Category: Curb Appeal

I don't know about your garden, but mine is rather drab in the winter. I have gotten smarter about planting evergreen perennials, so I do have some green leaves out there right now, but what I really want is COLOR.

I found it. Walking around in the Magnolia section of Seattle the other day, I saw some brilliant purple berries that just POPPED in the otherwise drab landscape. According to our trusted Google, these belong to the Beautyberry family.

Here are three choices:

1. Bodinier's Beautyberry (Callicarpa bodinieri) is native to China and thrives in colder weather. This is most likely the variety I saw in Seattle, and it is beautiful. For more info, click here.

2. American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) - native to the southern U.S., the berries are edible but astringent. They do make lovely jellies, though. I think our weather in the Seattle area is a bit too cold for this variety. For more info on this shrub, click here.

3. Japanese Beautyberry (Callicarpa japonica) is native to Japan and grows 4' - 8'. You can see these at Bellevue Botanical Garden, or here.

Planting season is right around the corner, so plan now to bring color to your garden next winter. As for me, I'm going to pick up several Bodinier's Beautyberry plants and put them right outside the window where I can enjoy them next year.

Plant a Hawthorn Tree for Fall Beauty

I see a lot of Hawthorn trees in Seattle--they are usually planted along the streets, and they are usually quite ugly. I have never liked them at all. But today, I changed my mind.

While walking in Edmonds, WA, I spied a row of beautiful young Hawthorn trees bursting with clusters of red berries. They were a welcome, cheerful site on this cold autumn day.

The habit of these Hawthorns was quite lovely, with a pleasing, oval shape. The leaves are green and glossy, and the berries pop in contrast.

Copied straight from Wikipedia: Crataegus ( /krəˈtiːɡəs/),^[1] commonly called hawthorn or thornapple,^[2] is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the rose family, Rosaceae,

You can see the similarities to the rose family in the thorns, of course (it is called hawthorn), and the berries remind me of the large round bulbs of the Rosa Rugosa plant.

Maybe the typical Seattle street Hawthorn tree is unattractive because it has been neglected, standing unpruned for decades. Or maybe the Hawthorn just looks better when it's young (hmmm, I feel the same way!). In any case, these specimens clearly show that this is a great tree to plant for lovely fall color.

And one more look at those gorgeous berries:

   Blooma Tree Experts are proud to count Ron Sims amongst their satisfied customers.

Mr. Sims has been the Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development for President Obama, just recently resigning. Prior to this appointment, he served as King County Executive for twelve years.

Hired to prune several trees on Mr. Sims' property recently, the Blooma crew enjoyed chatting with this personable politician. Josiah Macauley spent some time chatting with Mr. Sims about his work  in Washington, DC and his long weekly commute. The entire crew said Mr. Sims is a personable, friendly man whom they enjoyed meeting.

Ivy is one of those plants we have a love-hate relationship with. When it covers the brick walls of a university, ivy looks stately and dignified. But when it climbs a tree, determined to choke out its life, well then we must eradicate it.

Ivy WILL kill your tree, make no mistake about that. Once it starts climbing, the tree is in trouble. The best prevention is to remove the ivy entirely, before it has a chance to climb. Once it has climbed, though, you must call in the experts to remove it. Blooma Tree Experts can--and will--carefully climb your tree and entirely remove the ivy. Here are some before and after photos of a tree our crew saved. Remarkable, yes?

Seattle tree being killed by ivy.                                         Seattle tree after Blooma crew removed the ivy.

If you live in the greater Seattle area and have a tree being smothered by ivy, give the Blooma Tree Experts a call at (206) 714-9835. We'll take care of it!

One thing we Seattleites have plenty of is water. Many of the homes in this area have stunning water views--or would have stunning water views if the trees and bushes didn't grow so rapidly (another by-product of having so much water!).

The Blooma tree service men are often called upon to help homeowners re-gain the water view that caused them to love their homes in the first place. The two photos shown here illustrate how dramatic a difference we can make with some judicious pruning, called crown reduction. This home is in Ballard (a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington).

BEFORE:

AFTER:

When we see the front yards, we always notice the trees. Sometimes the trees are just right--they are shaped nicely, they're healthy, and they're the right size for the house and yard. In this case, the tree is an asset.

Sometimes, though, the trees really detract from the house, really bringing down the curb appeal. Trees that are unhealthy, or badly pruned, or too big or too small, or just plain ugly are not an asset to a home. They are an eyesore.

I offer you my first photos of Seattle area houses. Are the trees an asset? Or are they an eyesore?

The following photos were taken in the same Mukilteo cul-de-sac.

House #1

Beautifully landscaped yard with a lovely variety of trees and bushes . . . except for . . .

this cherry tree by the front door. What an unattractive pruning job!

House #2

This house is quite beautiful and large. But what is the centerpiece of the yard?

What is that? An umbrella tree? I don't know, but it's far too small for the house. Plus it in unnatural, misshapen, and unhealthy. Time to remove this sad little tree and re-plant.

House #3

What do you think of these three trees? Asset? or Eyesore?