by Big Trees Inc. Snohomish, WA

SNOHOMISH, WA: Big Trees Inc, (https://bigtreesupply.com) a tree nursery and tree transplant company in the Seattle area, was contacted recently by a long-term customer who had purchased many trees over the years. They were considering buying a house in their same neighborhood, but were heartbroken by the potential loss of all the investment they had put into their mature landscaping. They wanted to know if any of the trees they had purchased would be able to be moved to their potential new home.  When the answer was a resounding yes, they made the decision to put an offer on the house – and got it!

The sale happened in August which is not the best time to be transplanting trees.  When they put their own house on the market, they made it clear that many of the specimen trees were going with them, but that they wouldn’t be moved until November, after the new homeowners took possession. Everyone was in agreement, the sale went through and then it was just a matter of waiting for the trees to go dormant in the fall.

Big Trees was hired to move four large Acer palmatum dissectums “Laceleaf Japanese” maples 5-7” caliper and two 8” caliper blue spruce.  Buying new trees of this size would’ve been out of most people’s price range, but the cost to move them versus the value of the trees made this an easy decision for the homeowner.

The first day of the job, the crews spent all day digging and prepping the trees. The second day, the trees were loaded on flatbeds and moved a few miles away to the new home and then replanted. The trees look like they’ve been there a long time and produced an instant mature landscape feel for the client’s new house. Big Trees also filled all of the holes at the old house with nice planting soil so those spaces were ready should the new homeowners want to plant trees or shrubs.

“People become very attached to their trees over time.  They become part of the family,” said Nancy Penrose, owner of Big Trees.  “We have moved memorial trees and other sentimental trees for people, but I don’t think we’ve ever moved six large trees all from one home to another.  Everything went very smoothly and we have one very happy customer!”

Nancy Penrose is the owner of Big Trees Inc., located in Snohomish, WA in the Seattle area. The company is one of the largest tree nurseries in the Seattle area with over 120,000 trees available in over 300 varieties. They not only deliver young trees, but also mature trees in a wide range of sizes. Some types of trees available include spring flowering, deciduous, evergreen, and privacy trees. The company also does tree transplanting including large trees. Their blog can be seen at https://bigtreesupply.com/blog/ or  http://arboristblog.com/. They can be reached at 360-563-2700.

Big Trees Inc.
10928 Springhetti Rd
Snohomish, WA 98296
360-563-2700
https://bigtreesupply.com/blog/
https://arboristblog.com
https://bigtreesupply.com

By Nancy Penrose

Evergreen trees provide beauty to your landscape all year round. Here are nine great evergreen trees that will add to your property. Now is an ideal time to plant a new tree in your landscape.

Douglas Fir

The Douglas fir is a dense evergreen native to the Pacific Northwest. It has a strong pyramidal shape when young and has a tendency to limb itself up as it matures. Its size will be difficult to control in urban landscapes so it is best to have adequate space for this large native tree. Needles are soft and occasionally have a bluish tint. Average growth rate is moderate, mature size 80′ tall x 30′ wide. Likes full sun to partial shade.

Deodar Cedar

The Deodar Cedar has a very graceful habit that can be quite striking in the landscape. It is grown easily in our mild northwest climate. Branches of the Deodar are pendulous, and the central leader often droops. It has dense evergreen needles that grow in tufts or whorls on the branches. Needles have a unique bright green to a bluish tint. Average growth rate is moderate, mature size 70′ tall x 30′ wide. Likes full sun.

Nordman Fir

The Nordman fir is a nice ornamental evergreen for the landscape. It has the classic evergreen look with its dark green needles and layered branching. The Nordman fir is a popular choice at Christmas for those who want a live tree. It is best in full sun and it prefers well-drained soil. This tree grows in a pyramidal form. Average growth rate is slow to moderate, mature size 60′ tall x 25′ wide.

Giant Sequoia

The Giant Sequoia is an impressive addition to any landscape. It grows to magnificent heights and gains enormous trunk girth. A large landscape is necessary because size will be difficult to control. The giant sequoia is extremely long lived and is highly regarded as one of the most majestic trees. Average growth rate is moderate, mature size 100′ tall x 30′ wide. Prefers full sun.

