The Art of Pruning

by Pacific Vista Landscape

It’s winter, so that means it’s time to start pruning! Pruning, the cutting away of branches and stems that are dead or overgrown, is essential when it comes to a tree or shrub’s growth, ability to produce flowers and/or fruit, and its resistance to pests or diseases. With the unnecessary branches and stems gone, there is more energy available to the rest of the plant. This extra energy is used to promote growth and the production of fruit and/or flowers.

Winter is the ideal time to prune most deciduous trees or shrubs because this is when they are dormant and don’t have many leaves that would interfere with pruning. Be aware, not ALL deciduous trees can be pruned in the winter! Avoid pruning maples, birches, dogwoods, walnuts, and elms during the winter because they will begin to ooze sap. This is not only messy, but also dangerous for the tree. Evergreen trees or shrubs shouldn’t be pruned during the winter either because they can develop tip burn in cold temperatures. A few examples of deciduous trees or shrubs you SHOULD prune in winter are roses, hydrangeas, spruce, plum, barberry, juniper, mallow, and sumacs. 

To begin pruning, locate any dead, diseased, or overgrown branches that need to be removed. When cutting a branch from a tree, it’s important to cut along the branch collar. The branch collar on a tree is the scrunched up bark where the branch and trunk come together. When cut here, the tree will naturally form a callus. When removing an unwanted branch that is part of larger branch, avoid leaving behind a stump because this can harm the tree.

Pruning also involves thinning the canopy, which means some branches or stems are removed throughout the tree or shrub to increase airflow and enhance the appearance. When thinning the canopy, it’s important to start from the center and work your way out to the exterior. Make sure to pay constant attention to the appearance of the tree or shrub while you are pruning. It’s suggested to cut the tree or shrub with its natural shape in mind and to avoid giving trees a flat top (also known as scalping). Be careful not to take too much of the plant away while pruning, or the plant won’t survive! 
Pruning is essential in maintaining and caring for a deciduous tree or shrub. A tree or shrub’s ability to grow, bloom, and bear fruit is enhanced when pruned properly in winter.

Safety first! If the tree you want to prune is too large or near power lines, then a professional arborist should be contacted. At Pacific Vista Landscape Services, we are pruning experts! Give us a call and we can help with all your tree trimming and landscaping needs!

The Cherry Trees in Washington D.C.

Washington Monument & Cherry trees
Photo courtesy of Nation Park Service

by Pacific Vista Landscape Services

It is that time of year again when thousands of bare cherry blossom trees awaken from their cold slumber in Washington DC and dawn their colorful flowers. Once dormant and colorless, the cherry blossom trees begin to sprout millions of pink and white flowers that dazzle West Potomac Park, Hains Point, and the Washington Memorial in vibrant colors. During this time, 1.5 million people travel to Washington DC to attend the Cherry Blossom Festival and admire the gorgeous scenery.

Time for a quick history lesson! Let’s go back a century to when the cherry blossom trees first came to the U.S. In 1910, 2,000 trees were sent to Washington DC as a gift from Japan. Unfortunately upon arrival, the Department of Agriculture discovered that the trees were diseased and had to be destroyed as soon as possible. Two years later, Japan sent 3,000 healthy cherry blossom trees to make up for the previously diseased ones. This beautiful gift contained a variety of different cherry

Cherry tree inspection
photo courtesy of U.S.National Arboretum

blossoms, such as somei-yoshino and jonioi cherry blossoms. The first two trees were planted on the north bank of the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park. First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda, the wife of the Japanese ambassador, had the honor of planting these two trees. Workmen then continued to plant the remainder of the trees, which would provide a breath taking sight for years to come.

