Brown vs. Yellow Holly Leaves: Identifying Winter Burn and Why You Must Wait to Transplant

Posted on by Wade Pryor, Owner and Botanist
Severe winter burn on Nellie Stevens Holly leaves showing brittle brown edges and desiccation at a Maryland tree farm.

If you are looking at your Nellie Stevens or American Hollies this spring and seeing discolored leaves, you aren't alone. However, the color of that discoloration tells a very different story about your tree's health. In a previous post, we discussed Why Holly Leaves Turn Yellow in the Spring—a natural process of shedding old growth. … Continue reading Brown vs. Yellow Holly Leaves: Identifying Winter Burn and Why You Must Wait to Transplant

Best Privacy Trees for Spring Planting: Transform Your Landscape Before Summer

Posted on by Wade Pryor, Owner and Botanist
Gorgeous Green Giant Arborvitae we installed to improve curb appeal. One of the best evergreen privacy trees for MD, DC, and VA.

Why Spring is one of the Best Times to Plant Privacy Trees Spring is one of the two best seasons for planting privacy trees, ensuring strong root establishment before the summer heat arrives. Homeowners looking to create a natural privacy screen and/or wind barrier should take advantage of this time when soil conditions are optimal … Continue reading Best Privacy Trees for Spring Planting: Transform Your Landscape Before Summer

Evergreen Tree Uses by Native American and Early Settlers

Posted on by Wade Pryor, Owner and Botanist
Evergreen tree teas was a common drink for various ailments and vitamin C.

Did you know evergreen trees were essential for survival and spiritual practices long before they became holiday decor? Evergreen trees have played a crucial role in the history of Native Americans and early settlers, providing everything from shelter, windscreen, and sustenance to spiritual significance. These resilient trees are also subtly linked to Thanksgiving traditions, symbolizing … Continue reading Evergreen Tree Uses by Native American and Early Settlers

Why Are Holly Tree Leaves Turning Yellow and Falling Off? | Understanding Spring Leaf Drop

Posted on by Wade Pryor, Owner and Botanist
Holly leaves turning yellow and dropping off is the normal leaf casting cycle and occurs every Spring.

At Pryor's Nursery, we understand that seeing your beloved Holly tree's leaves turning yellow and drop off can be alarming. However, if this happens in the spring, it is often just part of the tree's natural cycle. Hollies, specifically the Nellie R. Stevens Holly, are grown locally on our evergreen tree farm in Damascus, MD, … Continue reading Why Are Holly Tree Leaves Turning Yellow and Falling Off? | Understanding Spring Leaf Drop

Seasonal DIY Evergreen Crafts for Family Fun

Posted on by Wade Pryor, Owner and Botanist
DIY Evergreen Crafting for the holidays.

Tis the Season The holiday season is upon us, and what better way to celebrate than by bringing a touch of nature into your home with DIY evergreen crafts? In collaboration with Pryor's Nursery, your local go-to evergreen tree farm, we bring you a delightful journey into crafting festive decorations that brighten up your space … Continue reading Seasonal DIY Evergreen Crafts for Family Fun

Evergreen Tree Watering and Fertilization

Posted on by Wade Pryor, Owner and Botanist
Little Boy Watering Plants

In our last blog, we talked about soil types affecting the availability and uptake of plant nutrients.  Sandy soils , which drain quickly, may not have sufficient N, P and K due to leaching, as the water rapidly leaves a sand area. Over the years rains can remove a lot of nutrients from a porous area to the garden. Regular watering is needed to establish new trees and may move materials away also, from sandy planting mix. If you could see a cross section of the soil draining, the water you are applying moves rapidly out of the sand in a more pointed, dagger like profile.

Bag Worm Control

Posted on by Wade Pryor, Owner and Botanist
Bag worm damage on evergreen branches

It's that time of year again when bagworms could appear and unfortunately, they damage plants. Bagworms prefer juniper, arborvitae, spruce, pine, and cedar but also attack deciduous trees.  Bagworm control can be done easily and without pesticides. The bags hold over 300 eggs in the cocoon and disperse in late spring by "ballooning" or crawling. … Continue reading Bag Worm Control

What Evergreen Trees Thrive in Shade?

Posted on by Wade Pryor, Owner and Botanist
Sun or shade Nellies do well.

A common question we hear is whether the evergreens prefer sun or shade? This is always a determining factor for evergreen selection. This time of year with the leaves gone, we can easily forget our planting area is shady in the summer. The choices for tall privacy screening for shady areas in the northeast are limited to hollies and hemlocks.As you can see from the picture above, there are taller deciduous trees that have lost their leaves for the winter, thus no longer providing privacy screening but, the Nellie Stevens hollies stay green year round. Plus the hollies produce gorgeous red berries in the fall for a festive holiday tree. We use the Nellie Stevens holly as it stays denser in the shade and has few insect issues. Hemlocks in the metro area often become infested with the wooly adelgid beetle which is native to Asia. The hemlock woolly adelgid is a small parthenogenetic aphidlike insect. During the winter generation, the ovisacs contain up to 300 eggs. They can be controlled with sprays ,but most people today choose to be organic in their landscaping and not spray insecticides. Once infected, the hemlock dies within 3-6 years, if not treated. For this reason the hemlock has fallen out of favor over the years. Want more info on the Nellie Stevens holly living fence for privacy screening? Check out our gallery and product list on our website http://www.pryors.com. #hemlocks #pryors #nelliestevensholly #evergreens #living fence #privacyscreening