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 → Identify an ash tree by three features: opposite branching, compound leaves with 5 to 9 leaflets, and diamond-patterned bark. Here is how to check each one, and how to rule out boxelder, walnut, hickory, and mountain ash.
Yellow leaves in summer mean iron chlorosis, overwatering, drought, or root damage. Use the pattern on the leaf and the pattern on the tree to tell them apart, then fix the right one.
Tree trunks are painted white to prevent sunscald, the winter bark injury that splits young trunks on the southwest side. Here is the paint to use, the dilution, when to apply it, and when a wrap is the better call.
The best fertilizer for apple trees is nitrogen, timed to early spring. What NPK to use for young vs. bearing trees, how much per tree, and the tape-measure test that tells you if your tree needs feeding at all.
White felt crust on your crape myrtle's bark and black sooty mold below it means crape myrtle bark scale. How to identify it, tell it apart from aphids, and treat it with the right timing and products.
Eight evergreen trees that stay green all year and survive a dry summer once established. Zones, mature size, and which ones work for privacy screens, shade, and desert yards.
Which trees to buy and why
74 articlesWhere and how to plant
18 articlesKeep your trees healthy
78 articlesWhen and how to trim
11 articlesGarden projects with trees
13 articlesPruners, saws, and gear for tree work
21 articlesBrowse everything on the site
215 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.