To remember Japan’s gift to the U.S., the tree planting ceremony was re-enacted by Washington school children in 1927. Celebration and admiration of the gorgeous cherry blossom trees did not stop there; in 1935 the first “Cherry Blossom Festival” was held and sponsored by numerous civic groups. This festival would occur annually, and soon grow from days to weeks. Not only did the Cherry Blossom Festival grow, but so did the relationship between Japan and the U.S. Over the years, gifts have continued to be exchanged between the two countries. Examples of such gifts include when the U.S. gave Japan flowering dogwood trees, as well as cuttings from the cherry blossom trees originally gifted in order to replace trees Japan had lost in a flood. In 1965, the U.S. received 3,800 Yoshino cherry blossom trees from Japan, which would be planted on the grounds of the Washington Monument.

If you happen to be one of the millions of tourists that go to Washington DC each year to see the Cherry Blossom Festival, take a minute to remember what significance the cherry blossom trees hold. Not only are they beautiful, delicate, and extraordinary, they are a symbol of the friendship between the U.S. and Japan.

Sources:

            http://www.nps.gov/cherry/cherry-blossom-history.htm

            http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/about/history/

            

Tree Care: TLC For Your Tree!

Eucalyptus Tree photo by Inventist Media

by Pacific Vista Landscape Services

One of the most important services we provide at Pacific Vista Landscape is tree care. Trees bring beauty to a property and increased value. They also absorb noise and pollution and clean the air we breathe. A healthy tree can last years, even centuries and beyond. California has some of the oldest living trees; like the Giant Sequoia Redwoods which are around a few thousand years old and the Bristlecone Pine which grows in the mountains of Southern California and can live up to five thousand years! Proper care can ensure that your trees have optimal health and are enjoyed for generations to come. 

Trees are susceptible to many forms of stress including; wind, rain, disease and pest damage. These stresses can be minimized by implementing a routine maintenance program for trees. A proper tree care program will allow fluid growth patterns and wind penetration. This will condition your trees for long term healthy development.

Proper pruning is key to a good tree care program. It can also aid in keeping a view from being obstructed or maintaining healthy coverage from an unsightly view. The best time to prune trees depends on the variety but often it is in the dormant season, usually fall and winter. Pruning during the dormant period minimizes sap loss and subsequent stress to the tree. It also minimizes the risk of fungus infection or insect infestation as both fungi and insects are likely to be in dormancy at the same time as the tree. At Pacific Vista Landscape, all of our pruning practices are based upon the International Society of Arboriculture industry standards and our trained professionals prune trees in accordance with American National Standards Institute (ANSI) A300 Standards. This ensures that you get the finest quality tree care available.

We offer a tree care plan that can meet the needs of every tree on your property by taking into account species, age, and purpose. Our staff will provide you with a complete inventory of all trees and organize these trees on a multiple year tree care plan. We will place the trees on an appropriate frequency to best suit a given species. Call us today for a free quote and see what we can do for your trees!

Landscaping 101: Glossary of Terms

Here are some commonly used terms in landscaping:
by Pacific Vista Landscape Services

Accent:
The use of a plant or object to draw attention to a space.

Acidic soil: 

Soil with a pH value of less than 7.0.

Aeration:
A method of increasing water and oxygen into compact soil by turning and loosening the soil to allow penetration.

Alkaline soil: 

Soil with a pH value of more than 7.0.

Annual:

A plant that completes its life cycle in one year or season.

Apex: 

The tip of a stem.

Arbor: 
A shady garden shelter or bower, often made of rustic wood or latticework on which vines, roses, etc. are grown.

Arboretum:

A landscaped space where trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants are cultivated for scientific study, educational purposes, and to foster appreciation of plants.

Axil:

The area between a leaf and the stem from which the leaf arises.

Bacillus Thuringiensis(BT):
Biological Control

Beneficial Biological Controls:
Insects and organic chemicals

Biennial:
A plant that typically takes two years to complete it's life cycle.

Budding:
A form of asexual reproduction in which a new organism develops from an outgrowth or bud on another one.

Bulb:
An underground plant structure that contains nutrients, energy and seed to produce a plant.

Cambrium Layer:
The thin layer of growing cells between the xylem and phloem.

Chlorosis:
Iron deficiency

Clay:
A soil particle which is plate-like, extremely small and may retain nutrients well.

