Mar 30, 2017 | Disease Control, Pest Control, Tree Care, Video
It’s spring, and delicate pink and white blossoms are appearing on many trees. Ah, the fragrance of a flowering cherry! Early spring is the time to prepare your trees for healthy growth this season. Get a head start on preventing pests and diseases on fruit...
Jan 31, 2017 | Community, Eco-friendly Gardening, Tree Care, Video
Cass Turnbull, author, tree defender and founder of PlantAmnesty, died on January 26 while vacationing in Hawaii. She suffered a fatal heart attack after a swim. Cass was 65. We share the shock and sadness of the rest of the Northwest gardening community at the loss...
Nov 17, 2016 | Disease Control, Recommended Plants, Tree Care
Phomopsis is a fungus that causes shoot blight and twig cankers. The disease is most common among junipers. Phomopsis may also affect other evergreen ornamentals and a few deciduous trees. This may include American and Oriental arborvitae, hinoki cypress, English yew,...
Oct 25, 2016 | Disease Control, Eco-friendly Gardening, Garden Care, Pest Control, Tree Care
Cleaning up your garden now will make your plants healthier next year. If you can prevent pests, diseases and weed seeds from overwintering, you’ll have a head start next year. And you’ll have less work to do if you can prevent problems before they start. Weeds,...
Oct 20, 2016 | Disease Control, Eco-friendly Gardening, Garden Care, Lawn Care, Tree Care
Fallen leaves are both a detriment to your lawn and a benefit to your garden beds. This is an important topic, so we are updating a blog post from last fall. Many trees provide a wondrous show in the fall, with leaves in hues of red, orange, brown and gold. But once...
Oct 10, 2016 | Garden Care, Tree Care
We are rerunning a post from last year about evergreen needle drop because this is something we hear about every year from clients. Sometimes clients ask our staff, “What’s wrong with my cedar (or pine or fir)?! It’s dropping its needles!” Most frequently, the...
Aug 9, 2016 | Garden Care, Pest Control, Tree Care, Watering
Our mild climate allows us to grow many different types of plants. But they won’t thrive unless they get the moisture that they need to survive. Water is essential for the health of all plants. Sometimes we can be lulled into thinking that the occasional rain that we...
Jul 14, 2016 | Eco-friendly Gardening, Garden Care, Tree Care
We love sea kelp. Sea kelp has been found to improve growth and color of plants and to enhance flowering in some species of plants. Sea kelp benefits plants because it: Contains trace elements that are deficient in most garden soils\ Supplies potassium, an essential...
Jul 7, 2016 | Garden Care, Tree Care
Summer is a great time to prune your trees and shrubs. The plants have gone through their big spring push. They are preparing for the summer heat and producing buds for next year’s spring growth. This spring has been as close to perfect growing conditions as we...
May 10, 2016 | Tree Care, Video
Have you planted a tree in your yard recently? New trees need regular water during the first few growing seasons to help them build strong, deep roots. Water bags, commonly known as Tree Gators, provide a convenient way to ensure that your young trees get slow, deep...
Feb 16, 2016 | Recommended Plants, Tree Care, Video
Do you like the idea of eating apples off your own tree? Perhaps you haven’t planted a tree because you have heard that our damp climate makes it challenging to grow apples. The good news is that you can successfully grow healthy, delicious apples in western...
Jan 5, 2016 | Disease Control, Garden Care, Tree Care
January and February are great months to prune your trees and shrubs. Woody plants are dormant, and deciduous trees and shrubs have lost their leaves, making it easy to see their shape. In Harmony has ISA Certified Arborists on staff. They are experts at selective...
Dec 1, 2015 | Eco-friendly Gardening, Landscape Design, Nature, Recommended Plants, Tree Care, Wildlife
At this time of year, many families bring evergreen trees into our homes. We decorate them with lights, ornaments and garland, and we savor their sweet fragrance. We even sing carols to them: “Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree! Thy leaves are so...
Nov 12, 2015 | Disease Control, Garden Care, Tree Care, Watering
Phytophthora is a soilborne pathogen that causes crown and root diseases in a number of western Washington plants. There are several species of Phytophthora. These organisms may infect fruit and nut trees, ornamental trees and shrubs, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant,...
Oct 15, 2015 | Disease Control, Eco-friendly Gardening, Garden Care, Lawn Care, Tree Care
After it rains, mushrooms may pop up in your lawn or garden beds. Don’t panic! Some of our clients are concerned when they see mushrooms sprouting in their yard. They want to know: Are they harmful to my children or pets? Are they associated with a soil disease?...