Excelsa Cedar

The Excelsa cedar is a hybrid of the western red cedar. It grows 2-3’ per year but tops out at about 25’ tall and 15’ wide.  It makes a beautiful stand alone tree, or can be planted together to form a screen or hedge. Likes full sun to partial shade.

Grand Fir

The grand fir is one of the tallest firs, reaching heights of 150 feet. It is easily distinguished from other Pacific Northwest firs by its sprays of lustrous needles in two distinct rows. They are usually horizontally spread so that both the upper and lower sides of the branches are clearly visible. The needles are 1 to 1 1/2 inches long with glossy dark green tops and two highly visible white lines of stomata on the undersides. Average growth rate is fast, mature size 150′ tall x 25′ wide. Likes full sun to partial shade.

Mountain Hemlock

Native to high mountains, from Alaska south through higher Sierra Nevada in California to northern Idaho, and Montana. Good for large rock gardens, containers & bonsai. Average growth rate is slow. Likes full sun to partial shade.

Incense Cedar

Calocedrus decurrens, commonly known as Incense cedar is a beautiful evergreen known for its distinctive reddish brown bark and aromatic foliage.  It can grow up to 70’ tall, but stays columnar for an evergreen, usually topping out around 10-15’ in width.

Vanderwolf Pine

This fast-growing evergreen develops into an attractive, pyramidal specimen, with twisted, blue-green needles and large, decorative pine cones.  It is also disease, pest and drought resistant once established. It makes a lovely background plant, a stand alone specimen, or, planted in a row, a good screening plant. Likes full sun to partial shade.

Nancy Penrose is the owner of Big Trees Inc., located in Snohomish, WA in the Seattle area. The company is one of the largest tree nurseries in the Seattle area with over 120,000 trees available in over 300 varieties. They not only deliver young trees, but also mature trees in a wide range of sizes. Some types of trees available include spring flowering, deciduous, evergreen, and privacy trees. The company also does tree transplanting including large trees. Their blog can be seen at https://bigtreesupply.com/blog/ or http://arboristblog.com/. They can be reached at 360-563-2700.

Big Trees Inc.
10928 Springhetti Rd
Snohomish, WA 98296
360-563-2700
https://bigtreesupply.com/blog/
https://arboristblog.com
https://bigtreesupply.com

SNOHOMISH, WA: Big Trees Inc, (https://bigtreesupply.com) a tree nursery and tree transplant company in the Seattle area, was contacted recently by a community in Stanwood, WA where a homeowner had cleared some large evergreen trees, including incorrectly clearing those on an adjacent park.

A homeowner had taken it upon himself to clear large evergreens from his property in order to improve the view and in turn increase the value of the property he was putting up for sale. His plan worked and the property sold. Unfortunately, some of the trees were removed from a park on Tribal Lands, and when discovered after the sale of the house, the HOA (not the previous homeowner) was responsible for replacing these trees.

In October, Big Trees installed four 16-18’ Douglas Fir trees in the park, in order to reestablish some of the native landscape that had been removed.

“These types of things happen more than you would think,” said Nancy Penrose, owner of Big Trees.  “If you are going to remove trees, you have to be sure you know exactly where your property lines are!”

Nancy Penrose is the owner of Big Trees Inc., located in Snohomish, WA in the Seattle area. The company is one of the largest tree nurseries in the Seattle area with over 120,000 trees available in over 300 varieties. They not only deliver young trees, but also mature trees in a wide range of sizes. Some types of trees available include spring flowering, deciduous, evergreen, and privacy trees. The company also does tree transplanting including large trees. Their blog can be seen at https://bigtreesupply.com/blog/ or  http://arboristblog.com/. They can be reached at 360-563-2700.

Big Trees Inc.
10928 Springhetti Rd
Snohomish, WA 98296
360-563-2700
https://bigtreesupply.com/blog/
https://arboristblog.com
https://bigtreesupply.com

By Nancy Penrose

A privacy tree is typically an evergreen or broadleaf tree that can be planted strategically in one’s yard, creating privacy for outdoor spaces, blocking out neighbors, and screening decks and windows.

Here are nine trees that will dramatically improve the privacy of your property.

