What Exactly Are Azaleas? Many individuals get Azalea flowers mixed up with Rhododendrons. It’s uncomplicated to know why since they are in the same plant genus.  But, Azaleas have tubular or funnel-shaped blossoms and only a single flower per stem. A simple, yet intriguing design that several gardeners fall instantly in love with.  They also have 5 stamens compared to the Rhododendrons 10, and thinner, more pliable leaves rather than thicker, more leathery leaves. You’ll discover Azaleas the most in Japanese gardens as they are native to that area. There are two divergent types of these specific shrubs: deciduous azaleas and evergreen azaleas.  Deciduous lose their leaves in the fall season, but are generally tougher in colder growing zones. They also like to stretch out above evergreen Azaleas to show off that they can grow taller. If you want strictly tubular shapes, deciduous should be the prime choice. Evergreens retain all or most of their foliage year-round. They luxuriate and perform well in the warmer growing zones. With petal shapes including strap-like, star form, or round flowers, evergreens have a larger variety. However, our Everyday Azaleas are what is called Florist. Elegant if you ask me and a not-so-much type of Azalea It simply means they are shipped bud and bloom after being forced to bloom under greenhouse conditions.  This means you immediately get to enjoy the wondrous blossoms they have to offer!  Everyday Azaleas As The Ideal Gift So you’ve come to the decision that Azaleas are thoughtful and striking plant specimens and would easily make someone special’s day? Splendid!  Year after year, these gifts keep on giving as new blossoms spread their wings to show off vibrant colors.  A quick snatch of a view here and there over the weeks will remind the lucky individual of their gift-giver. Most likely will even produce a smile or two following the thought. When the flowers begin to fade for a small rest before next year, the deep green foliage will remain strong, healthy, and handsome to continue on the visually appealing aura.  Just one of many positives from growing Azaleas. From small to tall and white to red, you can pick and choose which Azalea best fits your needs. Then give your friend a little hint, wink, and nudge to come check out this blog for styling ideas.  The Bloom With Grace Pink Florist Azalea Topiary and Just Because Red Florist Azalea Topiary have a graceful display of blooms that sit atop a long braided stem. You’ll want to admire these every chance you can get, so place them softly on a patio for company during a good Sunday book read. Or greet guests with a pop of color in the entryway of your home.  Try out a shorter stemmed plant with a It’s the Little Things White Florist Azalea or a It’s the Little Things Red Florist Azalea. They each sit elegantly inside stylish copper-colored pots for a contrast like no other. Freshen up a space in the home from the kitchen to the living room, they will stand out anywhere. Because of their petite size, countertops, entry tables, and dressers make excellent holders. Bloom Where You Are Planted Pink Florist Azalea takes pride in its voluminous and ruffled pink flower blossoms. The mere presence of indoor flowers is a true delight.  With a strong and textured clay pot, this duo is unbeatable. It even pairs nicely with all kinds of home or patio decor. Make sure to breathe in the botanical freshness as much as you can. Not sure which to decide upon? Take a look at our whole collection more in detail here! Now How Does One Care For It? It’s essential to your gift that it gets the proper care or maybe you’ve decided to keep this pretty Azalea for yourself to embask in its beauty. We are right there with you! So how do you keep it alive? Since these fine plant specimens have the super power of growing in pretty pots, no need to worry about the outdoors. In fact, if you plant them in an Azalea garden outside, they will not thrive. Instead, find the prime location inside your home or on the patio where the Azalea can kindly greet guests as well as get the warm indirect light exposure it needs. Everyday Azaleas offer various colors and forms to select from! Therefore, you can mix n’ match, correlate or even color coordinate them with the rest of your home. Blush, crimson, ivory; you name it!  Even choose the look of the stem as they range from short and stumpy to tall and braided. Second, get down to the nitty gritty of the proper soil. Azalea shrubs are best friends, secret handshakes and everything, with acidic soils. If yellow leaves start to make their way into the Azaleas, it’s safe to assume that a nutrient deficiency is taking place. Make sure to add in more nutrients for a stable acidic environment! As if they weren’t picky enough already, these flowering shrubs also want well-draining soil. Azaleas don’t take joy in their roots sitting in soggy soil with little to no oxygen. Third, let’s nail the proper watering tactics for your Azalea gift. They enjoy evenly moist soils so that they are never thirsty nor drowning. How does one tell if their Azalea needs water? Easy! The soil moisture finger test has you stick one whole finger into the soil. If it’s dry to touch, add water. If it is still wet, put the glass back in the cabinet! If you forget about watering for an extra day or two, it’ll begin to wilt. But, don’t give up that soon. Merely give it a good soak and it will perk back up again. Flowers and everything! Lastly, pruning can be put to use or put on the backburner if needed. Azaleas grow well with little to no pruning. However, they can also tolerate pruning well too. It’s the best of both worlds! If you do decide to prune, make sure it happens directly after they are finished blooming. You don’t want to chop off the new buds forming for the next flowering season! Maybe pruning just isn’t in the liking; that’s okay too! Instead, enjoy not having to worry about pruning perfectly good flower buds. It’s as easy as 1 2 3 and..4, but that ruins the well-known saying being referenced. But regardless, these steps will have you a breathtaking Azalea gift in the comfort of your own home. Happy Azalea gift growing!

