Enjoy this tour and critical review of one of America’s most renown and top tier Japanese gardens near Boca Raton, Florida. Designed and constructed by the world famous Japanese garden designer Hoichi Kurisu, Nathan Lawrence, a Certified Arborist and master aesthetic master pruner with decades of experience pruning in the sukashi style, examines the various aspects and facets of the Morikami Garden with an eye for the unique details that this Japanese garden offers.
A Cascadian Japanese Style Garden Brought Up to Par
Celebrating My 65th Birthday 80 Feet Up In a Tree & Rappelling Out!
The title says it all, so nothing more is needed, except that I also cut down the 100 foot, 140 year old dead fir tree, and then went out and paid cash for a brand new, larger stump grinder. What more could an “elderly” (ha! ha!) arborist want for his birthday? Cheers!
Gutter Cleaning Reindeer?!
Who says that reindeer can’t clean gutters while they’re going from rooftop to rooftop on Christmas Eve?
Every year in December, we at Good News Tree Service do the gutter cleaning for one our HOAs for which we typically provides arboricultural services. With 265 townhomes, it provides work for the crew during a slower time of the year for tree services.
With family and friends coming to visit our clients, my crew was concerned about being on people’s roofs on Christmas Eve, since they’d be tromping around on the roofs cleaning gutters possibly being a bothersome disturbance to people on their special day. Well, we came up with a solution to a potential problem. My wife came up with the idea of putting reindeer antlers on the guys’ helmets. I thought the guys might think it was a stupid idea, but they actually enjoyed the fun humor of it all and let me tape the antlers to the helmets. They then posed for a photo op, and then hurried up onto the roofs to do their work.
We’ve got a great crew!

Important Emerald Ash Borer Update—August 2024
Poetic Vignettes of My Japanese Garden
This video is a montage of my personal Japanese garden with no commentary, just natural sounds and music showing the garden awakening in early morning light, it smiling throughout the day, then its being whipped about by a surprise lightening and thunder storm, then a pastoral, peaceful calm returning to the garden as it goes to sleep with lanterns burning and crickets chirping. Please enjoy this poetic view of my garden.
The Amazing Transformation of a Motley Maple
Golden Hinoki Cypress Pruned Japanese Style—Before/After
Constructing a DIY Japanese Garden
Ever wonder how you can create your own private Japanese garden in your own yard whether you have a small or large area to work with, and do it without spending a boat load of money? This is a tour of my own Japanese garden and tips on how I constructed it with no help from others and very little expense. Check it out!
