Q&A: Scrub Clearing and Removing Invasive Species

“Scrub clearing.” The sound of it doesn’t seem appealing, huh? But it’s a necessary evil we all have to take care of to ensure our trees, grass and landscape are healthy all year long. Yes, it keeps your trees and other plants beautiful, but is also important for cleaning out any invasive species that might’ve taken over during the summer months.

How can you get scrub clearing done? It’s a simple process, really. Just pick up the phone! The Parke Company will take care of any scrub clearing that needs to be done around your property.

Is it a one time job? Scrub clearing involves removing invasive species in your trees and other plants that are not meant to be in Nashville. Because invasive species are tricky and can harm your landscape, scrub clearing is a management process that takes time to complete.

What is the overall process look like? Invasive species should be constantly addressed. The Parke Company can do immediate removal, but additional steps will need to be taken for management purposes. All projects are different and depend on the invasive species at hand. The team will work with you to create a plan that fits with your schedule.

Scrub clearing can be done simply and efficiently with the Parke Company’s help. No matter what invasive species we are dealing with, the team will do their best to keep it under control. Tennessee has a wide range of exotic invasive plants that need controlling. For a full list, click here. To schedule your consultation for scrub clearing, contact the Parke Company today!

Witness Tree Inducted in Tennessee Registry with Parke Co. Help

The Parke Company tree inducted into Tennessee registry

buroak_witnesstree_parkecompanyHistory doesn’t just exist in the books we read, but in the living objects around us. That is why the Parke Company likes to take on a different type of tree service when they can. They like to take time to reflect on the historic trees of our city of Nashville. Ages old and years wise, these trees have seen the state of Tennessee in its worst moments and its greatest. Take the Witness Tree for example. Like its name, this bur oak has existed in Davidson County long enough to witness buffalo make their way to the Great French Lick by the ancient buffalo trail, to the present as it stands proudly over the ninth tee at the Richland Country Club.

A few weeks ago, the Richland Witness Tree was inducted into the Tennessee Landmark and Historic Tree Registry with the Parke Company’s help. Though it took several months to process this ordeal with applications, photos, site visits, measurements and much more paperwork, it was all worth it in the end to preserve and honor such a majestic tree.

According to the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council, this tree has seen Native American hunters use its branches for shelter; witnessed Andrew Jackson and John Overton pass through Nashville to Franklin; and watched the construction of the Granny White Turnpike. Most notably, the bur oak witnessed the Battle of the Barricade in 1864 as a part of the Battle of Nashville where many men lost their lives.

As the Parke Company continues to provide tree service throughout Middle Tennessee for their customers, they never forget the importance of preserving the historical trees of our region. Now, this historic tree can forever be cherished as golfers stand under its branches for shelter and shade. The Parke Company is heavily involved in the application process as well as the upkeep and health care after. For more information about the Witness Tree and other landmark and historic trees in the Tennessee registry, visit their website.

The Premier Landscaping Services Perfect for Fall

Colored leaves on the ground in the fall.

Fall is a fantastic time for family gatherings, community activities, and festive decorations. But as the days grow shorter and the leaves start to fall from their trees, every property owner knows that it’s also time to prepare their outdoor spaces for winter. The Parke Company serving Nashville and Middle Tennessee is here to help you beat the cold weather season and make your outdoor spaces look beautiful for years to come with our full service landscaping services.

How the Transition to Autumn Affects Landscaping Services and Needs

As autumn takes over, yards and gardens begin to wither away – this transition often yields gorgeous colors along the way. During this season, there are a few ideal landscaping services to seek for your yards and gardens. The first service is to trim branches that may have grown into a fence or a power line. There are a few ways to handle this situation: plant new trees and shrubs, remove trees and shrubs that are no longer useful for your yard, and reshape them by trimming them up. Debris removal is another ideal service for fall, as the season’s winds, rains, and falling leaves produce plenty of detritus.

This time of year is also prime for lawn fertilization. This important task protects the health of your lawn even when it’s lying dormant during winter. Proper fertilization will, in fact, shorten this dormant period and help your lawn spring back to life after winter’s end. Meanwhile, continue mowing your lawn until the grass completely stops growing. Grinding up fallen leaves along the way will allow your lawn to breathe as the season progresses. The Parke Company can also provide lawn aeration services this time of year, test your soil, and more.

