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Pruning and topping your trees

January 29th, 2010

pruning2 If you are fortunate enough to have a small forest of trees in your yard you might wonder how you can contain them. Trees can be both a very beautiful part of a landscape and very effective at blocking out much desired sun. How should you go about altering them or simply maintaining them? In most cases what is best for the tree is best for the homeowner. Sometimes the needs of man and nature collide. Here are some basic principals:

The best pruning is ongoing, throughout the life of the tree. It is great fun to plant a small tree and live at that location long enough to see it grow into a big one. By selective thinning you can pick which branches to keep and by removing others channel plant energy into remaining ones.
Ongoing pruning can control tree size, stimulate healthy flower and fruit growth, and shape the tree into traditional or unique forms.
If you are on the early side of landscaping and planning, select tree sizes based upon their mature size. Trees planted too close to a house rarely seem so when planted from a 2 or 5 gallon container.

Pruning Tips

Branches 1″ or less are cut with hand or long handles pruning shears with a single cut next to the base of the tree. Remove dead and unwanted branches, and some of those that are grouped too close together.
Larger branches are cut by hand or chainsaw by first under cutting as much as 1/3 of the branch, about 2″ out from desired cut line. Make a second cut from the top down just outside your first undercut. Then cut from top down at planned location. This helps prevent bark splitting.
When branches split or bark is pealed apply tree salve. Sometimes a wrapping is necessary.

What if I want to top my trees?

Tree topping is hard on trees. Tree topping can help bring light into your property, but severe topping weakens trees, making them more vulnerable to insects and disease. Topping is a reasonable choice if you are open to losing the tree if the tree doesn’t react well to the pruning. Some trees do survive and even thrive after a topping but you have to assume the risk of losing the tree.
Consider instead how limbing lower dead and insignificant branches can help bring in low angled winter light and general thinning throughout might bring in pinpoints of light.
You may benefit from removing some of your trees to bring in light or a betterview of your house from the street. Emotionally it is hard to let go of a full grown tree. Sometimes it opens up a whole new world for your yard and home.

Trees do not look as tall as they really are from the ground. What seems like a simple task in pruning and branch removal can be a colossal chore and may be beyond the scope of work a homeowner can safely do. Consider the advice and services of a recommended tree professional (arborist) for any projects above head height and of any substantial scope.

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Rose pruning season starts on Valentine’s Day

By Mary Kay Swanson

January 21st, 2010

Rose pruning season is almost upon us so here are some hints to get your roses in the best shape for beautiful summer blooms.

When to Prune Roses

Traditionally the dormant season rose pruning is started around Valentine’s Day and continues through May in the PNW. One rule of thumb I use is to prune when the daffodils start blooming because then you know that the soil temperatures have reached the point to initiate bud growth.

How to Prune Roses

The Right tools. Use CLEAN sharp pruners for the cuts made to canes and clean sharp loppers or a small pruning saw to remove any and all dead or old, unproductive canes. You don’t want ragged cuts since you will be pruning close to new buds so make sure your tools are sharp. Using clean tools is also important so as not to transfer any disease or microbes to the roses from other plants you may have previously been using your pruners on. Dipping your pruners, loppers and saw into a bleach and water solution or wiping them clean with rubbing alcohol will kill off transferable diseases. If you have had problems with black spot or powdery mildew remove any leaves that have stayed on through the winter. Also clean up any dead leaves from the ground under the plant and put them in your clean green container to get them off the property rather than compost them if you do back yard composting. Then be sure to re-dip or wipe your tools between pruning each plant to reduce the chances of infecting a healthy plant.

The Right cut. No matter the kind of rose the right cut is essential for a healthy bud and future flower. To start you should not prune your roses in the fall as the flowers start to die and the rose produces hips (those red to orange seed large seed pods that develop on some roses after blooming) Research has shown that removing the hips and pruning too early makes you plant more susceptible to disease and winter die back and that the hips produce a type of “anti-freeze” for the plant so it is better able to withstand cold winters with less die back and bud loss. So leave them alone through the winter for best results and healthier plants. When it is time to prune follow the guidelines below for the type of roses you will be pruning and remember to always cut to approximatley a quarter inch from only outward facing buds on any pruning cut – you do not want to encourage inward growth to the center of the plant. A rule of thumb to help guide you to the right size of open shaped plant is to have enough open space on the interior of the plant that you could set a basket ball down inside the plant and the basketball would be held foot or so off the ground. Also be sure not to cut to close, or to far, from the bud you are cutting to – too close and it may die back into the bud, too far and you may be left with a stub that will be susceptible to disease and allows as easy entry for systemic problems.

