Choosing and cutting down your own Christmas tree is one of the great holiday traditions. But, which tree is right for you? Are you looking for something with a strong pine smell, the perfect Christmas tree shape, strong branches for ornaments and decorations, or a tree that lasts a long time and retains its needles? We’ve got the guide for you. Here are the five best Christmas trees and what makes them great.
Fall tree care is essential to strengthening your trees before the frigid Michigan winter. While trees may seem huge and sturdy, they do sometimes need us to protect them. Here are a few fall tree care tips that will help set your trees up for success, ensuring they bounce back next spring healthy and ready to thrive.
Michigan’s fall transformation is underway and everyone is in awe. Tourists come from all over to see Michigan’s majestic tree transformation as our fall colors light up the landscape. But, what if you could enjoy the very best of what fall has to offer in your own backyard? You can. Here at PPM Tree and Arbor Care, we’re big fans of trees. We’ve put together a list of the best trees for adding fall colors to your property. Take a look to see what trees work for you and your property.
One of the top trees on any list for the best fall colors is the quaking aspen. This gorgeous tree gets its name from the way it’s leaves seem to quake and tremble in the wind. When fall hits, these quaking leaves turn yellow and gold, adding a beautiful pop of color to your landscape. Not only are they beautiful, quaking aspens are known for living a long time. The clonal colony of aspens in Utah, called Pando, is the oldest living organism on Earth at 80,000 years old!
This beautiful and ancient tree has existed, unchanged, for 200 million years. Overtime, these trees can reach heights of up to 80 feet tall, keep that in mind when planning on where to plant your gingko. Their unique fan-shaped leaves turn a pale yellow when fall comes around. One pro-tip is to make sure your tree is male, as females will produce foul-smelling (but very healthy) fruits once they reach 20 years of age.
Make sure to get the sunburst honey locust tree to avoid the variations that are adorned with sharp thorns and messy seed pods. The fern-like leaves on the honey locust turn a delicate yellow color in the fall and are a delightful addition to any landscaping.
These maples are some of the most famous trees in North America. The leaf is the national symbol of our northern neighbors, Canada, and the trees themselves provide the northeast with the sweet maple syrup they pride themselves on. Sugar maple trees put on one of the most beautiful shows of color changing of any tree. Colors on this tree range from soft pink to vibrant red, but often fall on the orange scale.
Sassafras is another beautiful addition to any Michigan landscaping. Not only is it famous for providing the flavor for root beer, it’s also famous for its fall foliage. The lobed leaves, that sometimes look like the mitten shape of Michigan, turn a bright orange when fall comes around.
This is the only deciduous tree (needles instead of leaves) we have on this list, but it should make it on any fall color list. Usually, deciduous trees like this stay green all year long, that’s why they’re called evergreens. However, bald cypress trees lose their needles in the fall. Before they drop them, their needles turn a brilliant fiery orange color. Plant one of these beautiful, slow-growing trees to add a pop of orange color to your property.
Not to be confused with the crimson maple, which stays a deep red all year long, the red maple only turns red in the fall. However, when the red maple transforms in the fall, it’s quite a show. The leaves change to a magnificent, bright red color that gives it its name. If you’re looking to add a brilliant splash of red to your lawn this fall then the red maple is the tree for you.
Black tupelo, or black subgum, are trees that are native to the swamplands and coastal areas of America. They have since been used as ornamental trees all over the country and, with fall colors like this, it’s no wonder why. The dark green leaves of the black tupelo turn a brilliant red when fall comes around. The deep green leaves of the black tupelo tree are a favorite snack among deer, so make sure you protect your sapling! It’s also a favorite among pollinators like bees and butterflies in the spring.
The scarlet oak is an easy to grow tree can easily become a focal point on your property. Oak trees are known for their sturdiness, strength, and beauty, and the scarlet oak does not disappoint. In the fall, the foliage of the scarlet oak turns a deep red. This oak hangs onto its leaves into the winter, adding a pop of red to the snowy landscape that will be sure to turn heads.
Dogwood trees are some of the most beautiful ornamental trees to be added to any landscaping. Their fragrant flowers, bright fall foliage, and plentiful fruit make this tree a crowd pleaser all year long. In the fall you will see the leaves that range from pink and purple to orange and red. The flower show lasts throughout the fall and then, in the late fall, you’ll get bright berries all over your tree. These berries provide food for birds of all types which is especially important as birds are in severe decline.
