The Parke Company | The Parke Company

Storm Season Prep: Key Tree & Landscape Services

August 27, 2025February 27, 2024 by The Parke Company

Storm season is just a few weeks away for Nashville, and your landscape needs to be prepared for the unpredictable weather this season brings. Here are some of the services to keep in mind so you’re ready for whatever Mother Nature throws at your property.

Essential Tree and Landscape Services for Storm Season

Tree Removal

Trees pose the largest risk to your home and property during a storm. In Nashville, we’re no strangers to storm damage, but preparing each year can sometimes fall toward the bottom of our task list. Unfortunately, storm damage from spring and summer storms isn’t something we can just overlook. Each year, damage from tornadoes, floods, and thunderstorms, does millions of dollars in damage to public and private property in and around Nashville.

While we often treat storms as unpredictable forces of nature, that’s not entirely true. We can predict when they’re at their worst, and we can get ready for it by removing trees that pose issues to our property. Having a certified arborist perform an inspection of your property now can keep severe damage from happening when the storm season does begin. Hidden signs of rot or decay in a tree aren’t always easy to see, especially to the untrained eye. An arborist can perform storm-ready tree service, removing trees and limbs that are at risk of falling. When you compare the cost of tree service to that of emergency removal and waiting for insurance payouts after storm damage, you can save a lot by being prepared.

Before you consider attempting tree removal yourself to prevent storm damage to your trees, don’t get in over your head. The DIY approach can work, but tree removal is dangerous. At The Parke Company, we are fully insured and qualified to remove trees and have the proper equipment to do it efficiently (and more importantly, safely). Tree removal doesn’t need to be costly or stressful, so let us give you a free consultation and estimate. Removing trees from your property can be difficult, whether they have sentimental value or simply enrich your landscaping, and we respect that. But sometimes, it simply needs to be done for safety, and that is always more important than aesthetics.

Tree and Bush Pruning

Sometimes, a whole tree doesn’t need to be removed to prevent storm damage. In these cases, a little pruning might be all you need to ensure your property is ready. So, how do you prepare a tree for a storm? Pruning is an important way to extend a tree’s lifespan and prevent rot, disease, or pests. Pruning is another task, like tree removal, that is more difficult than you might think. Simply removing branches from a tree or shrub without properly cutting the branch can leave the tree vulnerable to further damage.

Trees and bushes are living organisms, and cuts must be made in a particular way to ensure that they heal properly. The season also matters, as pruning a tree during the wrong time of year can leave it lagging behind its peers as it attempts to heal from the pruning and grow its roots and leaves. The best time of year to prune is in the winter. Since trees are dormant, they can devote their energy and resources exclusively to healing the wound. This helps a tree reach a healthier stage quickly, rather than committing half its time to healing and risking disease and pest infestations. When spring storms do roll through our area, well-pruned trees are less likely to drop branches, as any unhealthy sections of the tree were already removed. Arborists at The Parke Company are extremely skilled at assessing your trees’ overall health and ensuring that they’re prepared for storm season. Rest easy knowing that your trees are prepared for wind and rain this spring by pruning now.

Mulching and Drainage Enhancements

One very overlooked part of any yard is drainage. It’s not something we generally notice as a problem until it’s too late. Storm landscape preparations should absolutely include an assessment of your property’s water readiness. Nashville spring rainfall can really add up, and if it’s allowed to accumulate in low-lying areas, it can lead to issues for your lawn. Pooling water can oversaturate the ground, leading to fungal growth and damage to the vegetation from too much water. Grass can die, and trees can become over-watered. It can also weaken root systems by softening the ground and causing rot that occurs below the soil. So besides adding topsoil to your lawn to ensure the flow of water away from your home, what else can you do with drainage? Installing eco-friendly rain barrels is an excellent way to turn lemons into lemonade, catching that spring rain to use later in the year as summer dryness sets in.

Options for rainwater harvesting include additions to your home’s existing gutter system or other free-standing basins. A dry well is another effective way to catch a great deal of water and keep it from harming your landscaping. When used in tandem with other drainage methods like a French drain or yard drains, these can be effective repositories for high volumes of rainwater. Another benefit to removing standing water from your property is pest control. Keeping your yard properly hydrated and free of standing water is an effective way to curb the mosquito population, which is something we desperately need each summer.

