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How to Start Your Own Backyard Composting System

March 7, 2024October 3, 2012 by The Parke Company

It’s a beautiful time of year. The air is cool and crisp. Comfy, beautiful sweaters are making their way from the back of the closet. And leaves are changing colors all over the country. Beautiful shades of red, orange and yellow take the place of vibrant spring greens.

And then, those leaves fall to the ground.

It becomes quite a chore for homeowners to keep up with the falling leaves during fall and winter lawn care, but instead of bagging and sending them to the landfill. There is another option: composting.

Starting a backyard composting system is fairly easy and requires three basic ingredients: “browns,” “greens,” and water.

The “browns” in the composting recipe are those beautiful colorful (but dead) leaves, branches and twigs that have fallen from trees, shrubs, bushes. The “greens” in the mix refer to fresh grass clippings, fruit and vegetable peels and waste, and even coffee grounds.

Start a compost pile (or fill a bin) now with those three ingredients, turn and mix frequently, and you’ll have ready-to-use compost in as little as two months. You’re basically creating the food for the following season’s landscaping.

For more on starting your own composting system, what to use and what not to use, visit TreeHugger.com.

The Benefits of Fall Planting

March 7, 2024September 18, 2012 by The Parke Company

As the leaves begin to change colors and the winds shift and become cooler, that can only mean one thing: It’s time to plant!

Jason Underwood, Landscape Department Leader of The Parke Company, says that the fall weather creates the perfect conditions for planting.

“Weather conditions are cool and allow plants to establish roots in the new location before spring rains and summer heat stimulate new top growth,” Underwood says.

The top half of the trees slow their growth and, instead, the roots become the focus of growth.

“As tree shoot growth halts, the trees require less water because the days are cooler and shorter and the rate of photosynthesis decreases,” Underwood says. “Stable air temperatures also promote rapid root development. Soils stay warm well after the air temperature cools, also encouraging root growth. During shoot dormancy, trees grow to establish roots in new locations before warm weather stimulates top growth.”

Trees planted in the fall have time to establish a hardy root base and are better equipped to deal with heat and drought the following season.

But according to Underwood, fall planting is perfect for all species.

“Avoid planting broad leaved evergreens in the fall such as rhododendrons, azaleas, boxwoods and hollies,” he says. “If planted, provide them with protection from winter winds and have them treated with an anti-desiccant.”

Another good thing about fall planting: Fewer weeds, insects and other pests are present in the cooler fall temperatures, allowing for much-needed growth in plants and trees.

If you have questions about fall planting, leaf collection or tree care as the weather continues to cool, please contact us.

Do Your Trees Need to Be Trimmed?

March 7, 2024August 27, 2012 by The Parke Company

We see it all too often: Trees are added to landscape and then forgotten about. Sure, they get water with the rest of the yard. But when was the last time you maintained your trees from the top down? Here are 4 ways to know when you’re trees need to be trimmed:

Branches are drooping onto your roof. That’s never good. Trimming the branches from your roof will save you in roof repairs, prevent leaks and keep pests from having easy access to your home by traveling those branches.
Branches are close to power lines. This becomes a safety issue, and one that should be taken care of quickly. Before leaves and branches actually touch the power lines, trimming is vitally important.
Other plants, grasses aren’t thriving. If the grass, flowers and others plants in your landscaping aren’t thriving, it may be because they’re not getting adequate sunlight. Perhaps your trees are to blame. Trimming the trees in the form of crown thinning — allowing more natural sunlight to come through — can solve the problem.
Branches are growing too close to the ground. If you find yourself hitting your head when you mow the yard, the canopy of your trees may need to be raised. This trimming technique removes the lower branches of the tree to provide plenty of headroom and airflow underneath.

If your trees are in needs of service — from raising the canopy to thinning the crown — please contact us. We strive to maintain your trees so that you get many more years of enjoyment from them.

3 Ways to Save Water and Your Landscaping

September 25, 2025August 1, 2012 by The Parke Company

It’s hard a balance to strike sometimes: Watering your trees and landscaping while utilizing resources responsibly. With the summertime heat and drought restrictions in place for watering in many cities across the country, providing your plants with enough of the wet stuff can be a challenge.

There are creative ways to collect and use water, though, saving one of our most precious natural resources along the way. Consider the following:

Rain barrels. Rain barrels collect rain water as it falls from the sky and drips from the roof of your home. Not only do the barrels store water for future use, they also help decrease demand for local water resources during the hottest months of the year. Use of rain barrels can help save money and protect our water as a natural resource.
Rain gardens. A rain garden is a group of native perennial plants and soil arranged in such a way to absorb and best manage storm water runoff. These gardens catch pollutants and ensure that those pollutants and storm water runoff don’t interfere with or harm local water resources. Even the smallest of rain gardens can make a positive impact on our water supply.
Passive watering systems. A great example of a passive watering system is an underground drip system. Installed just below the ground (or underneath the mulch or stone in your landscaping), such a system delivers water directly to your plants’ roots, ensuring that every drop is used by your tree and plants, making evaporation minimal.

If you’d like to learn more about these watering methods or others which can help best care for your landscaping during these dry summer months, contact us. We’re happy to help.

5 Ways to Recycle Your Trees

March 7, 2024July 24, 2012 by The Parke Company

We recently blogged about the benefits of tree removal. Sometimes it’s simply a necessity. But then what? As we all try to do our part to reduce, reuse and recycle, sometimes what we need to do is upcycle. Take that downed tree, and do something decorative with it. Here are five ideas:

Mulch. Not every species of tree will make good mulch, but the ones that do will keep your tree in your very own yard, adding to the landscaping and beauty. After the Christmas holidays, many cities will accept Christmas trees, turning them into mulch to sell back to the community. Check your city government’s website for details.
Firewood. Again, not every tree will make ideal firewood. When we help with tree removal, we’re happy to help you determine what trees would make the best firewood for use in your home.
Coasters/trivets. If you’re feeling really crafty, you can slice small branches into coasters and larger branches into trivets for use in your kitchen and dining room. A simple stain or varnish and some felt on the bottom will help them last and protect your furniture.
Wildlife/bird habitat. Neighbors might not appreciate a random pile of branches in your front yard, but a couple of well places branches and tree trunks in the backyard might make an ideal environment for birds and wildlife.
Woodworking. Does your father-in-law dabble in woodworking like mine does? He can take an old, dried out tree branch and turn it into a beautiful window planter or birdhouse. Again, not all tree species are ideal for woodworking projects, but the right ones create beautiful projects.

If you have questions about tree removal or recycling — make that upcycling — your trees, feel free to give us a call. We’re always happy to help.