Expert Gardening Advice for At-home Gardeners

Gardening season is right around the corner. Late winter is the perfect time to plan your spring gardening—and spring is the right time to get started.

Here are some expert gardening tips to help you have a great growing season this year.

The right site

If you’re growing vegetables, herbs or flowers, you’ll want to choose the right site. Choose a location you can see from your home, so you’ll remember to water and care for your garden.

Start small

With more time at home these days, you might be tempted to go big when it comes to your garden. Here, the old adage of “don’t bite off more than you can chew” applies. Using concepts like square-foot gardening, you can actually fit quite a lot of plants into a small space. You’ll also be able to keep up with weeding, watering, and pruning in a small space.

Know your sun

Track how the sun moves through your yard as spring gets underway. You’ll want to know how many hours of sun your intended garden location receives, and what direction the sun comes from. A south-facing garden plot will get the warmer rays of the sun later in the day and may be better for tomatoes and bold blooms like sunflowers and zinnia. Partial shade is ideal for other kinds of plants like sweet pea and columbine.

Watch the last frost date

Spring can bring warm days but very cool nights—and an occasional late-season freeze. Be sure to know your hardiness zone (northern Illinois is Zone 5A) and use it to guide your planting. You want to choose plants that are hardy to your zone. A good rule of thumb is that cold-hardy seeds like lettuce and carrots can go into the ground in early April, but you’ll want to wait to plant vegetables like tomatoes and zucchinis until well after the last average frost date of April 30. This is why many people wait to plant flowers and fruiting vegetables until at least mid-May.

Water, water

Locate your garden near water. Make sure the hose can reach or consider a soaker hose system that allows you to drip water to roots. The easier it is to water your garden, the better you’ll keep up when the hot days of July and August roll around.

Plant in good soil

Good soil grows better plants. The soil in your yard may not be ideal for what you want to grow. In northern Illinois, there can be a lot of clay in the soil, which can lead to wet, poorly draining growing conditions. Unless you’re working with this—and native plants that like water are good choices here—you’ll want to improve your soil.

You can work in compost, topsoil, and other organic matter to improve your soil. Or you can opt for container gardens or raised-bed gardening, and you can customize the soil blend that you use. You might find that the investment pays off in a better gardening experience.

Gardening can be a great way to be closer to nature, spend more time outside, and beautify your yard. A little bit of research and planning can go a long way toward enjoying it more. Reach out to discuss how we can help you with your at-home gardening this season.

Advanced Tree Care combines top-notch equipment, cutting-edge technology, and well-trained staff to provide emergency tree removal and tree maintenance services. With a presence in nine counties and two states, we work daily to provide unparalleled customer service, safety, and efficiency—as well as the expertise to beautify your landscaping and community. Advanced Tree Care isn’t just our name—it’s also our purpose!

Commercial Tree Care Services

Commercial Tree Services

As tree care professionals, we serve both residential and commercial property owners with their tree care needs. Our commercial customers include:

Municipalities, park districts, and other government agencies
Private businesses, business parks, and corporate campuses
Facilities, including golf courses and cemeteries

Many of our commercial services overlap with our residential services, only greater in scale—since commercial properties tend to be much larger and be home to a great number and variety of trees. Services include:

Tree pruning

Regular tree pruning creates stronger and healthier trees with attractive, pleasing shapes. Pruning is conducted, though, for both health and safety. While pruning can take place at any time of the year for most species of trees, certain types of trees should only be pruned during dormancy in late fall or winter. A certified arborist directs all pruning, which entails three types:

Class 1, or fine pruning, is a detailed process in which the full tree is pruned, tip to stem. All dead limbs are removed, and branches are thinned, shaping the canopy over time. This type is the most common type of pruning for residential projects.
Class 2, or general pruning, is the most common type of pruning for commercial projects. Only dead limbs are removed, so general pruning is less extensive, though does need to be performed more frequently.
Class 3, also called safety pruning, concerns the removal of dangerous limbs that could pose a safety hazard in high winds, intense storms, or with the added weight of snow or ice.

Commercial tree removal

This service is offered for both planned and emergency removal of trees damaged through disease, decline, weather, or other reasons. Because tree removal can be complex and dangerous, it is best conducted by a professional tree service led by a certified arborist.

Commercial stump removal

Commercial stump grinding is conducted following the removal of a tree or trees. There are five different methods for stump grinding, and a certified arborist will help determine which is the most effective way for a particular project or situation.

Government, municipal, and park district services

Commercial Tree Care Services — Commercial properties tend to be larger, with more variety of trees than residential properties, so many of the services are the same.

Public and government agencies want to ensure that trees and landscapes are safe, healthy, and cared for properly for the enjoyment of residents and the betterment of the community. As the exclusive contracted tree service provider for ten cities, multiple park districts, and other government agencies, Advanced Tree Care currently manages over 60 square miles of urban landscape trees and shrubs in 13 counties in two states—Illinois and Wisconsin.

Golf course and cemetery services

To enhance the beauty and ensure the safety of golf courses and cemeteries’ trees, Advanced Tree Care provides regular maintenance and care for these facilities’ treescapes.

Land clearing and restoration

Some commercial sites require a fresh start. New construction or extensive renovation often require planting a landscape from scratch. An experienced staff can remove old, dead, diseased, or unsuitable trees and plants and design a new landscape for a site.