Running water from torrential rain can expose roots or even uproot smaller plants too, so ensuring that your property is graded correctly is crucial when heavy rain is in the future. The best way to prevent damage to your plants and their roots from a lot of flowing water is by ensuring that garden beds are mulched. Mulch is an effective way to combat soil erosion and protect smaller plants and roots. It’s never too late to add mulch to your landscaping, and it has other great effects on your plants throughout the year, including temperature regulation and water retention in the dry summer months.

Weather the Storm Season With The Parke Company

It’s important to be proactive with tree and landscape maintenance in preparation for Nashville’s nasty storm season. To work with local professionals to ensure you’re ready for anything that might come this spring, give us a call at The Parke Company today.

Signs Your Trees Need Expert Care

January 17, 2025February 8, 2024 by The Parke Company

Trees have many ways of telling us that something is wrong, but most of their warning signs are subtle. Here are eight signs that your trees need professional attention and what these signs might mean for your trees’ health.

Eight Signs Your Trees Need Professional Attention

1. Your Trees Aren’t Growing or Are Growing Asymmetrically

When you first plant a tree from a sapling, you might be surprised to notice it’s not growing all that quickly. With transplanted trees, this is a common occurrence, and it’s usually not a problem. Young trees take about three slow years to really hit their stride, and a common saying in tree service is, “The first year it sleeps, the second year it creeps, and the third year it leaps.” While this generally applies to perennials, it’s also true for most deciduous trees (meaning they grow and shed their leaves each year). You should notice some activity from new trees. With older trees, growth should be fairly uniform, meaning the tree grows fully and evenly on both sides. Common issues that can cause asymmetry in a growing tree include improper sunlight and internal diseases. If you notice that your tree isn’t growing quite right, it always pays to contact a professional for a consultation.

2. You Notice Discoloration on the Leaves or Bark

Trees can be good at hiding their issues, but some signs of disease and decay are pretty easy to notice. Discoloration on the leaves or bark of your tree can indicate a number of issues, like inadequate water or disease. When disease or malnutrition goes unchecked, tree removal may be your only course of action. That’s why it’s important to act quickly if you notice the leaves are discoloring out of season or the bark develops patches. Fungal diseases are usually the cause of this discoloration, but only a skilled arborist will be able to know for certain.

3. Bark Is Missing or Peeling

After discoloration in the bark, the next step in a diseased tree is for the bark to fall off or begin to peel from the tree. Missing or peeling bark isn’t only a sign of disease, though. Pests like the emerald ash borer (EAB) can quickly cause a tree to shed its bark. Other causes of rapid bark loss include heat shock and animal activity. In some trees, bark loss is a natural part of a tree’s life cycle, but it’s hard to distinguish between normal and disease if you can’t see evidence of insect activity. In the case of emerald ash borer activity, that’s a sure sign that a tree needs to be cut down. The only effective way to save other trees is immediate action in the case of these highly invasive insects.

4. You See Fungal Growth on the Trunk or Branches

Fungal growth is not always obvious; in fact, it often manifests as subtle discoloration or other minute changes in a tree. But in some cases, the fungus can be visible on the trunk, leaves, or branches. Visible rot or fungal growth that looks like mushrooms or black tumor-like masses are all possible. If you see these, don’t hesitate to contact the experts at The Parke Company. If you’re concerned about how much it costs to remove a tree, don’t panic. We offer a free consultation and estimate to ensure you know exactly what to expect from the process.

5. Your Tree Is Leaning Heavily

A tree should grow fairly straight, but in nature, that doesn’t always happen. While it might not necessarily be a sign of disease in your tree, a slanted tree could pose a risk to the safety of your property or that of your neighbors. How can you tell if a tree needs to be cut down when it’s leaning? Leaning trees are far more dangerous than trees with a more uniform structure. They are more susceptible to wind damage and are at a higher risk of uprooting. A tree of any size can cause significant damage to property and people, so it’s never a good idea to leave a leaning tree to chance.

