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Summertime Activities Spent with Trees

March 7, 2024June 10, 2015 by The Parke Company

Parke-Company-tree-service-of-nashville-Summertime-Activities-Spent-with-Trees-zip-line Summertime is a season for a variety of outdoor activities like hiking, canoeing, swimming and ziplining. All of these activities put you right in the heart of Tennessee’s wilderness and give you a new perspective on nature and landscape. Taking advantage of these fun pastimes not only exposes you to something new you may have never tried, but it’s a great way to see the beauty of Middle Tennessee in a whole new way.

Ziplining — While many summertime plans involve playing in nature, ziplining is a special activity that puts us right among the trees. Ziplining is always an exciting adventure and locations like Fontanel and Treetop Adventure Park offer exhilarating experiences. Though the Parke Company doesn’t build the zip lines, Parke employees can offer advice on proper tree care for both homeowners and companies looking to implement a zip line on their landscape on their commercial or residential properties.

Canoeing and Kayaking — Canoeing is a great activity during the hottest of summer days, and it’s a great way to see some of Middle Tennessee’s beautiful hills and trees. Nashville has a plethora of beautiful rivers. Get your feet wet and learn a little about nature! The Harpeth, Cumberland and Whites Creek are just a few of Middle Tennessee’s many rivers that allow canoeing and kayaking.

Hiking — If canoeing and ziplining aren’t really your thing, hiking is a great alternative! Many parks around the area offer hiking trails that expose visitors to the branches and beauty of Nashville. Shelby Bottoms or Percy Warner are just a couple parks to consider. The Parke Company works hard to preserve and care for the trees all around the area, and hiking through one of these trails will give you a great reason as to why they work so hard.

Summer is a great season to take advantage of all of these outdoor activities. Make sure to get out and see what Nashville’s trees and nature have to offer. It’ll be cold again before we know it! And if you’ve got trees or branches in your own landscape that look a little weary, call the Parke Company today for a tree care consultation.

Three Reasons to Love Nashville’s Historic Trees

March 7, 2024June 5, 2015 by The Parke Company

parke-company-emergency-services-tree-landscape-irrigation-maintenance-blog-Water-Three-Reasons-to-Love-Nashville-Historic-Trees-battle-of-nashville Nashville is commonly known for country music and great food. But one thing that is often overlooked is the rich history the region holds. Nashville and Middle Tennessee embody layers of historical significance that often go unnoticed.

History isn’t just contained in museums or classrooms, but the world around us; especially trees! There are all kinds of great reasons why historical trees should be loved and admired in the Tennessee area. They are living, breathing things that were alive during some of Nashville’s formative years. In addition, understanding their history promotes their preservation long-term. Here are just a few reasons to love Nashville’s historic trees:

You learn something about your home you may not know. Whether you’re new to the Nashville area or you’ve lived in Middle Tennessee your whole life, some of the city’s history can be taught to you at any age. When strolling through a park or visiting someplace new, stop to read all the information you can because even the trees themselves hold great historical value you may have never seen before.
It encourages historical tree preservation. Understanding and appreciating the history many of the beautiful trees around the region is a wonderful thing in itself, but it also encourages tree preservation and education for years to come.
It’s a living artifact of Nashville’s significant past. Live artifacts provide such an exciting gateway to the past. Natchez Trace Trail, Bison Meadows, the Witness Tree, the Battle of Nashville and other beautiful areas all have a story to tell, and the same trees that were there then are here now.

When you’re out and about enjoying the weather with friends and family this summer, take a step back to enjoy the history of your city too. Whether you’re taking a trip down Natchez Trace or you’re golfing in the Richland Country Club (where the Witness Tree is) notice the history around you. You might not only learn something new, but you might help the preservation of these historical trees and the many that will be inducted in the future.

History isn’t just in books, it’s in trees too! Think you might have a tree that holds some historical significance? Call the Parke Company for help. They’ll be able to direct you to the correct person for the job.

Tennessee Heat: Hot Weather and Tree Care

September 25, 2025May 15, 2015 by The Parke Company

Parke-Company-tree-service-of-nashville-Tennessee-Heat-Hot-Weather-and-Tree-Care-drought If you’ve spent any time in Tennessee, you know that the summer heat can get the best of us — humidity especially. And though it’s only May, hotter temperatures are settling in for a long season. Your trees and your landscape thrive in hot and sunny temperatures, but humidity and drought can often be detrimental to the overall health of your plants. So what do you do? Especially if water conservation is an issue, tree care will need to be considered.

Here are a couple things to think about when dealing with your trees:

Picking the right species: Heat waves are commonplace in Tennessee during the summer. If you’re looking to plant a new tree on your property, consider trees that require less water. This will not only keep the tree healthy all summer long, but it’s less stress on you! Because irrigation cannot be readily available during a drought, these types of trees also conserve water: a win-win. In addition, placement of trees can be important to keep a tree prosperous throughout a hot summer. With an arborist’s help, you can plant in the right conditions and feel confident your tree will be taken care of for years to come.