Maintenance programs

Our programs give trees proper service and periodic care so they look their best and thrive at their healthiest. Our two primary programs are Advanced Gold and Advanced Silver. We work with our clients to determine the right fit for the budget and need.

Tree identification and inventory

A full tree inventory creates a baseline for monitoring and caring for the health of a treescape—in the most efficient way possible. It catalogs the species and condition of a property’s trees and notes the presence of any invasive species or problematic pests. Like a plat of survey, the tree inventory notes the position of every tree on the property.

Advanced thermal tree imaging

Commercial projects often benefit from advanced thermal tree imaging, which uses FLIR (forward-looking resonance imaging) to analyze areas of stress not visible to the naked eye. This data allows a certified arborist to make informed decisions regarding preventive care, treatment, or removal.

Residential Tree Care Services

Tree Care Services for Homeowners

As a homeowner, you’re responsible for the health and care of the trees on your property. That includes not only emergency care or removal but also the ongoing maintenance that keeps your trees healthy and thriving. At a detailed level, what are the various residential tree care services—and what does service entail?

Residential Tree Care Services

Tree pruning

Simply put, regular tree pruning produces strong, healthy, and attractive trees. Trees are pruned for a variety of reasons, including for aesthetics—to create a pleasing shape—and for safety, so that weak or damaged branches don’t break off in storms. A certified arborist directs pruning, which can be conducted in most seasons for most types of trees (some species do best with pruning during dormancy).

Class 1, or fine pruning, refers to a very detailed inspection in which the full tree is pruned, tip to stem. All dead limbs are removed, and branches are thinned. Fine pruning contributes to canopy shaping and is the most common type of pruning for residential projects.
Class 2 is general pruning, which is a less extensive—and expensive—type of pruning for residential projects. Only dead limbs are removed. Though less costly per service, general pruning does need to be performed more frequently.
Class 3, also called safety pruning, concerns the removal of dangerous limbs that could pose a safety hazard in high winds, intense storms, or with the added weight of snow or ice.

Tree removal

Trees are removed for various reasons, including disease, decline, and damage. Because tree removal can be complex and dangerous, it is best conducted by a professional tree service led by a certified arborist. Experienced staff determine the best way to remove a tree to avoid property damage and minimize safety concerns.

Tree stump removal

Stump removal is conducted after the rest of the tree has been removed. Stump grinding is the most effective form of stump removal. There are five different methods for stump grinding, and a certified arborist will help determine which is the most effective way for a particular project or situation.

Land clearing and restoration

Some residential projects require a fresh start. New construction or extensive renovation often require planting a residential landscape from scratch. An experienced staff can remove old, dead, diseased, or unsuitable trees and plants and design a new landscape for a residential site.

Maintenance programs

Our programs give trees proper service and periodic care so they look their best and thrive at their healthiest. Our two primary programs are Advanced Gold and Advanced Silver. We work with homeowners to determine the right fit for the budget and need.

Tree identification and inventory

A full tree inventory creates a baseline for monitoring and caring for the health of your trees—in the most efficient way possible. It catalogs the species and condition of your property’s trees and notes the presence of any invasive species or problematic pests. Like a plat of survey, the tree inventory notes the position of every tree on the property.

Advanced thermal tree imaging

As trees grow, their structures need to be managed to preserve property safety. With the use of infrared technology, examining trees becomes a quick and cost-effective task. Areas that are not visible to the naked eye become very visible to a FLIR (forward-looking resonance imaging) system—and this information allows a certified arborist to make informed decisions regarding treatment or management.

Winter Tree Care

Caring for Your Trees Over the Winter

Autumn is when trees really shine, bursting out in magnificent colors. In fact, the season’s other name—fall—is for the glorious dropping of these beautiful leaves.

Did you know, though, that when fall is over, and trees become dormant over the winter, they still require your care? Protecting your trees and ensuring their continued health requires essential winter tree care.

Here’s a few simple rules of thumb to guide your winter tree care this season:

Water until the ground freezes

Just because the warmest days of the year are behind us doesn’t mean you shouldn’t water your trees any longer. Fall can, in fact, be a dry season some years. Water your trees throughout the fall and early winter until the ground fully freezes. In our area, this can be as late as the end of December.

Newly planted or young trees that still have a small root mass especially need continued watering. And, when it comes to watering, go for low and slow so that you deliver the water directly down to the tree’s root zone. How often and how long you should water depends on tree species, soil type, and our weather conditions. You can check the soil and your tree’s foliage to determine if your tree is over- or under-watered, or you can consult one of our experts.

Protect roots with mulch application

Winter Tree Care — Before the intense winter weather gets here, it’s important to protect your trees so they thrive in the growing season.

Before the heavy snows and ice arrive, mulch around each tree with wood chips, bark, or other organic material. You should apply two to four inches of mulch spread over the top of the entire root zone. The mulch will insulate against temperature extremes while also nourishing the soil and preserving moisture levels. Be sure to keep the mulch layer at least three inches away from the base of the tree trunk to allow the tree to properly breathe.

Remove stakes or ties

While stakes or ties can provide some stability for newly established trees, these items should be removed before winter. Trees will establish more quickly and develop stronger trunk and root tissue without these aids.

Prune branches

Winter can be an optimal time for pruning because trees are dormant. In fact, pruning can help reduce the chance that a winter snowstorm or ice storm will damage your tree. Be sure to engage a professional tree service to prune your trees, so that the tree is properly cared for. Pruning cuts should be left uncovered, and proper pruning cuts should be made just outside the branch collar.