Different Rose, Different Pruning Approaches

Hybrid Tea Roses. These are the type of roses that produce the large flowers and usually one per stem. These roses you want to prune according to the size of the canes (stems or ’branches’) you have available. A small cane approximately the size of a pencil should be pruned back to four to six inches from the graft – which is at the bottom of the plant and identified by a swelling at the base of the canes. (this is where the rose was budded onto a root stock). Medium canes around the size of your forefinger should be pruned down to about eight to twelve inches from the graft. Larger canes that are thumb sized or larger should be pruned at around two feet from the graft. If you don’t see any buds to cut to on a large cane just cut back as far as you can to the lowest visible union – this is where a bud will come from as the season progresses. The desired effect is to limit your plant to four or five of the healthiest and newest canes so that you have an open, vase shaped plant with lots of room for air circulation and space for the flowers to bloom and not be touching each other.

Floribunda and Polyanthus Roses. These are the types of roses that produce lots of flowers per stem. These are easy to prune, simply head the canes back to an outward facing bud about twelve to eighteen inches from the graft while also removing old canes and leaving an open center and space between the canes

Climbing Roses. These are usually the most confusing of all roses when it comes to pruning because of the mass of the plant climbing over your trellis or wall, but they actually pretty easy to prune. Limit the canes to about four or six healthy, young green canne and remove the surplus. These canes are your structure for the plant and so you only need to cut the main canes to fit the surface you are growing the plant on. Don’t cut as severely as you do with the other types, because a climbing rose produces canes one year and they do not flower until the second year. So if you cut it back severely, there will be no flowers until the next season. The growth that develops off the main canes should be cut back to a second or third growth bud, usually making it only about two or three inches long. You want the new flower buds to be close to the main canes with buds on as many available offshoots as possible for that full gorgeous look.

After Spring Pruning

Add compost. Once your pruning is finished add a half inch of compost around the plants base – DO NOT pile the compost up against the main stem (graft) that comes out of the soil – in the wet PNW this will cause rot at the base of the plant. Leave about an inch of space of just bare soil close to the main stem and spread the compost to about two feet in circumference around the plant. The compost will work it’s way into the soil and is there to feed the feeder roots that are just under the top layer of soil. Don’t fertilize yet as this may promote early growth that could be damaged in a surprise frost or cold snap.
Summer Pruning. As your roses bloom you will need to do some summer pruning called ‘deadheading’ to encourage more blooms and we will discuss these methods in a future post.

Rose pruning can be daunting since there are some rules to follow that don’t apply to most garden pruning and a recommended professional gardener can be a real help for having this early Spring chore done quickly and correctly.

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Creating a Patio Roof

January 18th, 2010

Nothing extends the usage of your deck or patio like having a roof overhead. A permanent structure can handle the ravages of winter without having to retract seasonal devices for the next storm. Once in place you will discover the joy of being outside during a gentle rain in any season if it isn’t too windy, and have shelter from summer sun or thundershowers. What should you consider?

For design options first answer these questions:

Is the area you want to cover adjacent to the house?
Is your house single story?
If so, does the roof slope rise up from the adjacent house wall, and how steeply, or is there a gable end wall?
Do you have a two story wall next to your patio?

What these questions are designed to determine is whether or not you can attach your new patio roof to your house or whether it needs to be free standing, and what the best design is. If you have a…

Gable end. You may be able to extend a gable end roof out over your patio area. If a small gable you are limited to its size and location. If a large gable you can extend the part of the gable that suits your needs.

Sloped roof. If your single story roof slopes away from your patio area you may be able to tie into your house roof at a point up the roof a bit with a lower pitched “shed roof.” Here is an example of a real life analysis:

You discover the distance from patio to roof above your house wall is 10′ 6″ and the roof pitch is 6 in 12 (6″ rise per 12″ run, or horizontal distance). For outside patio roof support you plan a 4″ x 10″ beam on posts set 12′ out and 8′ high. If you extend your patio roof from house at just over wall, you have a 2 1/2 in 12 pitch–enough for torch down or metal roofing but not composition shingles. By tying in 8′ up the house roof, your patio slope becomes almost 4 in 12, enough for shingles.