The Elderberry Shrub is a multi-purpose shrub that everyone is raving about. The three main go-to Elderberry shrubs are Black Lace, Golden, and York. Whatever your wants and needs are, this shrub will be able to do the trick for you. The different color schemes and personalities of these plants is what makes them so special. From dark purple to a yellow-golden foliage, it meets a variety of garden needs. It doesn’t just stop at the uniquely colored foliage either.  These Elderberry shrubs also produce the cutest flowers. Looking for petite light pink or large full white flowers? Elderberry shrubs aim to please and can offer either depending on the variety! We haven’t even scraped the surface of this deciduous shrubs appeal, Elderberries have so much more to offer with their delightful little berries. After cooking these berries, they make for the perfect afternoon snack, such as jams and jellies, pies and tarts, or syrups.  You will spot native Elderberries growing along riverbanks and fence lines over a wide area. Elderberries have been known for their beautiful colors as well as their usefulness, thanks to its sweet berries.  Yes, the rumors are true. Elderberries and their various plant parts can be poisonous, in fact, we’ve got a whole blog about it. We’re here to tell you though that they aren’t harmful at all as long as you know what you’re doing.  Elderberries are known to be the game changer in the kitchen, as long as you avoid consuming the seed, stems, leaves, and roots. Once cooked, the berries can be used in as many different ways as you can think of!  Elderberry fruits are superfruits high in antioxidants and wonderful for coughs and colds when cooked into a syrup.  Now that you know that they are harmless after being cooked, and rather delicious. Don’t miss out on what all this hype is all about! Which Elderberry Do you Need? Black Lace Elderberry This Black Lace Elderberry (Sambucus nigra ‘Eva’) is one like you haven’t seen before with its dark purple-black foliage that contrasts beautifully with its fragrant soft-pink flowers. This shrub takes your idea of a basic Elderberry and throws it out the window to bring an extra pop to your garden.  This unique shrub will leave a dramatic impact due to its dark narrow leaves and lemon scented blooms that work its magic in the spring. In the early spring, the lacy foliage of darker tones tend to emerge in fabulous fashion. If planted with a pollinating partner, your plant will spot large, flat topped clusters of dark, healthy fruits.  Golden Elderberry The Golden Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis ‘Aurea’) has golden-yellow leaves with flat white flowers that bloom in the summer months. The white star-shaped flowers cluster together to form miniature bouquets on top of its foliage.  This shrub also produces small black berries from summer into fall when planted near other pollinators. These petite berries are small, but their favor is anything but that after being cooked. Wanting a low-maintenance shrub with a lot of ornamental interest for your backyard? Then you’re in the right place because this plant is ready to be that difference-maker. York Elderberry Now let’s talk about the most basic of Elderberries - The York Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis ‘York’). Way back when it was used as staple medicine for Native American Indians, as well as early settlers and explorers.  You’d think this Elderberry would be in retirement by now, but it continues to be the most prolific Elderberry producer.  This Elderberry produces dark purple, almost black fruit that blooms in the late summer. Pick the cluster of fruit when ripe and cook to have the perfect afternoon snack.  The beautiful shrub has light green foliage with profusion of large clusters of white flowers that are extremely showy. This Elderberry does wonders in landscaping and really struts its stuff like you’ve never seen before. Complete your garden with a plant that has both berries and flowers today! Uses In The Garden In the landscape, Black Lace Elderberries contrasts incredibly well with evergreen trees and shrubs. The dark purple tones add the extra jazz that most other plants can’t offer to your garden.  