6. The Branches Have Deadwood

Falling branches and limbs are a sure sign that a tree isn’t doing great. While some small branches are expected to shed as a tree grows, it shouldn’t be a daily thing. If you’re noticing more downed branches in your yard all of a sudden, it’s time to reach out to an arborist for advice. At The Parke Company, we have decades of combined tree care experience and the skills to properly treat or remove a tree.

7. Leaves Are Falling Quickly or Unexpectedly

A sudden, out-of-season shedding of leaves is one of the leading signs that a tree needs to be removed from your property. While deciduous trees are meant to lose their leaves every fall, when it happens in the spring or summer, you should be concerned. Don’t overlook this unsightly change, as it’s a tree’s clearest signal that something is very wrong.

8. There Is Visible Damage to the Tree From Weather Events

Storm damage is one of the biggest causes of disease in trees. Each damaged limb is an open wound that can allow pests and diseases to find a direct route into the tree’s internal workings. Even the healthiest tree is susceptible to damage if it’s exceptionally windy or if there’s ice or heavy snow. While some fallen branches after a bad thunderstorm are to be expected, it’s important to monitor the health of your tree after such an event. Moisture and damage can combine to host a variety of fungal infections. Excessive damage after a storm might also mean the tree is weak. If your tree is more damaged than the others around it after a storm, it might be a sign that there’s something wrong with it. Consulting with a licensed arborist after a storm is the best way to ensure you’re taking care of your trees.

Time for a Tree Check-Up? Call The Parke Company

When your trees are showing signs of damage, an arborist consultation is a must. Protect the safety of your property and the trees on it; reach out to the pros at The Parke Company at the first sign of trouble in your trees.

Tree Pruning vs. Tree Removal: Making the Right Decision

September 11, 2024January 28, 2024 by The Parke Company

When it comes to tree care and finding the right tree service provider to handle your tree care, you need to do your research. Knowing whether you need tree pruning or tree removal is not always easy, so here are some tips to make the right decision for your property.

Assessing the Situation

Whether you’re keeping a close eye on each tree on your property or just noticed that one isn’t as full of leaves as its neighbors, visual inspections are a must for keeping your trees healthy. There are a lot of signs to look for to determine if something is going wrong, and if it is, tree pruning or removal might be necessary.

What are the biggest warning signs that you can see on your own? In the spring and summer, a lack of leaves is a sign that a tree is in trouble. Whether the tree is actively dropping leaves or simply not growing as many as other trees around it, you’ve got a clear indication that something is wrong. Another surefire sign of an issue in a tree is the presence of fungus. Mushrooms growing from the trunk are a good indicator that something is wrong, but there are countless other kinds of fungal infections that manifest in other ways. Gray powder on leaves can be a sign of a fungal infection called powdery mildew. Other types of fungal infections cause issues like root rot, heart rot, and soft rot. Trees are highly susceptiblFinding the Right Tree Service Providere to fungus because it feeds on the main structure of the tree, its bark, and its foliage. As the fungus feeds, it spreads and can quickly cripple a healthy tree. Unless you’re a trained arborist, you probably won’t be able to see some of the more subtle warning signs that a tree is unhealthy, so it’s important to get help. At The Parke Company, we have multiple certified arborists with decades of experience between them on staff, ensuring you get the best service possible.

Tree issues like fungal infections don’t just happen out of the blue. Your trees’ health depends on you noticing things like standing water or damaged limbs. A broken branch is like a cut on our bodies, and if left untreated, it can allow infection in the forms of fungus and pests into the tree. Working with a tree pruning service is an excellent way to prevent limbs from breaking by proactively and safely removing limbs susceptible to decay. This keeps your tree healthy and your property safe from fallen limbs.

