Water Maples

QuestionMy 5 year old was just diagnosed with allergies to Maple trees and I wondered if water maples are in the same family. AnswerCommon names are sometimes misleading. Sometimes different trees have the same com

Calif Live Oak Lean

QuestionQUESTION: I live in Los Angeles and I have a beautiful 400 year old Ca Live Oak in my front yard. The tree has always had a slight lean to it. Two years ago when we had record rainfall, the tree started to l

frostbitten trees and shrubs

QuestionWe had a late frost here in Upstate South Carolina and many of my trees and shrubs had their new leaves killed. Even my holly bushes have black leaves. Will they get new leaves and what can I do

Blue Spruce Trimming/Pruning

QuestionI have a 30 ft. + blue spruce in my front yard that has never been trimmed of dead branches or any branches as far as that goes. It has a lot of dead branches near the base and up its trunk. I wo

Frost bite to shrubery

QuestionWeve experienced a late frost which killed new growth on Holleys, Myrtles, fruit trees and all other budding and flowering plants. How can I remove the blackened dead frost damage and not hurt the plan

Magnolia tree ID

QuestionDo any magnolias have slightly toothed leaves? My tree is about 8 feet tall and has 6 inch, stiff, glossy leaves. It has never bloomed in the 5 years I have lived with it but that may be due to l

late spring freeze damage

QuestionHi Jim. We had very warm spring weather for several weeks and all our trees budded out, the leaves came on etc. and then we had a sudden hard freeze of several days. Now the almost every leaf on

scaley stuff on trees

QuestionThere is this light light green, almost silver scaley stuff covering the bark on several of our trees. It is so thick it seams to be smothering them. It is also on all of my Lilac bushes. We live out in the

Bark spliting from Dogwood trees

QuestionAs spring approached this year, I noticed that the bark is split and pulling away from the base of both dogwood trees in my backyard. What is the possible cause of this and is there any treatment to pr

Sweet gum trees

QuestionHi Jim, Can you tell me how to stop the growth of the gum balls that fall off these trees ? they are a real problem and I heard there is a way to stop it. Please help me if you can,, getting desperate

Thuja Tree

QuestionGiven that I am currently living in Central America, I had two questions regarding Thuja Trees : a) Given that this tree thrives on sunlight, do you think this tree may survive the heat conditions here (bet

Willow Trees - Sick or Birds?

QuestionHi: I have several Weeping Willow trees and I have noticed small holes around the trunks? Are the trees sick or is it insects or birds? Will this damage or kill the trees? AnswerThese are caused by a woodpe

White Birch of Wisconsin

QuestionWe have vacation property on the Lake Norman NC, near Charlotte. We have lived on Lake Michigan for 34 years and love the white birch trees. We would like to plant some white birch in NC. W

Junipers

QuestionHi Jim, I have 3 huge Junipers in front of my house. They are literally trees growing out of my flower beds. I love them, but their roots make it nearly impossible to plant flowers in the beds. &

Colorado Blue Spruce next to Deck

QuestionI have a forty foot Colorado Spruce which is planted to close to our deck. The base of the tree is approximately 8 feet from the decking. It seems to be irritating these branches. With what we ha

Quick way to kill a tree

QuestionI need a help and a quick way to kill a tree by checmical. Please recommend the best chemical that is fast and had no smell. Thanks AnswerMake cuts all around the trunk of the tree and fill the cuts with a

Bark chewing by horses

QuestionOur horses have chewed off the bark of four of their shades trees. Bordem, mineral supplement desires, we dont know and are addressing the horses issue. However, in the meantime we would like to

transplanting bradford pear

QuestionMy Bradford pear tree was planted one year ago and is now about 7 feet tall. I would like to dig it up and transplant it to a different location. Would this be possible without harming the tree?

butterfly bush

QuestionQUESTION: does a butterfly bush send off leaders and come up all around it ANSWER: Yes they do sprout from the root system to form new plants. This is one way they spread. ---------- FOLLOW-UP ---------- Q

Trimming Trees

QuestionWhen is the correct time of the year to trim Oaks (red) and Maples. AnswerThe best time to prune deciduous trees is late winter or early spring (February, March, and early April) before they begin to leaf o