Two story wall. You can attach a shed or sometimes a gable roof to your house wall. In this case second story windows shape your design. You want your finished roof surface to be at least 2 1/2 to 3″ below any windows. Roof flashing will tuck under siding and trim.

Low or flat roof. If your house roof is too low or flat to attach a patio roof to you will need a free standing structure. Whether shed or gable style if you overlap your house roof it needs to be enough above the house roof to allow maintenance. Since this creates an open area through which rain can blow, some create a dettachable or hinged section that comes within a few inches of the house roof but can be moved when needed.

Other concerns you might have:

Structure. Structural design needs to be sufficient to support roof load and have adequate shear strength. The first is accomplished by using code approved span charts in sizing lumber to the project. The second is creating resistance to shear or lateral movement. Methods include diagonal block sets in rafters, forming an “X”; large custom made metal “L” and “T” braces where posts meet beams; and glued plywood sheathing over T & G pine which covers rafters. This last keeps roofing nails from showing through in an exposed rafter design.

A good carpenter/contractor should be able to accomplish a good design, but it can be beyond their skill set, so don’t hesitate to check up on proposals. For instance, an otherwise wonderful professional firm can do excellent aesthetic work but have little background in the structural needs of free standing post and beam supported roof projects, since these amount to a very small percentage of the overall building landscape.

Use recommended professional roof addition builders to create a strong, safe, beautiful, and long lasting patio roof–one that you will enjoy for decades.

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Troubleshooting Shower and Bathroom Leaks

January 8th, 2010

What should you do when signs of moisture show up on the ceiling underneath a second story bathroom? What causes soft spots in the floor or baseboard near your tub? How do you go about stopping your tub or shower valve from dripping? Where is the water on my floor coming from? It is so easy to ignore problems and warning signs because we fear a big bill, but to do so costs more in the long run. What things should I look out for?

Shower/Tub Splashing. The most common source of moisture for a bathroom floor is what splashes out of the tub, or around the shower curtain or even glass doors. Glass doors keep much more moisture where its supposed to be than shower curtains. Installing plastic corners onto your tub with adhesive will help your shower curtain to keep back moisture. Toweling up water that does spill right away helps a lot.
Toilet Leaks. Keep an eye on your toilet for leaks. Toilets can leak out of hairline cracks or if they are not secured tightly the wax ring can leak. For the former the toilet must be replaced. For the latter it needs to be reset with a new wax ring.
Sink Leaks. Watch for under sink moisture. Faucets can develop leaks which travel down the supply lines and drip onto the inside of your vanity. Waste plumbing can loosen and start leaking, especially if bumped. It pays to take everything out from underneath your cabinet and check for leaks.
Tub/Shower Plumbing. If you are sure water isn’t splashing from your tub or escaping your shower curtain, and your sink and toilet don’t leak, it is time to look more closely at your tub/shower plumbing. A common source of leaks is when trim isn’t tight. That is, where your tub supply and faucet handle covers attach to the wall. If loose, water streaming down the plumbing wall can enter these gaps and cause leaks. At our house the addition of a push button automated cleaning system, hung from the shower head supply arm, collected mist and splashed and directed water down the wall. The greater water quantity entering the gaps caused a problem. This simple grocery store product was responsible for changing the course of the “river.” I didn’t realize this until after I had removed a section of the drywall ceiling below for inspection. I tightened the trim and used silicone and ended up removing the cleaning device, but probably didn’t have to after eliminating the gaps.
Tub/Shower Drain Leaks. The tub or shower drain itself can leak if cracked or the putty seal has broken. A special wrench makes its removal and repair easier.
Tub/Shower Valve Leaks. If your shower or tub valve is dripping through the shower head or tub supply, your valve is not sealing. Most can be repaired whether it is a worn out washer or a washerless design such as ceramic ball.
In-Wall Pipe Leaks. It is rare for the valve to be leaking inside the wall, but like a pipe springing a leak it happens. For these repairs you must gain access, which means you will at least be replacing drywall, if access can be gained from the opposite side of the wall, and may be replacing your shower unit, tub surround, or tile or cultured stone surface.