This shrub was not born to be a follower that’s for sure. It doesn’t have just one basic shape, but instead has a free-form personality. You can plant it in an area where it can stretch out and flaunt its magnificent self. Or chose to fashion the shrub into a tall, thin purple waterfall.  The Black Lace Elderberry works wonders in any area of your yard. Either in a large concrete container on your porch where its beautiful color can emerge from the gray shade, or as a hedge around your patio.  The Golden Elderberry contrasts attractively with surrounding green bushes within your garden. This shrub would look outstanding as a border along your property line with its golden-yellow leaves to draw attention.  This deciduous shrub does have rapid growth and can grow up to 5-12 feet tall and about 7 feet wide. Since this magnificent plant has a wide growing range, be sure to plant with plenty of growing space.  The York Elderberry doesn’t need other plants to make it look fabulous. It does it on its own. You can use this Elderberry as an independent specimen shrub.  Planting it alone, gives this plant the ability to grow to its full potential of about 11 feet tall and 8-12 feet wide. Wow, that seems large, but you can cut it down to your personal preference if need be. Elderberries can easily be kept at your definition of a perfect size after pruning the plant once a year.  If you have a large landscape, then this shrub works wonderfully as a border along your pond or water structure. Using it for multiple purposes adds a beautiful color scheme to the landscaping and perfect privacy shrub. #ProPlantTips for Elderberry Care Everyone likes to be treated like royalty every now and then. Well, so do Elderberry shrubs.  These Elderberry shrubs are low-maintenance and easy going once planted properly. Planting in either full sun or partial shade with well-drained soil allows the shrub to grow to its full potential. Be aware that new purple and yellow leaved cultivars may produce some fruit if they are nearby plants that they can cross pollinate with.  Work smarter, not harder and save time in the long run by adding mulch around your shrub to allow for consistent moisture during hot summer months. Ideally, apply 3-4 inches of mulch out 4 feet from the center of the plant. During the winter each year, you should spoil your Elderberry shrub by cutting out about one third of the oldest canes to the ground, leaving the younger stems in place for the best bloom and fruiting possible.  Health Benefits of Elderberry You can’t go wrong with a plant that not only is a fabulous ornamental outside, but also an amazing snack inside. It is simply the best of both worlds.  Your friends might say blueberries are the way to go but Elderberries hold just as many if not more nutrients and you have the added benefit of looking like a master gardener with your native plant knowledge. A little fun fact for you, if you have seen “Sambucus” pills at your local health food store, then you were looking at the pill form of an Elderberry! As previously mentioned, Elderberries have been used in the past to treat a cold and flu. Although these berries have been famously noted to improve immune systems, they have also been known to be poisonous if you aren’t careful! No need to worry though, just steer clear of the stems, leaves and roots. Instead, take the time to harvest the berries and use them in the kitchen. Still a little lost? We’ve got you covered with some ideas! In the Kitchen with Elderberries What makes these berries healthy is the fact that they consist of Vitamin A, B, and more C. Even more than our current go-to vitamin packed Orange. A yummy, healthy snack is almost too good to be true. Almost. We’ve all had to suffer through regular store bought cough syrup. Did you know using Elderberry syrup makes for a highly effective alternative. Gone are the days of artificial flavors. You’re probably wondering what you have to do to be able to enjoy these delicious berries. Well, it's as simple as this - slowly stew the berries down into a syrup.  Now you can enjoy these delicious berries in pies, jams, and wine. Boiling these berries might make them slightly bitter, but nothing that a spoonful of sugar can’t fix!  These Elderberries make cooking seem easy with their sweet taste in whatever dessert you choose to make. Not to mention they’ll make you look like a gourmet cook to your guests. Order your Elderberry shrub of choice today with Nature Hills Nursery! Happy planting!

