Most of us love the thought of keeping our gardens in good order, but when we are in the planning stages, we sometimes make mistakes with the specimens that we plant there. Putting something which will grow to great heights may all look well on paper, but it is the root system which sometimes gets into the foundations making the whole structure unsafe. When this happens, it is obviously time for the specialists to come in and sort out the matter and finding them has never been easier. Look for 'tree trimming' or 'tree pruning' online to see which companies provide a great service locally.

The wonderful thing about large specimens is that they become an integral part of the family as they are growing up. The kids learn to climb and be a little adventurous, and perhaps they build a camp in the branches themselves. Parents put up a swing for them from one of the lower branches and the whole family just enjoys being around this wonderful old feature in the garden. However, larger specimens which are just allowed to grow where they want will surely start to encroach onto the next door garden and this can cause all kinds of conflicts between neighbors. It may also start to interfere with the house structure itself since the roots will surely spread far and wide below the ground.

Some specimens will also contract diseases, like the Dutch elm disease a little while ago which decimated tracts forest far and wide, and this can make the whole thing unstable. Before this happens, a specialist must be called in to see if anything can be saved by taking off a branch or two. Much like a human body, disease can often get in through some damage in the skin. This is why an expert is needed when the whole thing needs to be cut into shape or just down a little. The ends of branches may have to have some special sealant put on them to discourage disease and the whole thing will have to be cut in a way that it keeps its natural shape too. Again, it is only the expert which has this kind of knowledge so it is best left up to him when anything like this needs to be done.

In fact, those people who have just gone in and lopped off branches here and there from a lovely old oak, for example, suddenly get shocked when it starts to take on a weird shape. Remember that some of these specimens take hundreds of years to grow, so one cut in the wrong place will destroy something that has been there for many years.

Lastly, when finding an expert to do this work, make sure that they offer a clean-up service after they have lopped off the branches. Some will put the branches through a grinder to make mulch for the garden, and some will chop it ready for drying and burning at a later date. This is called excellent service!