For best results complete the preliminary trouble shooting steps and then call a recommended professional plumber. Whenever calling a pro, make sure everything is out of her way, and limit your chat time to what you want to pay for.

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Say Goodbye to Resolutions – Say Hello to SMART Goals

By Daniele Ott

January 5th, 2010

Are you ready for a fresh start this New Year? Then say good-bye to resolutions that don’t last and say hello to SMART goals. Here is a seven step Goal Plannig System (GPS) to guide you in the direction you want to go. Remember… “None of us can change our yesterdays, but all of us can change our tomorrows.” ~Colin Powell

Regrets keep us in the past and desires keep us in the future. What do you want to change now?

Your Seven Step Goal Planning System

What is a goal? A goal can be defined as on ongoing pursuit of a worthy objective until accomplished. Goals take time; they involve hard work and commitment and are worthwhile. Your goals need to be about you. You can’t set goals for someone else (i.e. I want my children to start picking up after themselves). Your goals need to add value to your life. Your goals must be consistent with your values and beliefs. And as obvious as it sounds, your goals need to be something you really want.

1. Decide what you want. Look at the major areas of your life; relationships, spirituality, health, finances, etc. Which areas are you content with and which are you not?

2. Set goals. Goals need to be S.M.A.R.T. Let’s break it down.

Specific and stated in the positive. To say, “I want to lose weight” is not enough. How much weight do you want to lose? By when do you want to lose it? I will lose 20 lbs. in the next 6 months. I will do this by eating healthy meals, avoiding junk food, and exercising for 30 minutes – five times a week.
Measurable. Can you measure your goal? How do you know when it has been reached? If you want to have a positive attitude in 2010, how can you measure this? One idea would be to have an accountability person you can check in with on a weekly basis – someone who knows you well and is with you often.
Action oriented. You need to have action steps towards your goals! If your goal is to get your garage organized, you need steps to get there or it will be too overwhelming. (see #4 below)
Realistic. Focus on a few key goals at any given time. Too many big goals at once will spread you too thin. Focus on what is most important to you right now. If your expectations are too high, you may get easily discouraged, if they’re too low, you may lose motivation.
Timely. Specific goals have definite time frames. When are you going to start? Now, or in one week? When will you reach this goal? There are mini, short and long range goals. Setting a few short term goals to help you reach your long range goals is a great idea. It helps keep you motivated. i.e. If your goal is to take a vacation to Hawaii and you are saving money; break those money goals down into small chunks.

3. Set a deadline. If you don’t set a deadline, you aren’t setting a goal.

4. Make a list of action steps. i.e. I will spend one hour every weekend working on my garage. I will start by getting rid of everything we no longer use or need. Once I have the items we are going to keep, I will evaluate what kinds of storage systems are needed.

5. Take action immediately. Don’t keep saying, “I will start tomorrow”. Start now.

6. Resolve to do something everyday. Set an appointment with yourself just like you would a doctor appointment or meeting. Keep those appointments. You are worth it.

7. Reward yourself! i.e. If you reach your goal weight, buy a new outfit.

Have FUN! Be creative! Enjoy the great satisfaction of reaching your goals and keep building the momentum to reach even more!

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Five Easy Tips to Wrap Up the Holidays

By Daniele Ott

December 8th, 2009

To have the best holiday season ever, you need to visualize what that looks like for you. Ask yourself, why you are doing what you do? Is it because this is what everyone else expects, or because you love your family traditions and take pleasure in creating them and passing them on?

Here are five tips to make your Holidays organized, joyful and peaceful:

1. Prioritize. Make a realistic to-do list. If something did not work last year, don’t do it again. Open up your calendar and start planning. Mark dates for everything; parties, outings, school events, shopping, addressing your Christmas cards, sending them out, wrapping gifts, buying your tree, decorating, baking, and days for doing nothing but relaxing with family. I intentionally leave BLANK days on my calendar. Procrastination will only heap on the stress, so hold yourself to this schedule and you will have everything done well in advance.

