So the tree is cut down and only the stump remains, and now you are ready for your lawn to take over the place of that stump. There are a host of methods out on the internet offering do-it-yourself how-to-remove-a-stump instructions, none of them quick or easy (and most of these articles will tell you so, if they are honest). From digging them out to chopping them up, drilling stumps for chemical applications, and removal by burning, all of these take lots of time, energy, and patience. Hiring an arborist equipped with a mechanical stump grinder is the only way for the task to be rendered quick and easy. In a matter of a few minutes, large stumps are ground away, leaving a nice hole for topsoil and a couple of squares of sod, and ...

A tree can be a dangerous thing, especially when it is dead and standing right next to your house. Cutting down a dead or diseased tree is one of those things in life that fits under the category of undesired necessities, and many people are inclined to try to save money by doing it themselves. This is not recommended: cutting down a tree without bringing damage to person or property involves skill and experience. However, if you are determined to learn how to cut down a large tree and attempt it on your own, here are the things in which you need to arm yourself to execute the job safely and successfully.

Safety Gear

Before explaining how to cut big trees, first we must present the list of safety gear and precautions.  Wear ...

The Texas drought of 2011 may be remembered nationally for the widespread wildfires our state endured and the news media attention it garnered. Here in the Piney Woods region of the southeast quadrant of the state, we escaped most of the wildfires, but we are plagued with another great problem: dead and dying trees. 

Our dense forests, along with our front- and backyards, are populated with  60+ tall oaks and loblolly pine trees, all indigenous to this region precisely because of the typically abundant amount of rainfall this region has. But not this year, and the wide varieties of oak trees here are at risk of another lethal condition. If the drought has not killed an oak outright yet, the tree might be at risk of dying ...

Getting your landscaping ready for winter?

Taking care of your azalea beds to protect them from frost will help foster those big shows of profuse azalea blooms in spring. It also helps to know what not to do with azaleas. An overzealous azalea gardener can cheat themselves out of an azalea spring if uneducated about care of azaleas in winter.

Whether you live near our territory here in Southeast Texas, or even if you should live in one of those north-of-Southeast-Texas states, here is an easy 3-step instruction on how to prepare your azaleas for winter, in whatever zone your azalea bushes may grow.

Things you will need:

•    Mulch
•    Ruler
•    Anti-...