Link: http://www.embarkservices.com/blog/blogs/

Just like motion detectors and dead bolts, the placement of a prickly plant or a holly bush can help keep bad guys out of your house.

Homeowners can motivate intruders to stay out without turning the outside of your house into a fortified castle with a moat.

Environmental design can make a house less appealing to burglars who are usually lazy and adverse to pain. Plants with thorns or sharp leaves present a perimeter that few will enter.

Landscaping and plants should not function as an aid by becoming a screen to shield them from view when entering a walkway or breaking in to a building.

Fences, walkways, and plantings set psychological and physical boundaries to stay away.

A good place for a thorny shrub is underneath a window. Windows are easy access but thorns can help burglars away. The height of the shrub also shouldn’t create a hiding place either.

Do make sure that the shrubs are cut below the window in case you have to escape a fire. Proper air circulation and access for maintenance can be provided if you allow some distance between the shrub and the wall of the building.

Law enforcement also suggests the “3-7 rule,” which says to trim bushes down to three feet and have no tree limbs lower than seven feet. The cut-down shrubs provide no cover and the chopped limbs keeps burglars from climbing trees to get to the second story.

Just as ladders shouldn’t be left outside, neither should garden tools or bricks which can be used to smash a window to gain access. A trellis that could support someone’s weight could be inviting to someone eager to sneak in upstairs.

A home inviting to burglars means easy access but with the right landscaping, you can make your home less attractive. Let Embark help you before you go on vacation. Call 713-462-3261 or make an online request. http://www.embarkservices.com/request.php

Link: http://embarkservices2-px.rtrk.com/blog/blogs/

As the winter season changes the look of your landscape, beauty can still be found with trees. Though often hidden during the growing season, a tree’s beautiful bark finally comes to center stage in the winter.

To keep your garden as attractive in the “down season” as in the growing season, try incorporating a tree with unique bark patterns into your landscape. Try planting a tree near a path so you can appreciate the grain up close, or create a beautiful focal point in an underused area of your yard. Either can add a new dimension of interest to your winter landscape.

The American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), shown below, has smooth gray bark with vertical ripples twisting the length of the trunk. Also called musclewood, is usually a small shade tree but can be planted in full sun if given enough moisture. This tree’s wide range—from Quebec south through Mexico—makes it a promising addition for many American gardens.

Cinnamon clethra’s (Clethra acuminata) name comes from its beautiful tan and cinnamon-colored, peeling bark, shown below. Though summersweet (Clethra alnifolia)—cinnamon clethra’s spreading cousin—is the more popular of the two species, it is cinnamon clethra that has the distinct advantage of forming a single clump or small tree. As an added bonus, it has the same fragrant mid-summer white flowers as summersweet. Unfortunately, it is only available to those gardeners who live in USDA Hardiness Zones 6-8.

For the southeastern U.S., river birch (Betula nigra),—found naturally from the Great Lakes south to Florida and Texas—is better adapted to survive in their gardens. Birch species prefer full sun and moist soils, but could tolerate some shade.


Also great for the southeastern U.S is the Natchez crape myrtle - As with many of the widely-grown crape myrtle trees used in landscaping, this plant is a hybrid derived from crossing Lagerstroemia indica with Lagerstroemia fauriei. Although originally from Asia, Lagerstroemia is naturalized in the southeastern U.S. The bark peels off attractively, much like that of birches, adding winter interest.

Species which have wide growing ranges also have immense variability between regions. When researching the possibilities, go one step further to ensure your new tree is as cold hardy or heat tolerant as you need it to be. Make sure to consult with a certified arborist to ensure that you are making the right choice for your landscape.

Keep in mind, local genetic material which is already more adapted to your region will be less stressed and, therefore, more disease resistant. Buying locally, you will also be helping to preserve and maintain the biodiversity of your local population.


Check out the Embark Tree and Landscape video below on planting trees!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8RjRWVA6rg&feature=player_embedded

Link: http://www.embarkservices.com/blog/blogs/

On August 2, 2010, The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) named August as “Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month.” The goal of the APHIS is to increase understanding in the harm that invasive plant pests and diseases can cause to natural resources and agriculture.

APHIS Administrator Cindy Smith reported, “Preventing foreign pests and diseases from entering the United States is my agency’s number one priority. These destructive pests can jeopardize the livelihood of our farmers, ranchers and foresters, and they can forever alter our natural landscape. We’re dedicating the month of August to raising public awareness about these threats, and we’re asking every American who can to help us fight invasive pests.”