2. Keep it Simple. The inventor of the gift bag and gift card understood the idea of simplicity. If your idea of holiday joy is wrapping beautiful, elaborate packages (like my mom), and you have the time, then go for it. For the rest of us, use gift bags, or pick one color wrap and a pretty ribbon. Buy it in bulk and make it your signature wrap. Or buy brown package paper and let your kids decorate the packages with stickers, stamps and glitter.Gifts don’t have to be “things”.

Give the gift of time or an experience you can share. Join a friend for a class, take a trip to the zoo, go to a museum or an art show, give babysitting coupons, movie nights, or a pedicure. You get the idea - fun without the clutter, and you are creating wonderful memories.

Have a family gift exchange where each member buys one gift under $20. Make a game out of it, where you draw a number and get to pick gifts in that order, and steal from each other.It is so much fun; everyone gets involved, it’s funny and way more interactive than watching everyone tear open gifts simultaneously.

3. Get Everyone Involved. Let go of perfectionism and thinking you need to do it all. Let the kids help decorate the tree (if they clump 10 ornaments on one branch, take a picture so you can remember how cute they are). Have them help clean the house, make cookies, wrap gifts, stamp envelopes, and if they are old enough to drive, have them run some errands.

4. Share Responsibilities. Entertaining does not mean you should do everything. If you open your house to friends and family, host a potluck. Have everyone bring their favorite dish and multiple copies of the recipe. You can create a holiday recipe book for each of your guests (a very nice gift). Rather than a giant dinner, plan for coffee and desserts or finger foods. Have a station set up for the kids to decorate their own cookies or gingerbread houses. Don’t forget that the grocery store deli makes wonderful food platters for all occasions – you don’t have to be tied to the kitchen.

Trade babysitting with a friend. Go get your shopping done, or just have some peace and quiet at home and take a little nap. We all need to re-energize so help each other out.

5. Stay Organized. Have your whole family help go through closets, toy bins and pantries between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Together, take all of your donations to your favorite charity, shelter or food bank.

File ideas: When ordering gifts on line, make sure to print out your invoices and keep them all together in one pending file folder so you can track your purchases. Have another file set aside for all of your instruction manuals/warranties as you open gifts. When you receive a Christmas card, tear off the return address and file it in your Holiday Address file so you can cross reference and make sure everything is current for the following year.

Take a deep breath and enjoy “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”!

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Organize Kids During the School Year….and Beyond

By Daniele Ott

November 22nd, 2009

Teach Your Kids How to Stay Organized

Here are five quick tips to help keep your kids organized.

1. Make sure everyone understands their responsibilities around the house. If you get it out, you put it away. There is no excuse for a child’s bedroom to look like a bomb just went off. They have been blessed with a nice room; they need to keep it that way. Make sure to hold them accountable. When their chores and homework are done, then they get free time. They will feel so much better during the school year with a clean, organized room!

2. Set up routines. Do you have a chore chart for your kids? Every busy mom needs help around the house. Everyone (even your toddlers) should have responsibilities.

3. We all know how quickly our schedules fill up once school begins. Make sure you have a family calendar posted in a prominent place so everyone can write in their appointments as they come up. I make sure my older children do this and then I transfer the dates to my personal calendar. Life is so much easier to plan and you don’t have to worry about double booking.

4. Meal planning is a must. I know a lot of people who struggle in this area. With a family of 7 it was always hard for me to find something everyone liked to eat. Get your kids involved. Have them look through cookbooks and mark the recipes they like with a post-it note and make a list of their top five favorite dinners. Take their ideas, and make a few weekly menus.

5. Set up a homework zone. Your children need a quiet, clutter free space to concentrate on their school work. When you are out shopping for school supplies, pick up some extras and have them readily accessible. Find a turn-about storage container (the kind you use for kitchen utensils). It is perfect for holding pens, pencils, rulers, scissors, glue sticks, and more. Keep lots of extra paper on hand and don’t forget to have a pencil sharpener handy.

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Plants for great Fall color

By Mary Kay Swanson

October 29th, 2009

Fall is a season of glorious color but it can be fleeting sometimes!

Here’s a list of plants that are known for having amazing color changes, will last longer than just until the first windstorm, and are great looking plants in your summer garden as well.

Fall is also one of the best times of the year to plant – you can go to the nursery, purchase and plant, and know what color your getting! This makes it easy to choose the right fall color plants for your garden.