Emerald Green Arborvitae

The Emerald Green Arborvitae is one of the most popular and dependable screening trees for the pacific northwest. They are often planted in rows to create a natural fence. The Emerald Green is a dense evergreen that maintains its deep green color all year. Because of its columnar growth habit, and limited spread, the Emerald Green is an appropriate selection for narrow planting spaces or to border property lines. The dense and columnar growth habit of Emerald Greens means they require little maintenance or pruning, eventually forming a low maintenance solid hedge. Emeralds can easily be sheared back to limit their spread and the tops can be trimmed to create uniform heights. If left to their natural growth pattern, Emeralds ultimate height and width is typically 3’ wide by 15-18’ tall, but is slow growing, gaining approximately 6-8” per year.

Excelsa Cedar

A cultivar of our native Western Red Cedar, the Excelsa makes an excellent screening tree. It is known to maintain its density and symmetrical form without reaching such an enormous mature size. It is fast growing, gaining 2-3’ per year, but topping out around 25-30’ in height and 12-15’ in width. Excelsas tolerate hedging and shearing to maintain their growth and overall size.

Leyland Cypress

The Leyland Cypress is an excellent choice for a fast growing, large screening tree. Its growth rate and mature size is often underestimated when it is young as it can be thin in its early stages. Growing up to three to four feet each year the Leyland Cypress fills in quickly. The Leyland requires little maintenance as long as you have adequate space for the tree at maturity. Left to its natural growth habit, these trees can reach 40’ in height and 15-20’ in width. Leyland Cypress can also be used as a hedge as they do tolerate shearing to control growth and overall size but requires long term and regular maintenance.  This is NOT a good choice for small planting spaces.

Green Giant

Green Giant is a vigorously growing, pyramidal evergreen with rich green color. It has no serious pest or disease problems and has been widely grown and tested in commercial nursery production. Green Giant is an excellent substitute for Leyland cypress if you have limited planting space and do not want a high maintenance tree.
They are a good choice if you need screening higher than 15’, but don’t have a lot of width to work with.  It’s a fast growing tree, gaining 1-2’ per year, topping out at 30-35’, and 8-10’ in width.  These trees tend to fill-in and become more dense as they get older/taller and can tolerate shearing as well.

Virescens Cedar

Many Thujas will bronze or brown slightly in winter, but Virescens truly maintains a vibrant green color year-round. The other noteworthy characteristic is the upright growth habit. It grows to be more narrow (20-30’ tall by 10-12’ wide) than the species, which makes it ideal for hedging as it tends to naturally grow into a hedge with minimal pruning. It can also be pruned less intensively for a more casual appearance. Either way, it will form a thick, dense screen that provides privacy and muffles noise. It will tolerate both full sun and partial shade, and has noted deer resistance, which gives it a huge advantage over Thuja occidentalis (a deer favorite).

English Laurel

A large evergreen shrub with dense, erect branches and brilliant green foliage. In spring, it has fragrant white flowers and fruit that attracts birds. A popular choice for formally pruned hedges, group plantings or privacy screens. English Laurel are fast growing, gaining 1-2’ a year in height and can get 20’ tall and 12-15’ wide.  They are great screening choice if your yard has the space for their growth, but are an annual pruning project to keep them sheared. English Laurel tolerates both shade and salt spray.

Compact English Laurel

A slower growing, dense shrub with glossy green leaves and white flower spikes in the spring. It takes full shade to full sun with a moist, well-drained, acidic soil. This is a good plant for hedging and will respond to shearing.  The ultimate height and width is 10’ by 10’.

Schipka Laurel

Similar to the English Laurel, but with a slightly narrower leaf and smaller mature size.  Schipka Laurels are a good alternative to the English for smaller planting spaces or a wish for less maintenance.  Their ultimate height and width is12-15’ by 8-10’. The Schipka tolerates shearing, salt spray and shade.  

Portugal Laurel

Prunus lusitanica is a bushy, evergreen shrub or tree with a dark green leaf. The leaf size is much smaller than that of Prunus laurocerasus. Portugal Laurel has reddish new shoots (stems) that look attractive against the dark green leaves. If left untrimmed, it produces masses of small fragrant white flowers in early summer followed by small red to dark purple fruits. The Portugal Laurel can get 20’ tall by 15’ wide, but will take to shearing.  Another good plant for shady areas.

