“Wojciech marked every hemlock along the drive and told us which two weren't worth treating. The report had a photo of each one.”
Silke B.Hemlocks along a drive
Tree and shrub health care, Hyde Park
Tree and shrub care that follows the Hudson Valley's pest calendar
A certified arborist walks your property, writes down what each tree and shrub needs, and treats only what we actually find, timed to the insects and diseases that come through the valley each year.
Plant health care calendar
What we look for, month by month in the Hudson Valley
Insects and diseases keep their own schedule. Ours follows theirs, so a visit lands when it can help your trees and not before.
- Spongy moth egg masses, winter burn
January to March
Dormant pruning while the branch structure shows. We check evergreens for winter burn and road-salt damage along drives, and count spongy moth egg masses on trunks, stone walls and fence posts.
- Winter moth, spongy moth, apple scab
April
Scouting at bud break. Winter moth caterpillars feed inside opening buds, spongy moth eggs hatch toward the end of the month, and wet weather spreads scab on crabapples. Any treatment is timed to what is hatching.
- Boxwood leafminer, emerald ash borer, hemlock woolly adelgid
May
Boxwood leafminer adults lay eggs in new leaves. Ash trees we are keeping are treated ahead of the emerald ash borer flight, which starts late in the month, and hemlocks are checked for the white wool of adelgid at the base of the needles.
- Japanese beetle, anthracnose
June
Japanese beetles reach roses, lindens and Japanese maples by the middle of the month. After wet stretches we look for leaf spot and anthracnose, and tell you which damage is only cosmetic.
- Spotted lanternfly, drought stress, boxwood blight
July and August
Spotted lanternfly adults feed on maples, walnut and tree of heaven. New trees and shallow-rooted shrubs need deep watering in dry weeks, and boxwood is watched for blight in humid spells.
- Soil, planting, beech leaf disease
September
Soil tests, and the start of the better planting window for trees and shrubs. We map beech trees with dark banding between the veins, because treatment options for beech leaf disease are limited, and we say so.
- Egg masses, fallen leaves, mulch
October and November
Egg-mass checks for spotted lanternfly and spongy moth. Scab-spotted leaves are raked away from crabapples, mulch is pulled back from trunks, and guards go on young trees before the deer rut.
- Winter protection
December
Burlap screens and anti-desiccant spray for exposed evergreens and new plantings, and a last walk to mark what to prune once the trees are dormant.
Dates shift a week or two with the weather. We scout first and treat only what we find. Products are applied by a New York State certified applicator and follow the label; ask for the label and the re-entry time before any visit.
The first visit
We start with a walk, not a spray
Before any treatment, a certified arborist looks at every tree and shrub you want kept and tells you what is wrong, what is only cosmetic and what to leave alone.
Most calls begin with a branch that thinned out or leaves that spotted over the summer. The walk is where we find out whether that is a pest, a disease, the soil or the weather, and whether it is worth treating at all.
Crown, trunk, root flare and soil
Photos and notes on each plant
A written report: treat, prune or leave alone
You decide what goes ahead
What we do
Care for the trees you already have
We care for what is already growing on your property. We don't take down trees or run storm crews.
Tree health walk and written report
A certified arborist looks over every plant you want kept and writes down what each one needs.
Read morePest and disease treatment
Treatment timed to what is hatching or spreading on your trees, applied to the label.
Read morePruning
Cuts made to the branch collar: structure, deadwood, clearance and dormant-season shaping.
Read moreSoil and root care
Soil tests, mulch pulled back from trunks, and feeding only when a test calls for it.
Read moreEspalier and fruit-tree training
Apples and pears trained against walls and fences, with wires, ties and summer cuts.
Read morePlanting and winter protection
Planting, watering plans, and winter screens for what deer and wind would damage.
Read more
Our rules
What we won't do to your trees
A few things we turn down, because they harm the tree or leave you guessing.