Crabapple trees are some of the most beautiful and bountiful trees there are. These trees have something special for every season. Beautiful blooms in the spring, thick foliage and tasty fruit in the summer, blazing colors in the fall, and bright fruit in the winter. Having a crabapple tree in your yard provides a pop of color that lasts deep into the winter. After the tree goes up in a blaze of red, yellow, and orange fall foliage, the leaves will drop, leaving behind bright red or yellow fruit. These trees will be a hub of bird activity throughout the winter!
Enjoying the fall colors of Michigan can be as easy as looking out your back window. Here at PPM Tree and Arbor Care, we offer services like tree planting, pruning, trimming, and removal so you can make sure your trees are getting the best care possible.
Give us a call at (877) 454-8733 or request a free quote here.
Fall has arrived here in Michigan and that means one thing: it’s apple orchard season. This is the time of year when it really pays off to be a Michigander. Picking apples, drinking apple cider, eating cider mill donuts; it doesn’t get much better than this. Here’s a list of the best apple orchards to visit in southeast Michigan.
Blake’s is a Michigan staple. With their 15 varieties of apples to pick, seasonal haunted attractions, and not to mention their Michigan-famous Blake’s Hard Cider, this place has something for everyone. Being one of the first u-pick orchards here in Michigan means Blake’s has had years to perfect their craft. Blake Farms Apple Orchards definitely makes the list of best apple orchards to visit in Michigan, every year.
Check out their harvest calendar to see when your favorite apples are ready to be picked!
Spicer Orchards is always one of the top apple orchards in Michigan. Its family-friendly activities and many varieties of tasty apples make it a great weekend excursion for the family. When you come to pick apples at Spicer’s, you and the family get a wagon ride out to the different spots in the orchard, depending on which apples you want to pick. When you’re finished, head into the cider mill for delicious donuts and cider. A day spent at Spicer Orchards is a day well-spent.
Take a look at the harvest schedule to find out when your favorite apples are ripe and don’t forget to check out their winery too!
Established in 1977, Plymouth Orchards & Cider Mill is a beautiful organic-certified working farm to visit this fall. Wagon rides give you a tour of the property while teaching you about the history of the farm. Stop by the farm animals or the u-pick pumpkin patch later in the fall.
Your visit isn’t complete until you check out the cider mill. Here you can pick up fresh apples, warm pies, just-baked donuts, and apple cider. Everything here is fresh, delicious, and brings out the best of fall.
Diehl’s is a beautiful orchard located in the quaint town of Holly, MI. While they don’t offer a U-Pick option at Diehl’s, you can still buy apples straight from the farm. Apples aren’t the only things this orchard has to offer. From hiking through the orchards or navigating their corn maze to having a pony ride or watching fresh cider and donuts get made, Diehl’s Orchard & Cider Mill has something for everyone.
It should first be noted that Yates Cider Mill is not an orchard, but it’s full of apple-related food and fun. Founded in 1863, this ancient cider mill is one of the oldest businesses still operating in Michigan. Yates is a household name in Michigan when it comes to apples, cider, donuts, and fall. Come watch how they produce cider the old fashioned way, using water power from the Clinton River and check out the donut making process as well. Make sure you get a taste too, you definitely won’t regret it. Yates Cider Mill offers fresh apple cider, donuts, ice cream, and you can even visit the apple tent to pick yourself a bag of apples.
Here in Michigan, we’re blessed with the perfect apple-growing environment. The experts at PPM Tree & Arbor Care have the know-how and the experience to help you start an apple orchard in your very own backyard. With tree care, planting, pruning, shaping, and cabling services, PPM Tree & Arbor Care is your one-stop-shop for all your tree care needs.
Give us a call at (877) 454-8733 or request a quote here.
As summer winds down we have one more thing to look forward to in Michigan before the long winter forces us all inside: fall colors. There’s nothing like fall in Michigan. The vibrant colors of all of our trees changing at once paint the landscape in unparalleled beauty.
Anthracnose is a relatively new disease in Michigan and is actually quite common now. It can attack any type of tree but it seems to prefer ash, oak, maple, dogwood, and sycamores the best.
One of the best things about trees is their unique growth patterns. But as trees get bigger and age, large limbs or leaning trees become more vulnerable to high winds, heavy snows, and just plain old gravity.
Here in the great state of Michigan, we cherish our trees. These mighty giants can last for generations, providing us with shade, clean air, and aesthetic beauty.
Maple trees are some of the most beloved trees in the United States. Here in Michigan, we are blessed with a wide variety of the gorgeous trees that are responsible for the magnificent display of fall colors that people travel from out of state to witness. Maples have large, wide leaves that make them the perfect shade trees for your yard and also maintain excellent shapes throughout their life. You can’t go wrong when choosing a maple. Try planting a variety of them and watch your yard explode with color in the fall.
