I answer a lot of questions from home gardeners on our Garden Hotline. Quite a few questions deal with lichens. The resident asks, “Are they killing my tree?” Lichens (pronounced lie-kenz) have been ...

Incorrect pruning, particularly “topping,” is the surest way to ruin a tree. If it doesn’t kill the tree outright, it will result in extremely dense growth at the ends of the chopped-off branches.