Tree Pruning vs. Removal

So, do trees really need pruning? And when is tree removal the right call? While we’ve discussed tree pruning as the preferable option to tree removal, there are situations when removal is just the right call. As a general rule of thumb, it’s best to think of your trees as a part of a bigger picture. There are scenarios where it may be best to remove a tree from the micro-ecosystem that is your yard. Unhealthy and dead trees can spread disease and pests to nearby healthy trees and cause damage to the surrounding plants and structures on your property. Fortunately, there are many things that a certified arborist can do to help your tree before it comes down to removing it. The best way to prevent things from escalating to total removal is to be proactive. As part of your yard’s landscaping maintenance, explore what options are available for tree inventory and assessment. Having an arborist inspect your property on a yearly basis can catch issues when they’re treatable, thus preventing a larger project. Tree pruning services are much less expensive than the cost of tree removal, so it’s wise from a budgetary standpoint to have your trees inspected.

Finding the Right Tree Service Provider

It might be tempting to try pruning trees on your own, but there are a few reasons why you should leave this to the experts. The biggest reason for letting an arborist prune your trees is personal and property safety. Tree pruning can be dangerous without the proper tools and training, especially when the pruning is high in a tree’s canopy. People have died attempting to remove branches on their own, even if they aren’t particularly large or high up. The dangers of tree removal and pruning are real, and they should be taken seriously. Arborists have years of experience and tried and true methods for safely conducting pruning and removal. This benefits you and your property, keeping you and your home safe from the risks associated with falling limbs.

Another reason for letting the experts handle the pruning is less obvious. While pruning a tree can prevent it from becoming unhealthy, doing it wrong can actually cause further harm. If you don’t properly cut a limb off (or perhaps cut a healthy limb that doesn’t need to be removed) you’re wounding the tree. Even in the hands of a pro, pruning does damage a tree. Arborists know how to minimize that damage, and they know the proper cuts to ensure that the tree isn’t susceptible to infection as it heals. Their knowledge also helps them determine the proper weather for removing a limb, and there’s no better time to prune than in the winter. This is because the tree is resting and can commit more energy and nutrients to healing the wound. Pruning in the summer or spring, when new leaves and fruit are growing, splits the tree’s available resources between each important activity. This can cause the tree to grow slower or heal slower.

The Parke Company has been servicing trees in Nashville for decades, and we’re ready to help you with your property. Since it’s hard to determine whether you need to prune or remove a tree on your own, let us perform an inspection for you. Even if you don’t notice any visible signs of distress in your trees, that doesn’t mean there isn’t something going wrong. With the expertise that comes with being a tree removal professional, arborists can see past the obvious.

Finding the Right Tree Service Provider

The arborists at The Parke Company are your best bet for healthy trees this year. Give us a call today for a free consultation and estimate for whatever tree services you may need.

How to Create a Landscaping Budget for the New Year

August 27, 2025January 9, 2024 by The Parke Company

Cobblestones being laid on a sandy path next to green grass.

The New Year is here! That means it’s time to review your landscaping budget to ensure you and your lawn are ready for spring. Here are some of our best tips for getting an accurate budget for your landscaping projects this year.

Tips for Getting an Accurate Budget for Your Landscaping Projects

Assess Upkeep Needs

A good landscape needs regular maintenance, and the associated costs with that upkeep are the first things you need to consider when you create a landscape budget. Any budget must start with the bare necessities, so consider things like lawn mowing costs, irrigation maintenance, spring and fall cleanup, and all other associated costs to keep your lawn looking its best year-round.

So, how much does this all cost in 2024? You can do different budgeting levels for your lawn and garden this year, and these different levels come with different features. A $2,000 landscaping budget is a comfortable maintenance budget in the Nashville area according to national and local publications. Setting aside $2,000 for landscaping this year will enable homeowners to afford regular maintenance like lawn mowing, leaf blowing, storm cleanup, and garden bed maintenance. Re-mulching garden beds and around trees, as well as pruning and light tree trimming, should all be on the agenda as well.

Note that your lawn’s size and the complexity of your needs can raise this price. Lawn care professionals can work all year long in Nashville, ensuring that your lawn is well-groomed no matter the season. The expert landscapers at The Parke Company have decades of experience in maintaining Nashville lawns, and we offer maintenance plans that can work with your budget.

