Keep Those Leaves!
As we transition into Autumn here in central Ohio, that means many things: shorter days, cooler temperatures, football season, pumpkin spice everything, and more specifically, fall foliage! Green, deciduous tree leaves start to turn into beautiful shades of orange, yellow, red, and more until they eventually fall off of the tree in an effort to conserve water and energy.
The Benefits of Winter Pruning
As winter settles into Ohio, the landscape takes on a whole new look. Leaves fall; temperatures drop, and deciduous trees enter their natural dormant period, slowing their growth and conserving energy until spring returns. But just because a tree looks quiet and bare doesn’t mean there’s nothing happening.
My Quest to Make the Best Sumacade
It took four tries to get my Sumacade beverage to the point that it was amazing, so I write this article as a public service announcement in the hopes that you can enjoy this drink the way I do now on your first attempt.
Retaining Trees to Support Wildlife
Time will inevitably take its course in degrading the wood, but there are also methods to expedite the process. Replicating years of natural decay can be accomplished easily through various methods of cutting and drilling, processes already familiar to an experienced arborist, while utilizing the same daily tools.
Native vs Invasive vs Exotic Tree Species
The major disadvantage of invasive trees is that they reduce biodiversity. When an invasive species takes over an area, it can replace native plants due to winning the competition for space. This can throw the native food web out of whack and change habitats and food that local wildlife depend on.
White Pine Weevil
Female white pine weevils use their comically long snout to chew holes just below the terminal bud. They then drink the tree's sugary phloem and lay 1-4 eggs in the resulting feeding holes. Several females may infest a single terminal leader, resulting in hundreds of weevil larvae chowing down on the tree's precious vascular system.
Tree Spotlight: The Ohio Buckeye
The Ohio buckeye (Aesculus glabra) is one of the most recognizable trees in the Midwest. It is an Ohio native but also grows naturally throughout the Midwest and as far south as Texas. Ohio Buckeye is incredibly hardy and urban-tolerant and is considered a medium-sized tree, typically reaching heights of 30 to 40 feet, although exceptional trees can grow considerably taller under favorable conditions, and I’ve seen a number of specimens much larger over the years.
Magnolia scale
Many homeowners first notice the symptoms before they ever see the insects. Sticky honeydew may accumulate on leaves, patio furniture, decks, vehicles, and other nearby surfaces. As honeydew builds up on foliage and branches, it promotes the growth of a black fungus known as sooty mold. Infested trees may also develop noticeable...
Three Tips When Tree Shopping
Buying a tree from a nursery is an investment that should provide beauty, shade, and environmental benefits for years to come. Unfortunately, many nursery-grown trees have hidden problems that are not visible at first glance...
How to Get Rid of Aphids!
Aphids are insects that feed on your tree by sucking nutrients from its leaves. They typically appear in early to mid-spring and may return in waves throughout the growing season until fall. Aphids can cause a variety of problems, so let's discuss four ways to treat them—three of which you can try yourself!
Anthracnose: Cause for Concern or no big deal?
Every year our arborists are called withconcerns that sycamore trees are losing their leaves and “dying.” The issue is a foliar fungal disease affecting sycamores, london planes, maples, dogwoods, and more. Is this diesase a big concern, or no big deal? Let’s take a closer look...
Poison Ivy: Removal Guide
Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) is a ubiquitous native plant across Ohio, thriving in every county from the urban fringes of Columbus to the rural hills of Hocking County. As a member of the cashew family, it grows as a low ground cover, upright shrub, or high climbing woody vine that uses hairy aerial roots to scale trees and fences.
Spotted Lanternfly: A Growing Concern
The spotted lanternfly is an invasive insect that is becoming a growing concern in Central Ohio. First discovered in Pennsylvania in 2014, the pest has continued spreading into nearby states and threatens agriculture, forests, gardens, and neighborhoods throughout Ohio.
Emerald Ash Borer: Where We Stand Today
Growing up, ash trees dominated the woods surrounding my family’s property. They were among my favorite trees to climb, and the time I spent beneath their canopy helped inspire my passion for arboriculture. Over the years, however, watching those same trees decline because of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) transformed the issue from a distant ecological concern into something deeply personal.
A Sticky Situation: European Fruit Lecanium Scale
The tiny nymphs that overwintered on some of our landscape trees are actively sucking up delicious phloem with their little straws and releasing their sticky waste.
Why Leaves Turn Yellow (and how to fix it!)
At first glance, chlorotic foliage might seem like a minor cosmetic issue, but it’s actually a signal that the tree is struggling to produce enough chlorophyll. Without sufficient chlorophyll, the tree can’t efficiently photosynthesize, which limits energy production and affects nearly every aspect of its health.
Arbor Day 2026
There’s a common saying that I’ve heard multiple variations of that goes somewhere along the lines of “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is today.” Although it might be a cliche, I do believe it to be a true and valuable statement.
Oh, Dear! No Deer! Tips for Preventing Deer Damage
If you garden in central Ohio, you already know—you’re not the only one enjoying your landscape. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and a whole cast of furry visitors are right there with you, sampling the menu you’ve worked so hard to grow.
The 40 Weeks of Flowers Challenge
After years of working at a garden center and spending most of my paychecks on plants there, I was feeling proud of my landscape. By my estimation, something was flowering at my house from Easter all the way through Thanksgiving, sometimes even longer.
The Invasive & Illegal Callery Pear
Something that might not be so obvious is that the callery pear is an invasive species that is illegal in Ohio! The punishment for owning a callery pear tree is jail time. Okay, I’m kidding about jail, but not about it being illegal. As of 2023, it is no longer legal to sell or plant callery pear trees…