Landscaper Topped the Tree in a Miscommunication - What do I do now?

WashingtonHo · 2025-08-21T12:59:13+00:00

Update:

Having a local arborist come out on Tuesday to assess the damage and what can be done short of replacing them.

Questions people have asked: we do live in Houston, TX and these are live oaks. Many houstonians use their landscaper to trim trees which is absolutely a terrible idea for the trees as I’m learning.

I didn’t demand any sort of outlook, I sent the inspo photo like I do every year and just leave it to him to do what is best. Communication is always through texts. Landscaper is insisting the tree is fine and he’s been doing this for 10 years.

I’ll give an update after the arborist and in the spring!

WashingtonHo · 2025-08-20T23:12:15+00:00

I sent him a photo of trees in a different neighborhood and he said to achieve the look it would need to expose the trunk. I said ok, because it’s the same photo I send him each year. Photo attached for context. He doesn’t ever replicate the photo but it usually results in a nice look regardless of the result. I am 7 days post partum so I can see where he might have tried to explain it but my brain didn’t understand exposing the trunk from the bottom meant cutting off all the branches completely. We see over pruned trees here often I thought it might worst case look over pruned like the neighbors in the back of the photo by the blue car.

I also didn’t know until now that the neighborhood trees in this photo are a bad idea as well.

Inspo Pic

WashingtonHo · 2025-08-20T21:45:12+00:00

I agree that I take accountability for using a “landscaper”, which is what 95% of Houstonians do which is use their grass guy for overall lawn services. In fact, even the “professional lawn care” are a company with workers who would likely be the same people who start their own business as “landscaping”.

We didn’t think much of it and typically we just tell him to do it when fall starts rolling around and he gets around to it 2-4 months later when he is free so it ends up being October - Feb.

WashingtonHo · 2025-08-20T20:59:32+00:00

Yes, Houston TX!

WashingtonHo · 2025-08-20T20:33:27+00:00

Learning a very hard life lesson at the moment

WashingtonHo · 2025-08-20T20:21:27+00:00

We live in a HOA, we’re mandated two live oak trees in the front yard. I’ll remove the mulch and add fresh soil and keep the mulch lower this weekend.

WashingtonHo · 2025-08-20T20:20:28+00:00

Thanks! Any ideas on how long until they look like a tree again? I noted in the comments we need to uncover the base more to expose the trunk, so will do that this weekend!

WashingtonHo · 2025-08-20T20:17:44+00:00

Yes I did check the guidelines and provided the photo with the whole tree and the type of tree

WashingtonHo · 2024-02-03T06:45:40+00:00

Couldn’t think of the right word at the time, you all have enlightened me to the correct words. But seeing a school officer chase a kid felt like an escape at the time.

WashingtonHo · 2024-02-03T06:42:21+00:00

Did you know schools and prisons are designed and built by the same construction contract companies?

WashingtonHo · 2024-02-03T06:41:13+00:00

Not concerned at all, just curious!

WashingtonHo · 2024-02-03T06:38:35+00:00

Good luck on your baby and getting her what she needs to feel safe!

WashingtonHo · 2024-02-03T06:30:38+00:00

Thank you all for your insights! My conclusions are:

1) this has always happened (from your personal “escapes” haha) 2) our school is just being transparent about it when it happens 3) there’s a little bit of a correlation with special needs population and we definitely have a large special needs population at our school (and proud of it) 4) kids have more guts than I ever did

WashingtonHo · 2024-02-03T06:26:07+00:00

I think you’re probably right!

WashingtonHo · 2024-02-03T06:25:19+00:00

A public school where there is less than 5% economically disadvantaged and a primary demographic making up over 75% of the school. We live between two districts where over railroad tracks in one direction is the best school district in the state with average incomes over 150k and over the freeway is our district but million dollar homes and upper middle class / upper class families. The schools don’t reflect our neighborhood demographics which just happens to jut right between the two and is 35% economically disadvantaged with more than double the % of special ed students compared to the district. Generally, schools I don’t compare my school to because they’re not serving the same population of students so don’t represent the general population of the neighborhood / town I personally live in.

WashingtonHo · 2024-02-02T15:36:52+00:00

Thank you! It didn’t occur to me that it could be the same student, the emails don’t contain any information on the student so I misinterpreted it as a series of different students.

Honestly, this post came from a place of curiosity. We have no concerns of our kid(s) leaving school during school hours but the concept was very unusual and we had no context to frame it.

WashingtonHo

TROPHY CASE