Honest, specific tree advice from 20+ years of Northern California homeownership, grounded in real arborist sources.
Tree Planting GuideA staged walkthrough, from soil prep to the two years that decide if it lives.Start the guide → 
Fast-Growing TreesThe fastest growers ranked, plus the four you should never plant.See the rankings → 
Tree FinderAnswer a few questions, match your yard to the right species.Find my tree → 
Sudden oak death kills coast live oaks and tanoaks with bleeding trunk cankers, and the spores come from the bay laurel growing next to them. Learn to spot it, why there's no cure, and what actually protects a healthy oak.
Identify anthracnose on sycamore, oak, ash, maple, and dogwood trees. Learn the wet-spring pattern, why most cases are cosmetic, and when dogwood anthracnose is the exception.
Identify apple scab on apple and crabapple trees. Learn the leaf and fruit symptoms, the wet-spring disease cycle, which cultivars resist it, and when sanitation beats spraying.
Identify cedar apple rust on apple, crabapple, and juniper trees. Learn the two-host lifecycle, fungicide timing, resistant cultivars, and when it's just cosmetic.
Dutch elm disease is caused by an invasive fungus spread by bark beetles and root grafts. There's no cure once a tree is infected. Here's the pathogen, the history, and the resistant elms worth planting instead.
Identify fire blight on apple, pear, crabapple, quince, and pyracantha. Learn the shepherd's-crook symptom, why pruning beats spraying, and when this bacterial disease means calling an arborist.
Which trees to buy and why
49 articlesWhere and how to plant
18 articlesKeep your trees healthy
74 articlesWhen and how to trim
11 articlesGarden projects with trees
12 articlesBrowse everything on the site
164 articlesThe trees worth planting, based on real experience.
What to avoid, and why.
Get it right the first time.
When, how, and what not to cut.
11 reasons your yard needs them.
9 things to know before you dig.