Nancy Penrose is the owner of Big Trees Inc., located in Snohomish, WA in the Seattle area. The company is one of the largest tree nurseries in the Seattle area with over 120,000 trees available in over 300 varieties. They not only deliver young trees, but also mature trees in a wide range of sizes. Some types of trees available include spring flowering, deciduous, evergreen, and privacy trees. The company also does tree transplanting including large trees. Their blog can be seen at https://bigtreesupply.com/blog/ or http://arboristblog.com/. They can be reached at 360-563-2700.

Big Trees Inc.
10928 Springhetti Rd
Snohomish, WA 98296
360-563-2700
https://bigtreesupply.com/blog/
https://arboristblog.com
https://bigtreesupply.com

SNOHOMISH, WA: Big Trees Inc, (https://bigtreesupply.com) a tree nursery and tree transplant company in the Seattle area, was recently contacted by a developer to help them save a tree and consequently move them forward with their building permits.

An old building in downtown Seattle was purchased by a developer who had plans to demolish and rebuild a new building.  In front of the building was a 15’ palm tree that the city was requiring to be saved in order to move forward with the project.

Big Trees was contacted to assess the tree and survivability rate if moved.  The tree was located in the planting strip in front of the building, surrounded by street and sidewalk.  After meeting with the developer and explaining what was needed to be done in order to remove the tree safely, a plan was put in place.  All of the concrete surrounding the tree was removed and fortunately, there weren’t any underground utilities in the area.

The developer had all the preparation done prior to Big Trees arrival, including providing parking for trucks and trailers, street use permits and traffic control.  Consequently, the tree was dug, rigged, loaded onto a flatbed and planted temporarily in the Big Trees nursery all in one day.

Big Trees will store the tree until fall of 2024 when the new building is slated to be completed and replant the tree per the City’s requirements.

“I know it can be a hassle for developers to deal with city tree requirements, but there are very good reasons they should be trying to save the trees they can,” said Nancy Penrose, owner of Big Trees.  “In the past developers tended to meet these requirements begrudgingly, or even ignore them altogether and just pay a fine.  Today, it feels more and more that the developers want to do their part to not just minimize negative environmental impact, but improve upon it.  It’s win-win for everybody if a tree can be saved and reused.”

Nancy Penrose is the owner of Big Trees Inc., located in Snohomish, WA in the Seattle area. The company is one of the largest tree nurseries in the Seattle area with over 120,000 trees available in over 300 varieties. They not only deliver young trees, but also mature trees in a wide range of sizes. Some types of trees available include spring flowering, deciduous, evergreen, and privacy trees. The company also does tree transplanting including large trees. Their blog can be seen at https://bigtreesupply.com/blog/ or  http://arboristblog.com/. They can be reached at 360-563-2700.

Big Trees Inc.
10928 Springhetti Rd
Snohomish, WA 98296
360-563-2700
https://bigtreesupply.com/blog/
https://arboristblog.com
https://bigtreesupply.com

By Nancy Penrose

So you want to get a tree planted in your landscape to gain the benefits of shade, beauty, temperature reduction and more. How do you select a tree nursery? What are the most important points to look for?

Both new and experienced gardeners rely upon a well-run and informative nursery for all their tree and landscaping needs. Picking a tree nursery that is reputable and has healthy zone appropriate trees can be the key to a successful landscaping project.

• They should have a wide selection of trees for you to look at. The selection should include privacy trees, fall colors trees, deciduous, evergreen, flowering, and specimen trees.
• They have both young and mature trees for you to choose from, and can transplant either from their nursery to your landscape, including large trees.
• They are knowledgeable about trees and can advise you on the best selection for your situation.
• They know and can advise you on what trees work best in your part of the country.
• They can tell you the size and growth rate of different trees, plus their preference in how much light and water they need.
• They have a good reputation in the community.
• Ideally they have a website that has information on a wide variety of trees, including pictures, plus info on size and growth rate, light and water needs, fall colors for deciduous trees, and flower characteristics.

Good luck on your tree planting projects.