Preparing Your Green Spaces for Winter

Taking care of your lawn during autumn helps you prepare it for winter. Even in an area that enjoys milder winters like Nashville, TN, cold conditions, snow, and other wintry factors can do serious damage to your green spaces if they’re not well-protected. Investing in the services outlined above and removing any dead or dying plants will help keep your landscapes healthy and beautiful throughout the winter season.

Beyond these acts, however, you must also consider the state of your irrigation system. You won’t be needing your sprinklers during winter, so it’s important to shut down these systems prior to the first frost. Keeping your irrigation system active during winter can freeze and clog valves, permanently damaging these components. By the time spring rolls back around, you may be faced with major irrigation repairs. The Parke Company offers full irrigation winterization and restart services so you can bring your lawn back to life as soon as the weather allows.

Why Hire Professionals From The Parke Company

At The Parke Company, all of our full service landscaping offerings are performed by certified, qualified, and experienced employees to ensure top-notch services. We provide various landscape service options to our residential and commercial customers, including pre-construction consultation, landscape design, landscape installation, maintenance, irrigation shutdowns and restarts, planting, mowing, trimming, and more.

When you call The Parke Company to schedule a consultation with our team, we will help you decide which premier landscaping services best suit your property for the season. Call us today at 615-350-6033 to schedule your autumn or winter landscape maintenance session. We’ll be happy to provide you with a free consultation and estimate to help you decide whether our services are right for your landscaping needs.

Why Hiring a Tree Removal Service with a Certified Arborist is the Best Option

Company removing a tree.

Trees are terrific, but they can also terrorize your property. Whether from old age, a lack of maintenance, or natural phenomena, trees can shed hazardous debris onto your landscape and structures, if not collapse entirely. If your home or business is at risk of this tree-related destruction, it’s best to have the tree(s) in question removed. However, tree removal is a delicate process, and even a small error can result in major safety concerns and costly damage. Fortunately, there are third-party organizations dedicated to teaching and certifying tree removal professionals to ensure the best outcomes – chief among them is the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), which oversees a Certified Arborist® program for companies with at least three years of full-time experience in arboriculture (e.g., tree care companies, nurseries, landscaping companies, and more).

The Parke Company proudly brandishes its ISA Arborist Certification, giving our clients peace of mind. Here’s why hiring a tree removal service with ISA Arborist Certification is always the way to go for your home or business.

Why You Should Hire a Tree Removal Service With ISA Arborist Certification

Certified Arborists Know the Ins and Outs of Trees

Receiving ISA Arborist Certification requires comprehensive knowledge and skills related to tree care. According to the ISA’s Certified Arborist® Application Guide, “When you become an ISA Certified Arborist®, you are recognized by your peers and the public as a tree care professional who has attained a generally accepted level of knowledge in areas such as tree biology, diagnosis, maintenance practices, safety, and other subject and practice areas within the tree care profession as identified through periodic job task analyses.” Put simply, when hiring a certified arborist to take care of your trees, you’ll already know that the provider is bringing detailed knowledge and experience to the table – not just in one category, but in 10 areas of knowledge laid out by the certification’s written exam:

  • Soil Management
  • Identification and Selection
  • Installation and Establishment
  • Safe Work Practices
  • Tree Biology
  • Pruning
  • Diagnosis and Treatment
  • Urban Forestry
  • Tree Protection
  • Tree Risk Management

The benefits of tree removal services featuring this level of knowledge cannot be overstated. After all, tree removal is only one of many services that will keep your landscape healthy and your property safe from harm.

Ensure Safety at Your Property

As mentioned above, safe work practices constitute a significant portion of ISA Arborist Certification. The first objective outlined in the guide is to “advance the knowledge and application of safe work practices in all arboricultural operations.” To achieve and maintain certification, applicants must stay up to date on the most current ANSI (American National Standards Institute) Z133 Standard – Safety Requirements for Arboricultural Operations. These standards deal with the proper use of relevant tools and equipment, avoidance of electrical hazards, safe climbing methods, general procedures, and more. ISA Certified Arborists also keep customers and their properties safe by keeping trees healthy and sturdy. While any tree removal service should adhere to these safety guidelines, you can rest assured that Certified Arborists are constantly primed to manage risk and maximize safety before, during, and after the job.

