Horticulture Editor · Beat: Tree & Shrub Health
Margaret Ellison is Horticulture Editor at Rochester Tree & Shrub Care. With a background in arboriculture and years working with Finger Lakes growers and homeowners, she writes about diagnosing tree stress, reading the warning signs in leaves and bark, and the proactive care that keeps trees and shrubs healthy in the Rochester climate.
Writes for Rochester Tree & Shrub Care, an independent editorial publication on tree and shrub health in the Rochester, New York area.
Emerald Green or Green Giant arborvitae for a Rochester privacy screen? Compare growth rate, size, and deer pressure, plus how to keep either hedge healthy.
July 22, 2026
Sunken bark or a vertical split on a young tree's southwest side is winter sunscald or a frost crack. How Rochester homeowners prevent it and treat the wound.
July 22, 2026
A month-by-month tree and shrub care calendar for Rochester, NY: when to prune, plant, water, fertilize, and protect trees by zone 5b-6a frost dates.
July 22, 2026
Which trees should you not plant near your house in Rochester? Avoid weak-wooded, invasive-rooted species like silver maple, and see sturdier native swaps.
July 22, 2026
Is your eastern white pine's yellowing normal fall needle drop or white pine decline? How Rochester arborists tell them apart and fix the site.
July 22, 2026
Neat rows of holes in Rochester tree bark are a yellow-bellied sapsucker, not a borer. How to tell the difference, the real risk, and how to protect a tree.
July 9, 2026
Browning arborvitae in Rochester? Sort the cause: winter burn, road salt, normal inner-needle drop, bagworm, deer, or root stress, with the fix for each.
June 25, 2026
What trees grow best in Rochester, NY (Zone 5b-6a)? A right-tree, right-place guide steering you from pest-magnet species toward resilient, healthy choices.
June 25, 2026
Brown needles on Rochester conifers? Read the pattern: tips, base, or whole branch points to winter burn, needlecast, root rot, or insects in Zone 5b-6a.
June 25, 2026
Mushrooms at the base of your Rochester tree? Learn which fungi are harmless decomposers and which signal root rot, decay, and a hazardous, failing tree.
June 25, 2026
Recoverable stress or terminal decline? Use this Rochester checklist to know which tree symptoms mean wait-and-monitor and which mean call an arborist now.
June 25, 2026
Why is your Rochester tree's bark splitting? Learn which frost cracks and sunscald are harmless and which crack patterns signal decay or structural risk.
June 25, 2026
A calm, step-by-step way for Rochester homeowners to figure out why a tree is sick, what to check first, and when to call a certified arborist.
June 16, 2026
Tree leaves curling, yellowing, or dying in Rochester, NY? Learn what each leaf symptom means, common local causes, and when to call an arborist.
June 15, 2026