Clod:
A lump of clay which is difficult to break apart.

Cold Hardy:

Capable of withstanding cold weather conditions.

Compost:
A soil product created from decomposed garden material, used in flower beds to add nutrients and encourage good growth.

Cultivar:

A cultivated variety of a plant selected for some feature that distinguishes it from 
the species from which it was selected.

Cultivation:
Turning the soil to provide better air circulation or to control weeds.

Dead Heading:
Removing dead flowers before they set seed.

Deciduous:

Having leaves that fall off or are shed 
seasonally to avoid adverse weather conditions such as cold or drought.

Defoliation:
The process when a plant looses all its leaves.

Dethatching:
Removing thatches in grass; removal of the dead grass.

Die Back:
Tips of branches decline due to lack of moisture or disease.

Dormancey:
When a plant reaches a dormant period, usually in winter.

Drainage:
The downward movement of water passing through soil.

Drip Line:
Outmost branch tips where the water would land to feed the tree.

Drought Tolerant:
The ability of a plant to thrive without much water.

Epiphyte:
A plant that lives on a host plant but draws nutrients from the air.

Espalier:
A flat or fan like like trellis.

Established Plant:
When the plant is fully rooted.

Evergreen:
A plant whose leaves or needles are green year-round.

Fertilizer:
A material added to feed plants rich in nutrients, usually nitrogen (often lost with frequent mowing), phosphates and potash.

Fescue:
Soft compact fine-leafed grasses.

Flower Form:
Structure of a flower, i.e. single, semi, double.

Foundation Plant: plant that is used to frame around a house or structure and connect it to the rest of the landscape.

Frond:
A large leaf with multiple divisions.

Fungicide:
The chemical used to control a fungus-related disease.

Germination:
The sprouting of a seed, spore or pollen grain.

Genus:
A subdivion of a family or subfamily in the classification of organisms.

Girdling:
Also called ring-barking, is the removal of bark around the circumference of the tree in a ring. The result is a slow death to the part of the tree or woody plant above the damage.

Grading:
The process of changing the slope level of an area of soil.

Grafting:
Combining the vascular tissues of two plants to form a hybrid by placing a portion of one plant (called a bud or scion) into or on a stem, root, or branch of another (called the stock) in such a way that a union forms and the partners continue to grow.

Ground Cover:
Plants which are low-growing and create a blanket appearance over an area.

Growing Season:
The period each year when the plant grows.

Hardscape:
Walkways, planters, and areas made of hard material like concrete or rocks that is incorporated into the landscape and balances with the 'softscape'.

Hardy:
Plants that can survive difficult conditions like frost and severe cold.

Hedge:
A variety of shrubs that when planted close together will give a wall-like appearance; often used to separate areas.

Herbaceous:

Having little or no woody tissue. Most plants grown as perennials or annuals are herbaceous.

Herbicide:
A chemical used to control weeds.

Horticulture:
The science of growing plants, flowers, trees, shrubs, fruit, & grasses.

Hybrid:

A plant or group of plants that results from the interbreeding of two distinct cultivars, 
varieties, species, or genera.

Indigenous:
Occurring naturally in a particular place. Native.

Iron:

A mineral used in keeping grass green.

Irrigation: 
Applying water to vegetation and landscape to help it thrive.

Leader:
The primary shoot of a plant.

Leaf Burn:
A plant disease that causes a burnt appearance.

Leaf Mold:
A fungal disease of plants in which mold develops on the leaves.

Lime:
Calcium material used to raise the pH in soil.

Macronutrients:
Essential elements needed in large amounts for healthy plant growth: nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur.

Micro Climate:
The climate of a small area that is different than the climate of the surrounding area.

Micronutrients:
Essential elements needed in very small amounts for healthy plant growth: iron, copper, zinc, boron, molybdenum, chlorine, and cobalt.

Mulch:
A material used to cover soil for moisture conservation and weed suppression.

Native Plant:

A plant that lives or grows naturally in a particular region without direct or indirect 
human intervention. Indigenous.