Assessing existing trees: Existing trees can be a bit trickier. Without considering the summer heat, a wide variety of trees can be planted in the Middle Tennessee area that may not thrive. This can be problematic for trees that require much more water during seasons where water conservation is so crucial. If water is not an issue, Parke can add a soaker hose for a slow trickle of constant water. In addition, soil injections can be done to enhance the health of the tree. Regular observation of your trees is important. The Parke Company can amend soil to help hold water for longer periods of time when lack of water is an issue. If you see leaves discolor or limbs die, call an arborist at the Parke Company for an assessment.

Regular irrigation and tree care is important to keeping your trees and landscape beautiful. But the Parke Company understands that weather can get in the way. Whether it’s summer storms and lightning (hyperlink), drought or extreme heat, the Parke Company can help you. They will assess your existing trees or assist in finding the perfect tree to withstand Tennessee’s infamous weather. Want more information and live within the Middle Tennessee area including The Gulch or Germantown? Call the Parke Company today for additional information or to speak with an arborist.

Preparing Plants for Early Nashville Spring Frost

March 7, 2024April 2, 2015 by The Parke Company

preparing-plants-for-early-spring-frost Weather can be fickle sometimes. Especially if you live in Middle Tennessee. One day it’s sunny and 75 degrees, and the next it’s close to freezing. Late frost is an issue every year, so it’s important to keep in mind when preparing your plants for the new season. Nashville trees have already started budding and some daffodils have bloomed. It’s a beautiful thing! But with that beauty comes a risk for early spring frost. So when that cold snap decides to hit, it’s best to be prepared.

Here are some ways to protect your plants:

Water the plants thoroughly before the freeze hits. This adds insulation to the soil and plant cells.
Bring plants indoors. Obviously this isn’t a great solution for all plants, but anything potted can be brought in for protection.
If you have small sprouts, protect them by placing a pot or coffee tin over them. Just be sure to uncover them the following day when the temperature hits above freezing. These baby sprouts need their sunlight!
Larger plants or shrubs can be covered by burlap or old bed sheets. Place the cloth across the entire plant and let it reach the ground. This not only insulates the plant but the soil as well. Like the previous tip, remove the cloth the next day when the sun pops back out.

Sometimes frost occurs suddenly and your plants are left unprotected. If this happens, possible damage could occur. Over the course of a few days, take note of the buds on your plants. If there has been discoloration (such as dark brown or black), then your plants are probably damaged. If your plants stay green and no discoloration occurs then your tough, little plants fought through the cold snap!

Sometimes assessing the damage can be hard to spot. If you have questions about your landscape and plants, contact the Parke Company to come check it out. They’ll be able to tell you the severity of the damage and the next steps for your landscape. If you have yet to schedule your landscape maintenance or design, there’s no better time than now! With spring in full swing, your trees and landscape is ready to see more color.

For more information about the Parke Company’s services contact them today!

Spring Storm Season: Make Sure Your Trees are Prepared

March 7, 2024March 22, 2015 by The Parke Company

tree-lightning-parke-company-nashville Nashville is finally warming up, and we couldn’t be more excited to get rid of all this snow and ice. So what’s next on the agenda for your tree list? Well, if you’ve already taken care of spring preparation for your landscape and trees before things begin to bloom, it might be a good idea to take a look at your trees and branches for potential storm hazards.

With Nashville sunshine comes the possibility of spring showers, including severe storms with lightning, tornadoes and flooding. After a big storm, it’s not uncommon to see a large tree fallen in the middle of the road in Belle Meade, Franklin or other residential areas. This is why it’s important to make sure your trees are in tip-top shape for the season ahead.

Preparation for these storms is pretty simple. Call the Parke Company! They will come out to assess your trees for any necessary services such as crown thinning, preventative work and damage repairs. If some of your branches are dead or heavy, it might be necessary for our team to complete cabling or crown thinning to prevent any fallen branches during unexpected storms.

Lightning can be a major concern, especially with trees. Parke is available for measuring trees for grounding rods and wires. This is a great preventative measure that will avoid headaches throughout the spring and summer seasons. If storms damage branches or threaten your tree’s healthcare, Parke can also clean up branches, assist in emergency tree care situations and try to treat any of the damage.

Tree healthcare is an important part of maintaining a beautiful property. If you’re a homeowner or run a commercial property, Nashville storms are unavoidable. Be sure to have your trees evaluated to prevent any lightning, wind or tornado damage before it’s too late. For more information about the Parke Company’s services including emergency tree care, contact them today to schedule a consultation.