Adherence to High Ethical Standards

When hiring any kind of service, you only want to deal with companies you can trust. No matter the industry or specialty, unethical business practices are all too common, resulting in unfair pricing, shoddy outcomes, inappropriate and unprofessional behavior, and so on. And it’s not always easy to determine whether or not a company is trustworthy until after you’ve hired them. As such, it helps to rely on an objective party like the ISA’s Credentialing Council to determine a contractor’s integrity beforehand.

According to the ISA Certified Arborist® Application Guide, “The ISA Certified Arborist® credential is subject to ongoing requirements, such as participation in continuing education activities and abiding by the ISA Certified Arborist® Code of Ethics.” This ethical code details and dictates all aspects of a tree removal company’s professional behavior, including how well they comply with laws, regulations and standards, how truthfully they represent information to customers, municipalities, and certification agencies, how to avoid conflicts of interest, and much more.

The entire ISA Code of Ethics can be read here.

Finding Certified Tree Removal Near Me

If before you were wondering, “Why do we need an arborist with ISA Arborist Certification,” by now the answer should be clear: Hiring a tree removal service with Certified Arborist credentials takes the guesswork out of finding a knowledgeable, experienced, safety-oriented, ethical tree service provider. If you’re looking for such a tree service in the Nashville, TN or Middle TN areas, look no further than the certified specialists at The Parke Company.

Call us today at 615-350-6033 or contact us online!

Why Now Is the Best Time to Hire Irrigation Repair Services

Man repairing an irrigation system.

The cooler air in the mornings and at night serves as a reminder that fall is on its way, even in a warmer area like Nashville, TN. And as summer comes to a close, you might put lawn care on the back burner. Even a busted irrigation system might not seem like a pressing matter for a while, but waiting until spring to fix or install your watering system can be a costly and frustrating endeavor. Here are some reasons early autumn is actually the best time to hire irrigation repair services for your home or business.

Why Early Autumn is the Best Time to Hire Irrigation Repair Services

Soil Conditions Are Right for the Job

Irrigation installation and repairs are best done when the soil is relatively soft, somewhat moist, and neither too cool nor too hot. This goldilocks zone can be hard to come by, however. During the summer, soil temperatures are often in the upper 80s (Fahrenheit) and dry to boot. By September, these temperatures begin to drop until they’re in the 50s by November, and the soil softens significantly. Irrigation services can work more efficiently and do less damage to your lawn by tackling installations and repairs during this period, making fall the optimal time for them.

Steer Clear of Surge Pricing

Though autumn offers ideal conditions for irrigation repairs, most people are focused on lawn irrigation during the spring and summer. And when demand for irrigation services increases, so does the cost of these services. Put simply, attempting to tackle irrigation repair in the spring or summer is often much more expensive than waiting until fall when demand has died down. Likewise, it’s much easier to find a reliable repair company and schedule their services on short notice when their calendars aren’t so tightly wound. So, if you want to hire the best irrigation repair professionals at the best price, it’s wise to make this investment during the fall.

Lawn Aesthetics Won’t Matter as Much

People pay the most attention to their landscapes during the spring and summer. This is when it’s possible to achieve lush green lawns and take advantage of all the seasonal flowers in bloom. While you don’t want your lawn to look dishevelled outside of these seasons, fall debris and cooler temperatures will render even the most well-kempt lawns inert for some time. Knowing this, hiring landscaping services to fix your irrigation system during fall is completely practical. After all, these repairs often involve digging up portions of your lawn – something you won’t want to do during the spring and summer when the goal is to keep up exterior appearances. By tackling this project during the fall, you won’t have to feel so self-conscious about what your lawn looks like, since the landscapes around you will also be dealing with seasonal issues of their own (e.g., dormant grass, fallen leaves, etc.).

One Less Thing to Worry About in the Spring

Spring may be the start of the landscaping season, but you won’t want to battle a broken irrigation system as you prepare to revive your lawn. It’s much better to get your watering solutions in order before winter so you can hit the ground running as soon as spring arrives – this means tackling irrigation repair and installation during the fall. You’ll thank yourself in a matter of months for getting it done at this time rather than waiting.

Lawn Irrigation Services Near Me

There’s still plenty of time in Nashville to address any irrigation concerns you may have, but don’t wait too long. The Parke Company would be happy to be your choice for irrigation installation, repairs, and upgrades this season and beyond. We are passionate about cultivating a beautiful landscape for your home, office, or municipal property. Call us today at 615-350-6033 or contact us online!