Node:
The part of a plant stem from which one or more leaves emerge.

Organic Fertilizer:
Compounds derived from decomposition of plant and animal products and include blood meal, bone meal, manure, and sewage sludge.

Organic Matter:
Biological material in the process of decaying or decomposing.

Osmosis:
When water travels across a membrane.

Peatmoss:
A bog like moss processed to be used in potting soils and helps assimilate nutrients for the plant.

Perennial:
Persisting for several years, usually dying back to a perennial crown during the winter and initiating new growth each spring.

Pesticide:
A chemical used to control an organism.

pH:
The acidity and alkalinity of soil.

Phloem: 
One of the two types of transport tissue in vascular plants, xylem is the other.

Photosynthesis:
The process in which plants convert sunlight energy into chemical energy that can be used as fuel to aid in plant development.

Planter:
The defined area, commonly raised and composed of wood or concrete, used to grow plants.

Plant Family:
A plant that belongs to a family that shares the same broad characterisitcs.

Polladring:
A pruning meathod in which a a tree's top branches are cut back to the trunk so that it may produce a dense growth of new shoots.

Pollen:
A fine powdery substance consisting of microscopic grains discharged from the male part of a flower or from a male cone.

Pollenation:
The process in which pollen is transferred.

Pollenator Bees:
Bees that transfer pollen.

Pollenizer:
A plant that supplies pollen.

Pruning:
A method of cutting parts of a plant off to control size, health and appearance.

Pseudo Bulb:
A storage organ derived from the part of a stem between two leaf nodes.

Re-foliate:
Term used for when a plant grows new leaves after a leafless period, usually in the spring.

Rhizome:
A horizontal, usually underground stem that often sends out roots and shoots from its nodes.

Root Bound:
A plant that has grown too large for its container resulting in matting or tangling of the roots.

Rootstock:

The part of a budded or grafted plant that furnishes the root system. Also called 'understock'.

Rosette:

A circular arrangement of leaves or petals.

Scion:
A detached shoot or twig used in grafting.

Shrub:

A low-growing woody plant, usually under 15 feet that often has multiple stems.

Shock:
A term used to describe a plant that has been impacted by change, i.e. transplanting, weather, too much or too little water, frost, etc.

Sod:
Small areas of turf ready for transplant to new locations. Often used to start a new lawn.

Softscape:
Vegetation used in landscaping which balances with 'hardscape'. Includes trees, flowers, grasses, shrubs. 

Species:
Plant organisms with similar traits capable of off-spring.

Specimen:
An individual plant used to represent a class or genus or plants.

Sphagnum:

A genus of 120 species of mosses, commonly called peat moss, that survives well in wet, acidic soil.

Spore: 

Typically a one-celled, reproductive unit capable of giving rise to a new individual plant.

Spur:

A projecting root or branch.

Standard:

A tree or shrub that grows to full height.

Stolon:

A stem, at or just below the surface of the ground, that produces new plants from buds at it's tips or nodes.

Stress:

The negative impact of non-living forces on a plant.

Sucker:

A secondary shoot produced from the base or roots of a woody plant that gives rise to a new plant.

Tap Root:

An enlarged root, that grows downward and forms a center which other roots sprout laterally.

Tender:

A delicate plant that is usually sensitive to frost or severe cold.

Temperature Tolerance:
Cold or heat, the degree at which a plant can handle temperatures and survive.

Thatch:
The live or dead layer of roots and stems between the turf of a lawn and the soil.

Thinning:
Pruning or removing some branches in a uniform way throughout a tree or shrub.

Topiary:
A decorative style of plant growth controlled by shaping with pruning or shearing.

Transplant:
Moving a plant from one location to another.

Tree:

A woody perennial plant having a single, usually elongated main stem or trunk with 
few or no branches on its lower part.

Tuber:
A thickened, underground stem or rhizome which stores nutrients.

Turf:
A ground cover of grass.

Variegation:
A pattern of leaves that contains either white or yellow markings.