Wait, we should be planning our gardens and landscapes?  Yes, you should be! These things take time and major patience to perfect. You do want those passing by to stop and marvel at the work you’ve done right?  Maybe you’re in a friendly warfare with that one neighbor who always out does the whole block?  Or could you be trying to impress the new in-laws with perceived-to-be tip-top shape landscape designs? We’ve all been there. So let’s get started! Think of the outdoor spaces as a wonderful canvas to paint. Blend together lights and darks, smoothly outline the sides, and attract eyes to wanted pivot points.  Before you are a fully engulfed garden artist, different plants have different needs and it’s your job to cater to them! Mapping out the desired growing areas on your property is a good place to start.  Knowing how much sunlight is received, the types of soil present, and where the Earth naturally slopes will be helpful in determining which plants are suited best for each area. If you’re looking into fruit and vegetable gardens, calculating the amount of food wanted per person could provide maximum potential for an organized, healthy, and beautiful garden. No one likes to waste those extra oranges barely hanging on the tree! Moving forward, applying the “garden buddy system” is a must-have. Yes, we made that up but it works wonders. Some plants just don’t fancy living next to other plants.  Petite plants don’t appreciate being near taller ones because they tend to hog all the warm sunlight. Dwarf Fountain Grass would rather not be drowned by an Arctic Fire Dogwood since their water preferences vary.  Be sure to know all the details of your plants so that you can place them near the best neighbors! When exactly are you supposed to start planning? You should be planning your 2021 landscape as we speak. No worries, we have you covered in this blog on how to commence. Your Upscale 2021 Landscape Awaits Design A Layout: Whether you already have a layout, looking to add to it, or starting completely from scratch, designing is a crucial first step. It’s like the lovely first layer of strawberry yogurt in a breakfast parfait.  Then as you have the time and the budget permits, you can add more plants! A little secret between the two of us.. you can never have too many plants! Fruit and vegetable gardens appreciate being grown in raised beds. Make these elegant with stained pieces of wood or crafty by rejuvenating an old metal water tank!  Shift and move garden beds with Sunshine Blue Blueberries and York Elderberries in an arrangement that is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Zig-zags, stacked, or shaped cutouts are our favorite ways to transform a garden design into trendy. Garden tip reminder: be sure to place the beds in an area that your plants enjoy! The growing season will reward you for the hard work. Maybe you need an excuse to finally grow a live privacy screen around your property for complete serenity. Trees and Shrubs are masters at this; big or small, they can do it all! Plan out how a line of a few Green Giant Arborvitaes will pop around a landscape. Then bask in the peaceful silentness while sipping a cup of coffee on your front porch. Add in a strike of color with a Miss Kim Lilac or a few surrounding property lines. The sweet fragrance of lavender flowers will flow freely among your senses.  Fertilizer & Mulch: After the harshness of winter passes, planting season will be in full swing and hitting the ground running. No time should be wasted on preparing the growing area!  Remove dead leaves that have piled high above the soil so that you can add Plant Fertilizer and mulch! This helps build soil with nutrients and aid water retention.  You’ll want to add the mulch mid to late spring as the soil begins to warm up. However, it can be a long time before those nutrients are broken down into a way that plants can actually use them. That’s why you plan ahead!  Then you can add in a compost pile, mulch, and other organic materials to further the preparation.  Don't forget that shredded woody material produced when arborists grind up trees, are sometimes given away for free to homeowners, and this makes fantastic mulch for your plants! Plant Saving & Orders:  Being garden ready for spring also means having the seeds to actually plant in a style garden! You’ll want to start ordering your desired plants soon and here’s why.  The world of gardening, along with edible landscaping, is super trendy right now! What an amazing thing! We work tirelessly with growers to make sure there are plenty of plants but sometimes your favorites are all snatched up by the time spring rolls around. Buying now ensures you’ll get that fragrant Julia Child™ Rose or devilishly handsome Bloodgood Japanese Maple you’ve been eyeing. Hey, now that you’re in on the skinny, jump on our website to order shrubs, trees, perennials and more for your trendy garden and landscape. During the winter, we’ll simply hold your plants and ship them to you come spring.  Keep your eye out for exciting new plants in production at Nature Hills! We become an incredible resource for plant lovers all across the country with accurate plant culture information from planting to pruning, hardiness and requirements to make the plants grow well, and how to use the plants in your landscape with plenty of tips and tricks! With proper preparation, the landscape of your most desired dreams can be achieved with ease! Don’t wait for 2021, let's get this garden party started!

