover up. I can only imagine what really goes on around camp sites.

Clear upsell

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