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Author Archives: admin
Spring Pollen
The Gymnosperms were spreading their pollen last week. Like nearly all plants, they fertilize their seeds by pollen moving from the male parts of the flower to the female. In the case of Conifers (a gymnosperm) they have separate male … Continue reading
Posted in Curiosities
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Fruit Tree Pruning
There are two basic times of the year that it’s best to prune fruit trees; dormant and summer. Most people prune when the tree is dormant (no leaves) because it’s easier to see what and where you are cutting. But … Continue reading
Posted in Before & After (photos), Fruit Trees, Tree Care
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Goats and Urban Forestry
As part of the goal to reduce my business’s impact on the environment, this past summer I started a program working with goat owners in the greater Seattle area. When I’m working nearby someone that has goats and I have … Continue reading
Posted in Curiosities, Landscapes
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Reaction Wood
Have you ever wondered how a tree supports itself as it reaches towards an opening in the canopy? Or how a long limb holds itself horizontal? The answer is reaction wood. Reaction wood is a special kind of wood that … Continue reading
Posted in Curiosities, Tree Care
2 Comments
Plant Profile: Sea Berry
Hippophae rhamnoides, Sea Berry or Sea-buckthorn, is a valuable and attractive landscape plant. Besides providing nutritious and tasty berries it also fixes nitrogen into the soil, similar to many members of the pea family (although this is a member of … Continue reading
Posted in Fruit Trees, Gardens, Landscapes, Plant Profiles
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Leafhoppers and Spider Mites
As the summer progresses insect pest damage often becomes more apparent. I was recently called out to a home in the Greenlake area of Seattle to look at a vine maple that was having a pest problem. The tree actually … Continue reading
Posted in Gardens, Landscapes, Tree Care
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Grafted Forests
Perhaps while in the forest you’ve seen tree stumps that look something like this. This was a Douglas Fir (Psudotsuga menziesii) that was cut down some time ago. Instead of the stump dying and rotting away, which would normally … Continue reading
Posted in Curiosities
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Cherry Brown Rot
It’s well past cherry season here in Seattle and Western Washington, but earlier this summer you may have noticed a brown mold covering fruits just as they were ripening. This is due to a fungus called cherry brown rot or … Continue reading
Posted in Fruit Trees, Fungi, Tree Care
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Co-dominate Stems
Co-dominate stems often become a problem in mature trees. Co-dominate stems, or “double trunks”, arise when the terminal growth point on a tree is broken or cut off. The tree then sends up two or more new leaders which compete … Continue reading
Posted in Tree Care
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Midnight Marauders
A large number of garden pests are nocturnal. I took these photos in my garden in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle around midnight this spring. If you’re wondering what is eating your plants try going out with a flashlight … Continue reading
Posted in Gardens, Landscapes
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