Power. Crispness. Formal. Wait, are we talking about Usain Bolt’s running technique? Nope! These are just a few of the adjectives we use to describe Columnar trees.  Although, we do believe these natural specimens could win an Olympic gold medal or two as well. The new craze of vertical accents in the landscape is upon us, and we want you to be fast adapting for all the right reasons. So let’s jump right in! Our Go-To’s For Tight Spaces Evergreen Columnar Blue Spruce is known for its dramatic silver-blue foliage color! It also enjoys showing off a striking upright form when planted. The best part yet, there’s little pruning or maintenance required.  You’ll want to plant this tree where you can see it from the comfort of your home, especially during the winter months when it’s lit up like a Christmas tree! Degroot’s Spire Arborvitae is a slender columnar evergreen that stands out from the rest. It’s extreme soft foliage makes it seem as if you could easily give it a 5 minute long hug! This arborvitae loves to show off its professional aura whether that be a single focal point in front of the house, a solid screen to close off privacy, or with a collection of other evergreen trees! Fine Line Buckthorn is an excellent choice for a columnar plant within a decorative container. Their shape is softened by the dainty textured foliage that flows freely in light winds.  Instead of just one, add in another to flank both sides of your front door. Or create privacy screens or living walls to cover unwanted visual aspects by lining them a tight knit row. The possibilities are endless!  Armstrong Maple’s branches all uniquely grow towards the sky making it ideal for narrow planting. Being one of the taller specimens, the Armstrong Maple can show off its classic red leaves in the fall and stunning silver bark in the winter! It can even act and blend in with shade trees too! Flowering  Purple Pillar Rose of Sharon is a vertical accent like no other! It displays a long-lasting view of violet-pink soft petals that are streaked with ruby red centers.  This plant will grow tall and stay skinny while doing it, making it an ideal attention grabbing privacy screen for smaller areas! Fruiting Blushing Delight & Golden Treat Columnar Urban Apple Tree is the best of both worlds! Its columnar shape and full-sized apples cannot be beat in the garden.  Use it to decorate a patio, grow in a lovely container, or use as a small space backdrop to a victory garden! In no time, you’ll be enjoying fresh home-grown juicy apples.  How To Add In Columnar Trees  Landscape Design Tips  There is just something about the simplicity of a single narrow tree in a landscape that screams “Look at me!” If you’re the person who wants to add in a plant, but doesn’t want to overdo it, a spire-like columnar has your back.  This uncomplicated design tip can be anchored down within a planting bed, stand tall in a pot set aside the front door, or even provide the ideal contrast to a few wide-spread or rounded greenery.  Be the neighbor during the holiday season that bedazzles their Dwarf Alberta Spruce Spiral Topiary with twinkling ivory lights at their doorstep for a prime focal point on the block.  Even mix and match a few Sky Pencil Holly trees to thoughtfully frame a gate or doorway. Narrow upright trees with their crisp and clean outlines fit well into the more formal aspects of gardening.  This is exactly why columnars go well in patio plantings, landscape entryways, or around foundation beds.  Looking for more of a space saving tree line that envelops the meaning of elegant privacy? Small yards and structures can have that too!  A chain of these slim trees make an attractive boundary with the benefits of being brilliant windbreaks and notable noise buffers. We suggest several North Pole Arborvitae to attain a sophisticated screen! Proper Planting & Care Regular Columnar trees require the same amount of attention as any other tree once established in your landscape.  You’ll want to check the water intake throughout the first year. They prefer well-drained soil. If the area is dry, give it a nice long shower. But if the soil is already moist, check again the following day.  Pruning a select few of your narrow trees is a proper care tip 101. This not only makes the garden look snazzy, but it makes for a healthy plant. Others don’t require this as they do it for you! When planting and caring for columnar fruit trees, you’ll want to become a pro at the basics. Be sure to plant your edible delight in an area that receives full sun and has enough space to grow.  Fruit trees for small areas are only a few feet wide, so they make the perfect addition to your small garden. However, they don’t like very hot or very cold weather. Zones 4 through 8 are ideal! Once you’ve got the tree in the ground, it’s time to officially start the caring process! There should always be ample enough of water provided, but steer away from the soil being soggy or bone dry.  For a spectacular fruit-bearing harvest, add in fertilizer to encourage growth throughout the season.  Ready to nose-dive into the craze of Columnar trees? We know we are!  Happy planting from Nature Hills!

