It makes sense that we should see some winter burn on evergreens as we reach the end of a good old-fashioned New England winter. After a long period of drought conditions last summer, we did experience some rain in the fall, which provided much-needed hydration for evergreens going into the winter. Evergreens have the capacity to store moisture to help prevent winter burn or desiccation of the foliage, but water still needs to reach the roots during the winter months. I’m thinking we will see some winter burn on evergreens because the frost penetrated the ground as deep as 12…
Matthew R. Foti Landscape Design & Construction is a full-service landscape design and construction firm.
Established in 1977, Foti has maintained a years-long commitment to high quality workmanship and personalized customer service. As a long-time educator of aspiring Arborists and Horticulturalists, Matt’s small construction crew employs the most up to date planting and transplanting methods that will ensure the health and longevity of your landscape. Our continued education in a constantly changing industry combined with state-of-the-art equipment has made Foti one of the leaders in the field. Contact Matt at 781-862-1010.
Winter 2023/24
W inter 2023 / 2024 was the warmest in 130 years of recordkeeping. We had ample rainfall right into the spring and very early summer, but right now we are on the dry side. With the extreme heat waves we have been experiencing in July, trees and shrubs are looking a bit stressed, so try to be diligent about watering. 2023 was a good recovery year with excessive rainfall after the severe drought of 2022. Supplemental watering right now is very important for trees planted in the past two years and for trees that have not fully recovered from…
Tree News July 2023
T his April’s exceptionally dry conditions brought back memories of severe drought throughout the summer of 2022, and it felt like we were going in the same direction this spring with little rain in April and May. Thankfully, we began to catch up with a few heavy spots of rain in June and forecasted for the holiday weekend. You will never hear me complain about rain. I prefer ample moisture over drought conditions any day. The recent rain is exactly what the doctor ordered to help drought-stressed trees and shrubs recover. Sadly, this will be too late for some trees…
August ’22 Tree News
I t’s the middle of August, and I feel just as happy as everyone I talk to that the extended period of heat and humidity has finally given way to very pleasant days and cooler nights. Let’s hope that it stays this way for a while. I remember being very concerned about the dry conditions we had in May, and my fears about drought conditions this summer have become a reality. We haven’t had substantial rainfall since early May, and we are experiencing one of the worst drought years on record. I see drought-stressed trees dropping leaves every day now…
Spring 2021 Tree News
It is early March right now and people seem generally optimistic about better times ahead. Due to the pandemic, this is the first winter in over 40 years that I have not traveled to some distant corner of the world. I sense optimism by the number of calls I have fielded throughout the winter from customers planning exterior masonry and planting projects. This will be the beginning of our third year with two great masons on staff. Landscape masonry or hardscape—as we refer to it—really sets the foundation for a beautiful landscape. The form and function of every landscape evolves…
What I’m Seeing This Spring of ’23
I am writing during the first full week of spring 2023, thinking about the extremely mild winter we just had, which hopefully is in the rearview mirror now. We had several snow events in March, all proceeded by warm weather that melted the snow each time rather quickly. The ground never did freeze this winter, which was great for evergreen trees and shrubs that benefited from every rain or snow event. When the ground freezes solid, evergreens are unable to absorb moisture and causes winter kill. As I drive around town, I notice brown evergreens, but this was caused by…
Drought Stressed Trees and Plants
I can’t help but start with concerns about recent weather patterns and, most important…… Water, or lack of adequate rainfall. The heavy rains we had at the beginning of June were certainly welcome, but few realize that even though we had 4 to 5 inches of rainfall in a short period, that was still too little too late. We had more rain in the first week of June than we had in April and May combined, and that is a real problem for all trees and shrubs. Just 1/4 inch of rain fell in the entire month of May.…
Fall Maintenance Reminder
W e experienced severe winter kill on evergreens last winter primarily because plants went into the winter, followed by drought conditions late last summer and into the fall. Evergreens need lots of water at the end of the summer and through the fall to make it through the winter because they never go completely dormant. When sunlight is cast on the foliage the roots cannot draw moisture from the ground when it is frozen solid, winter kill is caused by desiccation. The best advice I can give now is water, water, water and water some more right up until the…
The Danger of Ticks In Your Landscape
A after recently completing a three-week regimen of Doxycycline antibiotic for Lyme Disease (for the second time), I feel obligated to inform my customers of this current epidemic and let you know how we can help. Two of my employees have been treated for Lyme Disease in the past six weeks, and several others have received treatment over the past three or four years, and we are coming into contact with deer ticks on your very own properties. Lyme disease has emerged as the second most commonly reported infectious disease in New England, currently described as a public health crisis.…
Deal with Winter Moths Before Spring Arrives!