KATSURA- I have mentioned this plant in a previous post and I put it first in this list – The dry leaves when shuffled thru (or when you are raking them up) smell like cotton candy! The various colors during the change is what I love the most about this tree – as some of it’s leaves are still green, some are fading yellow and others into reds and purples (depending on which species you plant)…all happening at once!

FOTHERGILLA (Mt. Airy) - Mt. Airy is the mid-sized version of this amazing Fall color plant. It’s considered to be the best one for various changes in the leaves. There are also dwarf and larger versions that can be used for drama, as a back drop plant or as spots of color. It also has a 3-4″ cone flower in summer.

RHUS (Sumac) – The Rhus family is large… And here in the Northwest we usually plant the Staghorn or Lace leaf varieties but all Sumac species thrive in almost any soil as long as they are well drained. The females have the red cone seed pod that birds love.

STEWARTIA – These trees are happy in organically enriched, slightly acid and woodland gardens so they are a perfect understory tree for a woodsy garden. There are a few different species but all are slow growing, all season performers. They have large white flowers in the spring and beautiful glossy leaves for the Spring and Summer, amazing fall color in the Fall and, depending on the species, smooth bark that flakes off in varying degrees (like a birch) with patterns of different colors.

BLUEBERRIES- Gorgeous purple fruit high in antioxidants that even kids love to eat plus gorgeous fall color to boot – need I say more?

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The 1, 2, 3’s of Home Furnace Maintenance

October 2nd, 2009

furnace_large It’s wonderful to live in a society in which we can flip a switch or turn a knob and get warm in winter. In fact it’s so easy, we can sometimes forget about our heating system and any maintenance needs it might have. Perhaps we’d rather not think about something that big for fear that servicing it will cost a fortune. As with most things a little knowledge and facing the monster :>} is best. What do you need to do now and what should you be aware of?

Change the filter. This is easy to do yourself. Writing this post reminded me that I hadn’t changed mine in over a year, so I did it today and found a high performance filter that lasts 12 months, and does better at filtering out allergens with “electrostatically charged fibers” and a “1550 microparticle rating.” Usually you should change your filter every 3 months.

Have professional HVAC service checks. The HVAC industry recommends twice per year checkups. Most people find that once per year is more than adequate.

What is involved in a maintenance service?

Gas piping is checked for leaks.
Burner combustion is checked for efficiency.
Heat exchanger is checked for efficiency, leaks, safety.
Moving parts are lubricated.
Functioning of controls is checked.
Electrical connections are checked and tightened.
Fans/blowers are cleaned.

You might be able to go longer between service calls. This makes the most sense if your unit is fairly new. At stake can be efficiency of your system, and in some cases safety. Older systems can develop leaks, which can include carbon monoxide. A CO2 detector alarm is a good measure. For most it isn’t a matter of the exact cycle of maintenance, but rather doing it all. You really don’t want to ignore this important household system.

Should you get uprades to your system? Depending on your system and space requirements you may be able to add a few options. There are filter systems that can take allergens, bacteria, and even viruses out of your conditioned air. You can add AC to your current system. You may be able to save energy while making your home more comfortable with a new programmable thermostat. You might change the blower motor or controlling circuitry. There may be exposed ductwork that could use more insulation. And you could insulate your return air – these last 2 points obviously to increase efficency and energy usage.

When should I replace my system? Systems over 10 years old are candidates, however systems are usually designed to last 25 to 30 years. Efficiency, designated in AFUE % can get as low as 50% in an older or ill maintained system. Regular maintenance and service can increase those numbers. Whether a new 90% efficient system (there are some that claim 95%) will pay for itself in 8 to ten years really depends on how much heat you use each winter. Here’s an example: if you’ve currently got a 70% efficient system and it costs $1,200 a year compared to a 90% system which could reduce your bill by $300 a year,the numbers aren’t going to pencil and return the investment in any reasonable time period. If you spend quite a bit more on your HVAC system per year and you get a highly efficient system along with a sophisticated thermostat, the numbers might work. It really will depend on your situation – so sharpen those pencils and do the math before plunging into a purchase of this size!

And after any and all research you do, it’s always helpful to seek the services of a recommended HVAC professional.