If you’re looking for some budget landscaping ideas, try DIY. If you’re able to perform some upkeep yourself, like mowing the lawn, you can cut back on your out-of-pocket costs. While pruning and trimming trees and maintaining irrigation should be left to the professionals to avoid costly mistakes, you can take care of some tasks on your own. Nobody likes leaf and stick cleanup in the fall and winter, so we certainly don’t blame you for budgeting that and having us cover it!

Research Your Additions

There’s never a bad time to expand your landscaping, and with prices stabilizing in 2024, it’s looking more affordable than it’s been the last two seasons. While things are still pricier than they were just a few years ago, you’re going to want to consider upping your budget to stretch your dollar further this year.

A $5,000 landscaping budget can allow for some additions to your landscaping ranging from the inexpensive to the relatively extravagant. One awesome addition to any Nashville lawn this year is an irrigation system. Depending on the size of your property, lawn irrigation can be an effective way to keep your lawn looking greener and fuller without breaking the bank. Moderate to large irrigation installation projects can fall in the range of $3,500, so if your lawn isn’t massive, it might be reasonable at that price. If your lawn is only about a quarter acre, expect to pay around $2,000 (conservatively). An irrigation system is an excellent addition to your lawn and a worthwhile investment for most. Healthier grass is easier to mow safely, you’ll prevent browning during droughts, and you can even take care of watering flowers, trees, and bushes automatically. With the right system in place, you can conserve water/energy, save time, and cut maintenance costs over the long term.

Other popular landscaping additions include new garden beds with mulch or topsoil, planting new trees, shrubbery, and flowers, and more eco-friendly options like compost bins and water cisterns. No matter what you do for your lawn this year, know that the professionals at The Parke Company are ready to help. With our free consultations and estimates, you’ll know whether you’re budgeting enough for lawn care and landscaping in 2024.

Maximize Aesthetics

The biggest way to make your lawn incredible in 2024 is to go all out. Setting a large budget for your landscaping is a great way to invest in your property for the short and long term. Whether improving curb appeal in a fixer-upper home or simply making your house feel more like a home, big changes to your lawn can be incredibly impactful.

Tree removal services are a great way to remove unsightly or old trees from your property and can greatly improve the safety of your home as well. Large trees, even if they look healthy, can pose a lot of risk to your property and your family during storm season in Nashville. Tornadoes can be devastating, and removing trees safely before they have the chance to fall can save you a lot of money and headaches. Tree removal is not cheap, but it can be great for aesthetic purposes and the security of your property. Having money in your landscaping budget for tree removal is something you should definitely consider in 2024 if you foresee tree troubles.

Other, pricier landscaping options include abundant hardscapes, a fancy name for the man-made additions that bring a yard together. From paved walkways to pergolas, fire pits, and garden arches, hardscapes are a great way to enhance natural beauty with constructed decor. Many hardscaping jobs are costly, so if you’re including them in your budget, be sure to research how much things cost well in advance. In the end, no matter what you opt for to enhance your landscaping in 2024, you’re going to be happy you budgeted for it early on. Not everyone can splurge on huge landscaping changes this year, but there are options to beautify your lawn to suit any price point. Many maintenance plans come with monthly payment options to spread out costs evenly throughout the year, and you’ll reap the rewards of having to do less of the undesirable yard work. You can still flex your green thumb, but let us handle the piles of leaves.

Start Landscape Budgeting Now

2024 is underway, so if your budget needs extra guidance, The Parke Company can help. Give us a call today to talk with one of our experts and schedule a free consultation and estimate for the services you need in the new year.

Color in the Cold: What Can You Plant in Your Landscape This Winter?

November 22, 2024December 23, 2023 by The Parke Company

Winter is not a season we associate with gardening, even in Tennessee where winters can be relatively mild. But just because it’s harder to find plants for your landscape this winter doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Read on to learn about some of the cold weather options you can plant today.

Plants and Flowers You Can Plant in the Winter

Violas and Pansies

Finding hardy flowers and plants that actually stay green in the winter, and in many cases bloom with flowers, is easier than you think. While you don’t often see colorful winter landscaping, it’s not due to a lack of options. Instead, most people just don’t think to try to grow flowers in the winter. But plants that grow in winter are out there, especially in a milder area like Nashville. Violas and pansies are two colorful floral options that can blossom in the colder months of the year, giving your yard a much needed pop of color.