The potential for these potentially harmful organisms to enter the country are present in arriving cargo on foreign ships and through Americans returning home from foreign travel. Such pests and diseases have been found to impact the economy by $1 billion annually. Such pests spread rapidly and through invading native species, and reducing the biological diversity of plants and trees. Certain invasive plant and tree pests have been to be harmful enough to kill plants and trees.

Here are some tips from the APHIS on keeping your area invasive plant pest and disease free:

Living Plants and Fruit – Invasive pests can be easily transported through live plants and fruit. Be sure to keep foreign plants and fruit separate from your landscape until inspected by a pest professional.

Firewood – Keep firewood local. Many pests can be transported through firewood, wood packing materials, and lumber. If the long range transport of these materials is avoided, the spread of invasive pests will decrease.

Clean Equipment – If you like to hike, camp, or if you work in forestry, you can help decrease the spread of invasive pests through cleaning your equipment, boots, and gear before returning home.

Protecting your landscape from invasive plant pests and disease can be easy with the right information. If you notice a strange decline in the health of your plants call an Embark Pest Specialist right away so that we may help in the fight against invasive pests.

Link: http://www.embarkservices.com/blog/blogs/

One of the most important aspects of creating a new or redoing a landscape is choosing the right plant or tree and putting it in the right place. Taking the soil, available water, and the extreme temperatures of the area are very important for creating a lasting environment for your plant or tree. Using a certified arborist or landscape professional will help avoid choices that aren’t suitable for a long lasting landscape.

Here are some tips from landscape experts on what to take into consideration when planning a new landscape:

Size Matters – If a plant or tree is healthy then it will grow. Make sure that the area in which the plant or tree is planted allows for growth. Make sure that your selected plant or tree won’t outgrow its area when it is fully mature. Also, some plants grow faster than others. Keep in mind the growth characteristics of the chosen plants for your landscape so that they can be arranged in the most aesthetically appealing formation.

Quench their Thirst – Make sure that the irrigation system available to your plants and trees are both effective and efficient. The size of the irrigation system will dictate the amount of water delivered to your plants. In addition to your irrigation system, make sure that your water isn’t harmful to your plants. Some water sources have higher salinity or alkalinity either of which could damage your plants over time.

Soil Solution – The quality of soil composition is often overlooked when choosing plants or trees for your new landscape. It is important to choose plants which match the natural composition of the soil in your landscape. Having soil that is fertile and well balanced is imperative to the survival of your plants and trees.

The Extremes of Temperature - Living in an area which has extreme high temperatures limits the growth of many plants including some annual species. Temperature ranges of the daytime play an important role in determining how a plant will grow and survive in a certain area. Many plants also have nighttime temperature requirements in order to reach their full growth potential. Make sure to check with your landscape professional to ensure proper plants and trees for the climate.

Using site specific planning when it comes to designing your new landscape will be well worth the effort. Your trees and plants will successfully grow and thrive in an environment that matches their needs. Make sure to use a certified landscape professional or certified arborist when entering into your landscape design journey.

Link: http://www.embarkservices.com/blog/blogs/

While pruning looks easy, lopping off branches and limbs haphazardly greatly reduces the growth potential of trees and shrubs.

Not doing anything might be better as pests kill less tree and shrubs than bad landscaping.

Understanding some basic concepts will make pruning a matter of common sense. Pruning boils down to removing plant parts to improve the value, health or aesthetic effect of the plant.

Once the objectives are determined and a few basic principles understood, pruning primarily is a matter of common sense.

Nature works as a latent pruner. For example, higher branches may block out the sun of lower branches. Soon the flow of moisture and nutrients will be slowly cut off as a lower bough is restricted by tree tissue immediately at the base that connects a branch to the trunk. Slowly but surely, the bough will break.

Picking the right plant for the location can decrease or eliminate the need for pruning. Fast-growing plants that might become too large for the spot, fragile trees or eye sores should few in number as part of a landscaping approach.

With some plants, pruning should be minimized late in the summer to allow new growth. While the Houston winters are moderate, cold weather nonetheless may not allow this growth to harden off in time.

Plants damaged by hurricanes and storms should be pruned as soon as possible to halt the potential of insect and disease problems that may follow.

Pruning should be left to the professionals to ensure that the care is not harmful to the tree or shrub. For the assistance of an Arborist certified by the International Society of Arboriculture, call Embark Tree and Landscape at 713-462-3261 or go to www.embarkservices.com