'Flasher' daylily Le jardinet
Design ideas for a landscaping in Seattle.

Example of a mountain style stone patio design in San Francisco with no cover

photography by Anice Hoachlander
Bathroom - large contemporary master gray tile gray floor bathroom idea in DC Metro with flat-panel cabinets, beige cabinets, gray walls and quartz countertops

Ornate bedroom photo in Dallas with white walls

The client had a tiny backyard with a strong slope, and a need for privacy. Our solution: create a level terrace and plant a simple hedge of native trees that will be clipped similarly to street trees in Paris.

An elegantly landscaped estate was designed to frame views, offer tranquility, and provide numerous spaces with a variety of experiences. Long, meandering bluestone paths interconnect formal garden spaces with natural woodlands. World-famous bronze sculpture provides personality to an otherwise pastoral place. Groundcovers of Pachysandra, Hosta, and Heuchera are planted en masse to firmly shape garden spaces. A stone wall retains the generous main bluestone terrace. Though it resides a half-mile from the water, the home is positioned perfectly to provide a captivating view of Lake Minnetonka. Over many years the evolution of this home and landscape has earned Windsor Companies numerous design awards from the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association and the American Society of Landscape Architects. Photos by Paul Crosby

The garden was designed to be enjoyed from ground level and from the balcony above --- with an eyeful of joyous color that suits the client's personality to a tee. Plantings include lots of roses from her "favorite roses" list, with perennials and a few annuals to knit it all together. It can be very challenging to make a collection of plants into a cohesive and delightful garden --- and the strong structure of this garden does just that!

A stone retaining wall supports the upper and lower plantings for this front entry.
Inspiration for a traditional backyard landscaping in New York for summer.

Asian/Contemporary master bath with a "Zen" feel. River rocks line the shower floor and textured tile with glass accents create a tranquil feeling.

double hollyhock flowers
Inspiration for a landscaping in Phoenix.

www.nicholasgingold.com
This is an example of a large traditional landscaping in Orange County.

Design ideas for a landscaping in Other.

This is an example of a contemporary landscaping in Orange County.

Design ideas for a contemporary landscaping in Charlotte.

Inspiration for a transitional bedroom remodel in Austin

Effectively maintaining your landscape and trees take a good amount of time and effort. Often, homeowners will delay trimming or pruning their trees out of laziness or simply because they don’t know how to correctly care of their trees. But, you should know that tree trimming should be at the top of your to-do list for many reasons. Pruning, proper maintenance, and fertilization are all critical if you want the trees in your yard to thrive to grow strong. For homeowners that are unable to handle the tasks on their own, our professional tree trimming service can help. Five Star Tree Services has put together a list of the top three reasons why you need to trim your trees on a regular basis. Healthier Trees Regular tree trimming will keep your trees in their best health while also promoting growth. Sometimes trees may have dead or broken branches, removing them prevents decay and can even prevent an infection from spreading. If you leave damaged or rotting branches on your tree, it can spread the condition to other parts of the tree or even to other trees in the area. When you prune your tree on a regular basis, it also promotes the growth of new leaves and branches. Reducing the thickness of the leaves and branches also opens up the inner part of the tree to the sun. Furthermore, air circulation is critical for a healthy tree and regular trimming ensures that your tree always has access to the fresh oxygen it needs to thrive. The healthier your tree is the better quality oxygen it will produce for the surrounding area. Improve Property Value Well-kept trees greatly improve the aesthetics of your home. Decaying branches or trees that are overgrown are not only unsightly and dangerous, but they can also have a negative impact on the curb appeal of your house. If your house is on the market, seeing an unkempt yard with untrimmed trees can leave potential buyers with a negative perception of your property. Keeping your trees trimmed and neat show that you care about your home and how it looks. Work hard for your property and it will turn the best profit when you finally sell. Prevent Environmental Damage Tree branches that are rotting or weak pose a safety hazard to your home and your family. Dead limbs or even overburdened are more likely to fall off of the tree and strike your home. There have been plenty of reports of dead or overly heavy branches suddenly falling on people as well. Trees that grow close to power lines also pose a threat if they are not trimmed on a regular basis. Limbs can grow too high or too long causing them to brush against the power lines. This may trigger a fire or even a power outage. Sick trees with limbs that are diseased are more likely to cause the entire tree to tip over. This can cause damage to your home, vehicles, or even a person if they are unlucky. How Five Star Tree Services Can Help If you are not sure about how or when to trim your trees, Five Star Tree Services is here to help. We offer a wide range of Toronto Tree Trim Services and pruning services for both commercial and residential locations. Our passionate team of tree care experts will keep your property safe and ensure that your trees are beautiful and can continue to grow in a healthy state. Give us a call at (416) 990-3355 to find out more information about the services we offer.

