[column width="1/1" last="true" title="" title_type="single" animation="none" implicit="true"]Evergreen are beautiful trees and come in several varieties. They're a lush green color year-round and make excellent green screens for your property. They also absorb ambient noise and block the wind if planted strategically! In the winter, you may notice they're dropping needles or turning brown. This may mean that your evergreens need winter care. The needle dropping could be caused by two things: natural third-year growth or winter burn/drying out. The latter being an issue that requires some attention.Winter Burn:If your evergreen is turning brown and dropping needles it could be caused by too much winter sun. You'd think that your trees would love the sun during this time of the year but the opposite is true. Their needles absorb the sunshine on sunny winter days, but the foliage dries out when it cools down again. Don't worry, the good news is your trees can bounce back. If any branches are brown and dry underneath, you should prune those out. We recommend wrapping your trees with burlap if the problem continues. Here are some tips for preventing winter burn:

1. Wrap with burlap if the tree is weak, dropping needles/dehydrated, exposed to heavy winds, or newly planted.
2. Mulching before winter helps retain water. 2-3 inches around the base of each tree.
3. Heavy watering in fall and in spring.

Third-year growth:Another cause for needle dropping can be something called third-year growth. You may not need to burlap your evergreens if this is the case. In the third year of your tree's lifespan, it is natural for needles to drop seasonally. This is a natural part of the tree's life cycle to make room for new growth. The tree is simply dropping the previous year's needles. This happens before winter or at the beginning. It's simply seasonal needle drop if the needles that fall are from older growth and does not seem excessive. If you're not sure of how to diagnose or care for your evergreens, free to give us a call!Let us know if you're considering having new trees, plantings or landscaping installed. Our expert team can help with planning and installation![/column]