Variety:
A sub-species of plant.

Vegetation:
A general term for all plant life.

Water Sprout:
A nonflowering shoot arising from a branch or axil of a tree or shrub.

Wildflower: A herbaceous plant that is native to a given area and is representative of unselected  forms of its species.

Woody Plant:

A plant with persistent woody parts that do not die back in adverse conditions. Most 
woody plants are trees or shrubs.

Xylem: One of the two types of transport tissue in vascular plants, phloem is the other.

Tree Trimming: Palm Trees and Removing Dead Fronds Safely

by Pacific Vista Landscape Services

Photo by Inventist Media

Everywhere we look in Southern California we see palm trees. They're one of our most loved attributes and yet, despite their ubiquity, the only one that is native to our state is the Washingtonia filifera, or more commonly known as the California or Desert Palm Fan. Indigenous or not, tree trimming these palms and removing their dead fronds can be challenging and there are some important considerations in order to keep them looking like the iconic symbol they have become for California.

Palms are not like other trees because they lack secondary growth. This makes trimming them correctly extremely important to avoid structural weakening which cannot be reversed. Since most palms have a singular trunk, any structural weakening of the trunk can make it dangerous to climb and since regular tree trimming standards are not specific to palms, evaluating each palm individually before trimming is a must:

• Inspect the trunk for any cavities, wounds, bleeding, or 'penciling' which is seen when a trunk narrows and then widens again. These all show lack of structural integrity and the possibility of structural failure.
• Inspect the roots and soil for decay, disease, or over-exposure.
• Inspect the trunk for cracks or fissures.
• Any significant lean to the trunk which makes it unsafe to climb.
• Evaluate that the crown, where the fronds come out of, is not excessively big for the trunk creating extra top-heavy weight to the trunk which could cause it to fail during trimming.

If a palm is considered unsafe to climb, a lift must be used instead unless there are other structurally sound trees or buildings next to the palm that can be used to access the dead fronds. Trimming dead palm fronds is hard work and can be very dangerous. If there is more than three years of dead growth, it is even more challenging because it must be accessed from the outside of the fronds instead of underneath since a heavy frond skirt can easily come loose and fall straight down taking the climber with it.

Not only does a clean palm tree look much better, dead fronds make a lovely home for snakes and rodents and should be removed every year. It is important that only professional trained tree trimmers are hired. For instance, if spikes are used to climb, it can make holes in the trunk that do not seal over which can lead to wounds, decay, and disease. Keeping the palm structurally healthy is key to years of beauty.

At Pacific Vista Landscape Services, we have professionals who know how safely prune palm trees and ensure they stay healthy for years to come! Call us today for a quote!

Trees Need Special Protection During Construction

Alabama Cooperative Extension

Whether you are remodeling your home or starting completely over, mature trees add value to a property and need special protection during construction. It is not just the trunk that needs to be protected, most damage occurs below ground. Heavy machinery can be detrimental to a tree's root system and depending on the type of tree, roots can be shallow and extend quite far. Rolling equipment, even if it passes only a few times, can compact soil and roots too densely and be harmful to the health of the tree. Excavating or adding too much soil can also damage roots.

A study done by forestry agents at the Alabama Cooperative Extension and mentioned in the National Garden Association's article 'Protecting Trees During Construction' came up with some low cost solutions. "Fencing off the critical root zone -- the area around the tree where roots are most vulnerable to damage from soil compaction -- is key. But where constraints exist that make such fencing off impossible, the foresters discovered some simple ways to lessen the impact of heavy machinery. They found, for example, that simply spreading mulch 8 inches deep and covering it with 3/4 inch plywood distributed the weight of the equipment driving over enough to greatly reduce the amount of soil compaction below."

Tree trimming and care are specialities of our's at Pacific Vista Landscape Services. We can estimate a tree's root system diameter and depth as well as prepare the area with mulch for protection if fencing is not an option. Let us help keep your trees healthy for upcoming years of enjoyment long after the construction is over!