Pansies start blooming in the summer and extend all the way through winter. In milder climates, which Nashville is known for, pansies can be vibrant through the fall and into winter. These flowers have relatively wide spread, making them perfect ground cover to fill out an otherwise mostly empty flower bed. While they don’t need as much watering in the winter, they do require sunlight and some moisture if things stay too dry.

Violas are another great winter bloomer, usually flowering in the late winter. Close relatives to the pansy, these flowers are colorful and vibrant, and are a welcome sight poking through the snow. They’re a great indicator that winter is coming to a close, and provide a great deal of color when other plants haven’t even started waking up.

Snowdrops and Hellebores

What plants can survive the cold winter better than one literally named “snowdrops?” Snowdrops get their name for their distinctive white color, and dramatic, drooping bud. Planted in the late fall, these beautiful flowers crop up in the late winter and early spring. Like violas and pansies, these can begin blooming while snow is still on the ground, and they’re sure to liven things up in your yard. Unlike violas and pansies, snowdrops are perennial flowers. This means that once you plant a bulb, you can expect it to bloom each and every year as long as it’s well-maintained. These flowers don’t require a great deal of sunlight and can grow in the shade of bushes and other plants, only making them stronger contenders for the best winter flower.

Another perennial, the hellebore is a type of rose that also grows in cold weather. Also called lenten roses, hellebores can be planted in the fall, and bloom as early as February here. Unlike snowdrops, hellebores vary in color, from vibrant pinks and purples to paler, richer shades, and other colors like yellow and red. One variety of hellebores is commonly referred to as the Christmas Rose, for its unusual December blooms. Perennials are a great option for providing lasting winter color to your landscape, and these two really shine in our area.

Evergreens and Deciduous Trees

Deciduous trees are dormant in the winter as they’ve shed their leaves, focusing instead on reserving nutrients and expanding growth to the roots and trunk. But the best time of year to plant deciduous trees is actually in the fall and winter. As long as the ground isn’t frozen, these trees should be planted when the weather is cool and their leaves aren’t growing. This gives the newly transplanted tree more energy to focus on establishing a healthy root system, as resources are limited in the cold.

What other landscaping plants grow in winter? Evergreen trees are of course an excellent source of color in the dreary winter for your landscaping. Aptly named, these trees remain green all year round, and can even sport colorful “berries” or vibrant pinecones, which act as their seeds. Common evergreens include spruces, cypresses, and junipers, though there are even more options beyond these. Each of these groups of evergreen trees are considered coniferous, which means they bear needles and cones rather than leaves and seeds. Many juniper trees have “berries,” which can supplement the vibrant and dark green their needles already provide. Though they’re referred to as berries colloquially, they actually are cones. These are the female seeds of the plant, and just happen to resemble berries in texture and appearance. Juniper berries closely resemble blueberries in shape and color, but are generally a bit smaller than what you’ll find in the produce aisle of your grocery store. While juniper berries aren’t technically fruit, they can be used in baking and distilling alcohol. Junipers provide a practical use along with an aesthetic boost to any winter landscape.

Evergreens aren’t the only plants that can provide color in your landscaping. Winterberry holly is a type of deciduous shrub that grows natively in Tennessee. Unlike evergreens, the holly does drop its leaves, but not before putting on a wonderful autumn display of reds and deep purples. Once winter sets in, the holly grows a dazzling display of vibrant red berries that complement evergreens and grow alongside them very well.

Planting With the Pros This Winter

Worried about making the right decisions when it comes to planting flowers, shrubs, and trees that grow in the winter? Winter landscaping services in your area are more affordable than you might think. The Parke Company has decades of experience working in the Nashville area, and that experience will work to your benefit. We can handle the planning, and the planting of your winter landscaping this year, so you can enjoy all the wintry colors without getting your hands dirty.

If you’re ready to learn more about how The Parke Company can help, give us a call today. We provide free consultations and estimates, and we’re confident we can make your winter landscaping dreams a reality this holiday season.