During the summer, certain tree pests are particularly active and bent on the destruction of your beloved trees. Spider mites are one of these pests that like to make themselves at home all over your plants. Their only goal in life is to eat plant leaves. A great way to stop their destruction is being able to recognize the warning signs of their infestation. Once you have identified them, you can take care of them and put in precautions in order to keep them away and stop any future problems from them. We here at Five Star Tree Services have come up with ways that you can identify this pest and get rid of it before it’s too late for your precious plants. Some Info on Spider Mites You might have seen these little pests before but didn’t know what they were. They are these tiny creatures that are related to ticks and spiders. What They Look Like In order to see them properly, you will need to look at them through a magnifying glass. These little bugs come in a number of different patterns and colours. Being so incredibly small, they are roughly a millimeter at the most. For reverence, that’s about as thick as your credit card. Trying to look at them without a magnifying glass, all you might see are these tiny moving dots that might be brown, red, black, or yellow. Causes of Spider Mites Due to their shier tininess, these little invaders can waltz right into your gardens undetected. It’s even possible that you have bought a plant for a nursery or garden center that has had spider mites on them. They can even be brought into your garden by the wind. These little pests have the ability to spread very quickly due to their ability to eat a number of different plants. They are not very picky when it comes to eating your plants. They like outdoor and indoor plants, deciduous and evergreen, virtually nothing is safe from them. How To Tell You Have Spider Mites Spider mites prefer to cut and feed on the bottoms of tree leaves, however, the damage they do can be seen at the top of the leaf. Three key things to look for that indicate you have a spider mite infestations are: Yellowing or bronze look to your tree in one or many different areas (common with a big infestation) Silky webs that are woven around the leaves and stems Little yellow or white spots appearing at the top of the leaves/needles If you are suspicious that your plant has spider mites, one way to know for sure is holding a sheet of paper under an infected branch and shaking it. You will be able to see the little mites on the paper. Rid Your Plants of Spider Mites Whether it’s the summer or winter, follow these tips for treating spider mites. Summer: You can use a forceful water spray to knock them off of your tree. Once they are gone, periodically use your hose to rinse your trees for the season. Make sure to get the bottom of the leaves because this is where the mites like to live. Winter: This also includes any time before the buds come out in the spring. If your tree has spider mites, during this time, you will only see the eggs settled on the branches of your tree. Apply dormant oil to all the eggs before they hatch. It is also handy to know what natural predators eat spider mites. Certain rival insects such as lacewings and predator beetles will aid in getting rid of your pesky mites. Preventing Spider Mites Spider mites are most active during drought season. When trees are stressed, this is when they attack. If you are experiencing extended hot days and long dry periods, it is important to keep your trees hydrated. This means giving them at least an inch of water a week and making sure you have enough mulch around them. How Five Star Tree Service Can Help Spider mites are a pest. Catching them before they do any permanent damage is important. If using the dormant oil or spraying your tree with water doesn’t seem to be working, you can give us at Five Star Tree Services a call at (416) 990-3355 and we will come and help take care of them. Visit our website to see a full list of our available tree care services in Toronto!

One frustrating thing about tree infections and diseases is that they are virtually completely unpredictable. It is essential to understand all the different types of risks and causes that can contribute to these issues in an attempt to understand how you can try and prevent and manage these things when they happen. Five Star Tree Services is going to go over the reasons as to how and why your trees can develop these certain issues. Since there are so many different causes behind why a tree’s development might be interrupted, first think of them as two different categories you can split them into; non-living factors or abiotic, and living factors or biotic. We also want to note that it is possible for more than one factor to affect a tree’s health and development at any given time. You can also make a distinction between primary pests and secondary pests. The primary pests exert a serious influence on the tree’s immediate survival. Whereas secondary pests have a less significant influence on the survival of the tree. The only time they will jeopardize a tree’s survival is if the tree has a previous debilitating issue from another risk factor. For an individual tree’s circumstances, this will distinct the chances of an infestation, especially if it has any past debilitating issues. Which can be seen from any compromising management practices or pre-existing issues which affect the tree’s development as well as lower its resistance to infections. Poor management in planting is a very common predisposed factor that compromises a tree’s infection defense. For instance, any saplings that are pot-bound will not get to develop solid root systems which doesn’t allow them to develop properly when they eventually get planted. Another example is when a tree gets stressed, along with other outer factors, will have significant effects on the overall wellbeing of the tree and its condition. Other factors to consider are bad soil quality as well as bad drainage. Abiotic Non-Living Influences The overall health of a tree can be linked to impacts such as bad growing conditions and bad soil quality. These things will put trees at a higher risk for catching a number of different biotic issues. Sickness, infections, and infestation can all be linked to ineffective nutrient absorption when a tree has insufficiently developed its natural resistances and defenses. One of the worst factors for this is fire damage. It is so debilitating that it makes trees hopeless at defending themselves against biotic attacks. To uncover what circumstantial predispositions your tree might have due to poor developmental conditions, arborists can use the growth rings as a means of assessment for the long-term effects, wellbeing, and growth of a tree. There are many outer and non-living variables that will influence the health of a tree and if it will be predisposed to biotic infestations. Such variables can include things like extensive cold winters and long dry spells. Abiotic Common Influences Include: -Water -Chemicals -Soil Conditions -Weather -Mechanical Agents Biotic Living Influences Sometimes, you are able to notice certain infestations easily, while others can be hard to tell. For instance, seeing an insect on a tree is no cause for alarm. A lot of them are harmless to the tree and do not cause harm while they regularly feed. However, some insects are actually harmful to a tree’s survival and knowing the difference between harmless and harmful ones is what you need to notice. You might also see fungi on rotting matter or a dead tree. Fungi are not usually the immediate influence of a negative manifestation found in a tree’s development. There are other growths that can be seen living on trees. These include saprobic and pathogenic organisms. Saprobic growths are mostly found on rotting or dead tissues and pathogenic growths are less common. Some other living infestations include lichens, epiphytes, and mosses. But these don’t usually have any effect on a tree’s wellbeing. They live symbiotically together. Biotic Common Influences Include: -Mites -Deer and Rodents -Fungi -Weeds -Viruses -Parasitic Plants -Bacteria -Phytoplasmas -Insects How Five Star Tree Service Can Help It is important to know the basics to look out for when trying to prevent developmental issues or help a tree that is developing. There are a lot of factors to take into consideration when helping a tree grow, flourish, and live a healthy long life. If you have any questions or concerns about your trees, contact us at Five Star Tree Services today at (416) 990-3355. We will be able to help you with all your tree related needs. Check out our website for a full list of our Tree Services in Toronto!