Top a tree
Cutting a crown back to stubs starves the tree and sends up weak shoots. We prune to the branch collar, or we tell you the tree needs a different plan.
Climb a keeper with spikes
Spikes wound the bark. On a tree we are caring for, we climb on ropes and leave the spikes for removals.
Spray by the date
No treatment visit without a scouting walk first. If we find nothing to treat, we apply nothing and write that down.
Hide the label
You get the product label, the re-entry time and how long to keep children and pets off treated plants. We tell you what the label says, not a promise about what a product can't do.
Pricing
How pricing works
We don't price a property from a photo. Here is what the number depends on, in the order people ask.
What decides the price
Trees and shrubs vary, so the price follows the property. The same hedge can be a short afternoon or a long day.
How many trees and shrubs, and how large
What the walk finds: which pest or disease, and how far along
Reach: a tall crown, a steep bank or a long carry from the drive
Which service: pruning, treatment, soil work or training
Time of year, because some treatments only work in a short window
What the estimate includes, and what it doesn't
A written list of each tree or group of shrubs we looked at, with what we propose for it and a line for each.
Included: the walk and report, the work itself, hauling of cuttings and cleanup
Not included: taking down a tree that can't be saved, unless the estimate lists it
Not included: a repeat treatment if the pest returns next season; that is a new line
What happens at the walk
A certified arborist walks the property with you. We look at each crown, trunk and patch of soil, take photos and write notes as we go. We don't treat on the first visit unless you ask and the timing is right.
When you get the number
In writing after the walk, before any work is scheduled. Each tree or group has its own price, so you can say yes to some work and wait on the rest.
From clients
What property owners write after a walk
“Hui came back after the rain to look at the crabapples again and wrote down what she saw. Nothing got sprayed that didn't need it.”
Naresh G.Crabapples and a pear
“Our boxwoods looked tired every June. The report named the leafminer, showed us the leaves and gave us a date to look again.”
Paige W.Boxwood hedge
Sample reviews.
Service area
Estates and villages along the mid-Hudson
Dutchess County, the Ulster County towns near the river and the southern end of Columbia.
Dutchess County
- Hyde Park
- Staatsburg
- Rhinecliff
- Annandale-on-Hudson
- Pleasant Valley
- Salt Point
- Clinton Corners
- Stanfordville
- Pine Plains
- Amenia
Ulster County
- Port Ewen
- Lloyd
- Clintondale
- Marlboro
Columbia County
- Claverack
- Livingston
- Ancram
- Copake
We don't work in Orange, Putnam or Westchester County, and we don't take tree removal or storm cleanup calls.
Questions
Before the walk
What people ask before they book.
What does it cost?
It depends on how many trees and shrubs you have, how large they are, what the walk finds and what time of year it is. We don't post figures, because two properties are never alike. After the walk you get a written estimate with a price for each tree or group, so you can decide plant by plant.
What does the first walk cost?
We tell you whether the walk carries a fee when you book, and the estimate shows whether that fee is credited toward the work if you go ahead.
How soon can you come, and how long does it take?
Walks are booked by the week in the growing season, and we tell you the next opening when you call. A walk takes one to two hours for most properties. Treatment dates follow the pest: some are a few weeks wide, so we book those first.
Are you licensed and insured?
New York doesn't license tree care as a trade, so the footer shows our certifications and our insurance instead. Our applicators are certified through the state Department of Environmental Conservation, and a certificate of insurance goes to you on request.
What happens at the estimate?
A certified arborist walks the property with you, looks at each tree and shrub you want kept, takes photos and writes notes. You get a written report and estimate that sorts each plant into treat, prune or leave alone.
How do I pay?
Treatment visits are billed when the visit is done. Larger pruning or planting jobs may take a deposit, which the estimate states. We take checks, cards and bank transfers.
Contact
Book a tree walk
Tell us where the trees are and what you've noticed. We'll call to set a time.
Phone(845) 555-0103
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- By appointment
- SundayToday
- Closed