Nancy Penrose is the owner of Big Trees Inc., located in Snohomish, WA in the Seattle area. The company is one of the largest tree nurseries in the Seattle area with over 120,000 trees available in over 300 varieties. They not only deliver young trees, but also mature trees in a wide range of sizes. Some types of trees available include spring flowering, deciduous, evergreen, and privacy trees. The company also does tree transplanting including large trees. Their blog can be seen at https://bigtreesupply.com/blog/ or http://arboristblog.com/. They can be reached at 360-563-2700.

Big Trees Inc.
10928 Springhetti Rd
Snohomish, WA 98296
360-563-2700
https://bigtreesupply.com/blog/
https://arboristblog.com
https://bigtreesupply.com

A “specimen” tree is defined as a tree chosen as a point of focus in a landscape. It usually has an unusual shape, texture, color or other feature that distinguishes it from other trees and shrubs in your landscape.

Here are 7 great specimen trees that could provide the perfect focus of attention in your yard.

Japanese Maple
Japanese maple trees can provide a striking focal point in your landscape. They are generally grown for their attractive foliage and shape. Mature trees are up to 25’ tall and 25’ wide. There are hundreds of Japanese maple varieties that come in various sizes with a large assortment of leaf shapes and colors.  The leaves are typically red or green in the spring and summer, and then fade before their fall color explodes to bright red, yellow or orange.  Add some up lighting down below to really accentuate the branch structure at night.

Korean Dogwood
Cornus kousa, commonly called Kousa dogwood, is a small, deciduous flowering tree or multi-stemmed shrub that typically grows 15-30’ tall, with a vase-shaped habit in the early years but eventually maturing to a more rounded form. Bloom occurs in late spring or early summer. The showy parts of the Kousa dogwood “flower” (3-5” across) are the four narrowly pointed petal-like white bracts which surround the center cluster of insignificant, yellowish-green, true flowers.  Varieties have either pink or off-white flowers.

Acer Palmatum Dissectum
This round, mound-forming, deciduous Japanese maple has many qualities that make it an excellent garden plant, including a sculptural form, deeply cut foliage, arching shoots, and orange to bright red autumn color. Often, the branch structure can be stunning – making it a beautiful tree even in the winter.

Crape Myrtle
The Crape Myrtle is known for its striking summer flowers and handsome bark.  There are many different kinds of varieties, but the average height is 10-25’ and width 15-20’.  Flower colors range in shades of pink, red, lavender or white and fall color ranges from yellow to orange to red.  The exfoliating bark as it peels, bares handsome shades of brown and grey.  Up lighting will really accentuate this at night!

Parrotia
The Parrotia tree’s main feature is its fall color.  Typically, they are a vibrant mix of yellow, orange and red all at the same time. It has small maroonish, reddish flowers in spring, but not very significant.  The Parrotia can get 30’ tall and 15-20’ wide.  It’s a very hardy tree and pest resistant as well.  They come in single trunk and multi-trunk.

Stewartia Pseudocamillia
The Stewartia ‘Pseudocamillia’ tree is a beautiful, deciduous tree with green leaves, early summer flowers, a mix of fall color and stunning patchwork bark with cream and brown colors.  The flowers are white and camellia shaped and the fall colors range from yellow to orange to red – often all at the same time. They like damp, well-draining soils and are suitable to smaller gardens.  A full sun scenario can lead to leaf tip burn, so pick a partially sunny area in your yard, and up light it to show off the bark.

Ginkgo
The Ginkgo is one of the oldest living tree species in the world, dating back before even dinosaurs roamed the earth.  It’s a slow growing tree known mainly for its fall color.  They have distinctive fan shaped green leaves that turn a bright yellow in the fall.

Nancy Penrose is the owner of Big Trees Inc., located in Snohomish, WA in the Seattle area. The company is one of the largest tree nurseries in the Seattle area with over 120,000 trees available in over 300 varieties. They not only deliver young trees, but also mature trees in a wide range of sizes. Some types of trees available include spring flowering, deciduous, evergreen, and privacy trees. The company also does tree transplanting including large trees. Their blog can be seen at https://bigtreesupply.com/blog/ or http://arboristblog.com/. They can be reached at 360-563-2700.

Big Trees Inc.
10928 Springhetti Rd
Snohomish, WA 98296
360-563-2700
https://bigtreesupply.com/blog/
https://arboristblog.com
https://bigtreesupply.com