T he infestation of Winter Moths this fall could become a serious problem in the Spring. Winter moths were introduced to New England from northern Europe and continue to cause serious defoliation of many of our deciduous trees. Adult moths fly high into the branches of trees at this time of the year to lay eggs that will hatch tiny caterpillars next spring. Winter moth continues to be a serious problem because there is no natural predator to keep it in check. If you noticed moths flying around your home during the fall months you should consider contacting an arborist…
Spring 2025
It makes sense that we should see some winter burn on evergreens as we reach the end of a good old-fashioned New England winter. After a long period of drought conditions last summer, we did experience some rain in the fall, which provided much-needed hydration for evergreens going into the winter. Evergreens have the capacity to store moisture to help prevent winter burn or desiccation of the foliage, but water still needs to reach the roots during the winter months. I’m thinking we will see some winter burn on evergreens because the frost penetrated the ground as deep as 12…
Winter 2023/24
W inter 2023 / 2024 was the warmest in 130 years of recordkeeping. We had ample rainfall right into the spring and very early summer, but right now we are on the dry side. With the extreme heat waves we have been experiencing in July, trees and shrubs are looking a bit stressed, so try to be diligent about watering. 2023 was a good recovery year with excessive rainfall after the severe drought of 2022. Supplemental watering right now is very important for trees planted in the past two years and for trees that have not fully recovered from…
Tree News July 2023
T his April’s exceptionally dry conditions brought back memories of severe drought throughout the summer of 2022, and it felt like we were going in the same direction this spring with little rain in April and May. Thankfully, we began to catch up with a few heavy spots of rain in June and forecasted for the holiday weekend. You will never hear me complain about rain. I prefer ample moisture over drought conditions any day. The recent rain is exactly what the doctor ordered to help drought-stressed trees and shrubs recover. Sadly, this will be too late for some trees…
August ’22 Tree News
I t’s the middle of August, and I feel just as happy as everyone I talk to that the extended period of heat and humidity has finally given way to very pleasant days and cooler nights. Let’s hope that it stays this way for a while. I remember being very concerned about the dry conditions we had in May, and my fears about drought conditions this summer have become a reality. We haven’t had substantial rainfall since early May, and we are experiencing one of the worst drought years on record. I see drought-stressed trees dropping leaves every day now…
Spring 2021 Tree News
It is early March right now and people seem generally optimistic about better times ahead. Due to the pandemic, this is the first winter in over 40 years that I have not traveled to some distant corner of the world. I sense optimism by the number of calls I have fielded throughout the winter from customers planning exterior masonry and planting projects. This will be the beginning of our third year with two great masons on staff. Landscape masonry or hardscape—as we refer to it—really sets the foundation for a beautiful landscape. The form and function of every landscape evolves…
What I’m Seeing This Spring of ’23
I am writing during the first full week of spring 2023, thinking about the extremely mild winter we just had, which hopefully is in the rearview mirror now. We had several snow events in March, all proceeded by warm weather that melted the snow each time rather quickly. The ground never did freeze this winter, which was great for evergreen trees and shrubs that benefited from every rain or snow event. When the ground freezes solid, evergreens are unable to absorb moisture and causes winter kill. As I drive around town, I notice brown evergreens, but this was caused by…
Drought Stressed Trees and Plants
I can’t help but start with concerns about recent weather patterns and, most important…… Water, or lack of adequate rainfall. The heavy rains we had at the beginning of June were certainly welcome, but few realize that even though we had 4 to 5 inches of rainfall in a short period, that was still too little too late. We had more rain in the first week of June than we had in April and May combined, and that is a real problem for all trees and shrubs. Just 1/4 inch of rain fell in the entire month of May.…
Fall Maintenance Reminder
W e experienced severe winter kill on evergreens last winter primarily because plants went into the winter, followed by drought conditions late last summer and into the fall. Evergreens need lots of water at the end of the summer and through the fall to make it through the winter because they never go completely dormant. When sunlight is cast on the foliage the roots cannot draw moisture from the ground when it is frozen solid, winter kill is caused by desiccation. The best advice I can give now is water, water, water and water some more right up until the…
The Danger of Ticks In Your Landscape
A after recently completing a three-week regimen of Doxycycline antibiotic for Lyme Disease (for the second time), I feel obligated to inform my customers of this current epidemic and let you know how we can help. Two of my employees have been treated for Lyme Disease in the past six weeks, and several others have received treatment over the past three or four years, and we are coming into contact with deer ticks on your very own properties. Lyme disease has emerged as the second most commonly reported infectious disease in New England, currently described as a public health crisis.…
Deal with Winter Moths Before Spring Arrives!
T he infestation of Winter Moths this fall could become a serious problem in the Spring. Winter moths were introduced to New England from northern Europe and continue to cause serious defoliation of many of our deciduous trees. Adult moths fly high into the branches of trees at this time of the year to lay eggs that will hatch tiny caterpillars next spring. Winter moth continues to be a serious problem because there is no natural predator to keep it in check. If you noticed moths flying around your home during the fall months you should consider contacting an arborist…