Spooky Jack-O-Lanterns, a cup of fresh hot apple cider, and a few fuzzy scarves are all signs that the fall season has officially arrived in your neighborhood. But the most admired favorites are the burnt orange, light brown, and velvet red foliages that engulf the crisp fall leaves.  Whether it was raking up a pile of leaves just to cannon ball into them or hearing the soft crunch underneath your shoes when trick-or-treating, the fall colored trees have had your back with providing fond memories of the leaves slowly changing.  Fully embrace the fall season by keeping the tradition of a calming, colorful landscape alive in your own backyard. Plant a tree here and there to admire the elegant hues we have all grown up to love.  Our Trees Are (Fall)ing For You Knowing Your Fall Colors If you’re the person who enjoys a Halloween and fall season that is packed full of oranges and yellows, then you’ll want to pick trees that compliment your wishes! Vibrant colors are a must have in tree foliage, we know. Orange and yellow lovers will want to show off a Paper Birch, Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry, or a Ginkgo Tree in their landscape!  A Paper Birch Tree’s cream white bark is off set with the pop of golden hues overtaking the once green leaves, which is why it’s prized for ornamental features. Definitely makes you want a pumpkin spiced latte in your hands at all times Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry has a spectacular blend of orange and red that is displayed over a long period of time, leading to a full season of vibrant foliage. Not to mention, a few carved pumpkins at the base create the ideal fall feel.  Ginkgo trees are the ones you overly fascinate about every year when the wind edges more towards brisk. Their showy display of saturated yellow leaves eventually make their way to the ground, leaving your yard with a fresh new blanket overnight.  For those of you who admire the reds and purples when driving through a thick forest, your love for darker hues brings you to a Bald Cypress, Red Maple, and Purple Pony Plum. The cinnamon red shade of a Bald Cypress is hard to beat and goes great with a couple of warm apple donuts softly coated in cinnamon. This tree loves to be the center of attention when fall comes around!  One large Red Maple produces piles upon piles of scarlet leaves to jump into day after day! Enjoy illuminating this tree with the spookiest Halloween decorations you can find.  Bring in a dark shade of purple to the fall season party with a Purple Pony Plum Tree in your backyard. Since it’s color actually never fades, this showstopper will have you wishing for a caramel apple in the middle of June! The Best Fall Colored Trees For Your Region Thanks to the New England maple forests, the Northeast is covered with various shades of red. It is only right that if you live here, you take part in the fun and plant some of your own crimson hues! Maples are the fan favorite for when it comes to showing off cardinal tones. Sugar Maples are known for their orange and red shades and the ability to produce sweet tasting syrup. It’s almost as if hundreds of bright candy apples are growing upon its limbs!  October Glory and Red Sunset Maples separate themselves from the crowd by producing deep red leaves. Both of these are reliable performers even in mild climates.  On the complete opposite end, the Northwest, are hundreds of Evergreens that produce a cool blue-green color to prepare you for the Christmas season.  If you live here, Colorado Spruces hold the top slot for ornamental trees. It’s a classic evergreen who takes pride in its year round color. A Norway Spruce supplies a unique green to a landscape, with the special addition of pinecones! The Upper Midwest is a lover of Aspens and Birch Trees! Quaking Aspens tower above its fellow tree friends, which catches the eyes of all those passing by. The vibrant clear yellow makes the heart-shaped leaves ten times better.  After looking at a River Birch, you’ll want to settle down with a bag of buttery yellow popcorn while watching Hocus Pocus for the 3rd time this week. This ornamental tree completes the full autumn landscape you have been dreaming of.  Planting Trees 101 Benefits Of Planting Trees In The Fall Lots of individuals don’t realize that you can plant all the way up to the point where the ground freezes. In fact, it is almost better to plant in the fall rather than any other season in a year.  Trees, in particular, are deemed most successful when planted later in the year. The cooler temperatures and light rain allow for roots to be fully established. This is essential for allowing adjustment to extreme heat in the summer.  You may think that trees tend to struggle during the harsh winter months, but they actually go dormant. We like to call it hibernation, almost exactly like a bear!  During hibernation, trees slow down energy consumption, growth, and metabolism. This ensures that no extra care is needed, which keeps you nice and warm next to a lit fireplace.  Proper Care In a tree’s first year of life, it is extremely important to keep good care of it. Start by surrounding the tree with rings of mulch without piling it upon the trunk.  Trees quickly appreciate the benefits of the mulch maintaining even moisture and allowing for more root development late into the fall season! Also, don’t keep your tree bone dry directly after planting. Even if it’s chilly out, you’ll need to water it properly! Test out the soil with your finger to see if it’s moist. If not, your tree is kindly  telling you that it needs some water.  So be prepared for the next fall season with adding in a couple of trees to your landscape! Not only will new piles of leaves to jump in build up, but excellently carved pumpkins will be easily sheltered on Halloween night. Admire your new fall foliage view from the comfort of your own home while sipping on a morning hot coffee in a snuggly cream-colored cardigan. Happy planting!