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Summertime Tree Planting

March 7, 2024June 22, 2012 by The Parke Company

The summer months are perfect for many things: Enjoying time at the beach. Sleeping late when school is out. Eating a snow cone before it has time to melt. But the summer months are not good for adding new trees and plants to your landscaping.

The extremes of summer — heat, drought, longer days of sun exposure — make this time of year the worst time to plant. It can be difficult to keep the soil around the tree consistently damp enough to properly feed and nourish a tree when planted this time of year. A tree planted this time of year can become stress, susceptible to pests and disease.

There are certain species of trees that can survive and even thrive when planted properly during the summer months. If you must plant during the extremes of summertime, we’re here to help. We’ll take the time and care to:

Help you pick out the right tree for your yard, considering the life expectancy of the tree, the full size of the mature tree, and how the tree complements your current landscaping.
Prepare the tree hole, measuring for the root ball and taking into considering the root growth as it will apply to your home’s foundation and the rest of your landscaping.
Educate you about tree care. Once the tree goes into the ground, the work isn’t over yet. You’ll need to mulch, keep grass away (it competes with your tree for water and nutrients), and feed and tend to your tree correctly.

4 Questions to Ask When Hiring a Tree Service Company

March 7, 2024June 9, 2012 by The Parke Company

When disaster strikes in the form of damaging spring and summertime weather, it seems that fly-by-night businesses try to make a buck on the misfortune. All too often, our news hours following a storm are filled with stories of roof-repair and tree-service companies that take way too much money from customers and never deliver a service. People like that give all the businesses in their industry a bad name.

But if need such services — like hiring a reputable company to clear trees from your yard following a storm — there are certain qualities and qualifications you should look for. Before hiring a service company, consider the following:

How long have they been in business? You probably want to do business with a company that is established and trusted in your community. The Parke Company and Tree Service of Nashville have served our area for more than 20 years. We’re not going anywhere soon.
Is the company insured? If there is unintentional damage to your property or if someone is hurt on the job, is it your responsibility or theirs? Make sure they are bonded and insured as necessary.
Are they members of organizations and groups that keep them at the leading edge of their industry? For example: The Parke Company and Tree Service of Nashville are certified members of the International Society of Arboriculture.
What would your friends say about the business? Getting a reference or referral in these days of social media is incredibly fast and easy. Ask your friends on Facebook and Twitter for recommendations. Search sites like yelp.com and the Better Business Bureau for information on a business before hiring them. Reviews, referrals and recommendations are more valuable than any amount of advertising a company can do.

If you have any questions about Tree Service of Nashville’s qualifications or services, please feel free to contact us. We’re happy to discuss your needs with you.

Mild Winter, Early Summer Bring Disease, Pests to Trees

March 7, 2024May 28, 2012 by The Parke Company

Some parts of the country celebrated a mild winter while others are already experiencing the unrelenting heat of an early summer. Spring seems to have gotten lost somewhere in between.

With these seasonal extremes, it’s possible that trees can experience stress. Stress for trees can come in the form of too little or too much sunlight or water, or an imbalance in nutrients. When trees are under such stress, they are more susceptible to common tree diseases and pests.

So how do you know if your trees are fighting disease or pests?

Look for visible changes in the leaves, branches and roots. When there are changes, you’ll notice. For example: When roots that are normally gray or light brown look black, this may indicate the presence of root-rotting organisms or overly saturated soil.

Leaves may turn brown and fall before their time. Boring bugs and caterpillars may show up in great numbers. Branches may show signs of fungus in dark spots.

When you see these signs of stress, disease and pests, it may be time to call a professional. Contact us for a free visit to assess your trees and landscape. We can provide a free estimate of services so that your trees are disease- and pest-free.

Middle Tennessee’s Favorite Trees

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

Middle Tennessee is in Plant Hardiness Zone 7. If you’re not familiar with the Arbor Day Foundation’s Plant Hardiness Zones, think of it as a horoscope for your plants and trees. Based on annual average high and low temperatures, the zones give an indication of what plants and trees will grow best, and where. A tree that is best suited for growth in Northern Montana probably won’t do as well if planted in Southern Arizona.

If you’re looking for trees to add to your landscaping, here are five of the most popular trees in Middle Tennessee which are also best-suited for growing here:

Prairifire Flowering Crabapple. The Prairifire Flowering Crabapple adds color to your landscape with bright red flowers and red leaves that mature to a deep, dark green. This fairly short, ornamental tree is friendly to birds and wildlife.
Red Dogwood. The Red Dogwood blooms with red flowers in the spring and displays dark reddish-purple leaves in the fall. Its red berries are a favorite for songbirds.
White Fir. The White Fir is drought-tolerant, good for Middle Tennessee’s sometimes unpredictable rain fall. This tree has light-colored bark with silvery blue-green needles and grows up to 50 feet tall.
Saucer Magnolia. The Saucer Magnolia is aptly named with its large, saucer-shaped flowers that fade from pink/purple on the edge to white in the middle. It’s a fairly fast-growing tree and can top out at 30 feet tall.
Giant Sequoia. The Giant Sequoia is a strikingly majestic columnar evergreen tree. It produces bluish-green needles with reddish-brown cones. Able to grow and thrive in a variety of soils, the Giant Sequoia can reach up to 200 feet in the air and 25 feet wide.

Contact us if you have questions about adding some of Middle Tennessee’s favorite and best-growing trees to your landscape. The birds and wildlife in your neighborhood will be glad you did!

Common Types of Tree Service

March 7, 2024May 12, 2012 by The Parke Company

Happiness is sharing a bowl of cherries and a book of poetry with a shade tree. –Terri Guillemets

Many homeowners look at the majestic shade tree in the backyard and think that it’s just fine the way it is, that Mother Nature is doing her job and taking good care of it. For many trees, that is the case; but for some trees, a little human intervention is necessary.

Trees can need many different types of care services. As trees grow and mature, there are a few things that can be done to extend their lives and allow your family to enjoy their beauty and shade for years to come. For instance:

Crown thinning is the removal of select branches and limbs which allows for more sunlight and increased airflow. It also reduces weight and bulk in highly stressed areas of the tree.
If you’ve hit your head on a tree branch when mowing the yard or playing fetch with the dog recently, it might be time for canopy raising. Raising the canopy of the tree is simply the removal of the lower layer of limbs to allow for plenty of head room, all while maintaining a beautifully symmetrical and healthy tree.
Have you ever gotten pins or rods implanted in your bones or joints during surgery? A similar type of bolting can be used to ensure the health of your trees. When bolting a tree, threaded steel is installed in weak, cracked or splitting joints to add stability and years to a tree’s life.

Relaxing in its shade may seem like all that a tree needs to live a full and healthy life, but when your trees need a little more than that, we can provide these services and many others. Contact us to learn more about the types of services we can provide to care for your trees.