Sugar maples are wildly popular for their standout colors and especially for their maple syrup. In the summer their thick foliage provides great shade for outdoor activities and keeping the temperature in your home down. In the spring, they flower from April to May and produce winged helicopter seeds that can sprout up in yards, flower beds, or gardens, making them easy to transplant.
When fall rolls around, the sugar maple puts on a spectacular display of yellow to burnt orange to red. It tolerates shade, prefers well-drained, moderately moist soil. If you are planting from saplings be sure to protect them; The tender leaves of young sugar maples are a favorite for deer.
Of all the maple trees in Michigan, the silver maple tree is by far the fastest-growing, making it the tree of choice for many homeowners. Its dense foliage provides ample shade in the hot summers, but it does require a lot of sunlight so plant it in an open area. Be careful when planting it near other young trees as the silver maple will grow faster and deprive the other trees of sunlight.
Silver maple leaves are green on top and silvery-white underneath. On windy days you can really see where they get their name. In the fall, it’s leaves turn a golden yellow color, adding a different shade to your landscape.
Because of their fast growth, refrain from planting them near structures and sidewalks as their roots can cause a lot of damage.
Looking for a tree to add some color and interest during the summer months? The crimson king is a stand-out maple that has breathtaking deep red foliage all year round. This tree is more contained than other maples, reaching heights of 35-45 feet and 25-30 feet wide. It may not be a wide-covering shade tree like the silver and sugar maples, but it does add variety to an otherwise green landscape.
Not to be confused with the crimson king, red maple trees actually have green foliage in the summer. It gets its name from the stunning bright red leaves that appear in the fall. They can grow 40-70 feet tall and, with a spread up to 50 feet, it makes an excellent shade tree for the backyard or patio.
At PPM Tree Care, we provide tree trimming, pruning, and tree cabling to help your trees grow up to be the best they can be.
You can ask about our wide range of services here or call us at (877) 454-8733.
One of the most important and impactful decisions that a homeowner can make about their yard is what trees to plant. Trees are an important part of any yard; they shade us from the sun, keep our yards cool in the summer heat, clean the air, and provide beauty to our landscape. If you have a big, treeless yard, then it might help to plant a few trees around your house. Studies show that houses in the shade actually save more on their cooling bills in the summer. Here’s a list of some of our favorite shade trees in Michigan.
Known for their arching branches and long, flowing canopy; the weeping willow can add a lot to your landscape. It’s an excellent shade tree and a very fast grower, growing 6-8 feet in a single year. It’s perfect for those who want to fill in their yard over a short period of time.
Weeping willows are usually found near rivers, lakes, or swamps where they can store huge amounts of water, but these hardy trees can live almost anywhere. Willows take up a lot of space and should be planted in a clear, central location with no competition from other trees. Not only is it a great shade tree, but it’s also an eye-catching ornamental. You’ll want to display a weeping willow prominently in your yard.
If you are looking for a tree that combines beauty and shade, then you can’t go wrong with a maple. Sugar maples boast thick, lush canopies that will turn your hot, unbearable deck into a cool and relaxing hangout. These trees are fast growers and easy to take care of. Plus, in the fall they put on one of the most spectacular shows in all of Michigan. People travel from out of state just to see the fiery red, orange, and yellow spectacle that these trees put on. They work great alone or in rows along your road or driveway. You won’t regret planting a few of these charming trees in your yard.
The white oak, or any member of the oak family, are great long-term investments for your property. They may be famous for their slow growth but they are also famous for their sturdiness and longevity. White oaks can do well in any soil condition and climate and if planted with enough room to grow, can achieve staggering heights and wide canopies that can shade large areas of your yard. The best part about an oak tree is that once you plant it, it can be enjoyed for generations to come. White oaks are some of the best shade trees to plant in your Michigan yard.
Growing up to five feet per year, the quaking aspen is a must-have backyard tree. It’s one of the best shade trees and you’ll even be able to enjoy them pretty quickly. Its greyish-white bark stands out and makes a statement in your yard. It’s heart-shaped leaves “quake” in the fall and put on a dazzling show of gold and orange that will be sure to turn heads. Quaking aspens grow tall and narrow so you can plant them in clusters, as windbreaks, or as a privacy curtain between properties.
At PPM Tree Care we provide tree trimming, pruning, and tree cabling to help your trees grow up to be the best they can be.
You can ask about our wide range of services here or call us at (877) 454-8733.