Citrus County sits on Florida's Nature Coast, where sandy pine uplands run right up to the spring-fed rivers at Crystal River, Homosassa and the Withlacoochee. That mix of dry sandhill and wet riverbank means a single neighborhood can hold a live oak dripping with Spanish moss, a stand of pine on high ground, and a cypress with its feet in the water. Knowing which tree you have makes every care decision easier, so here is a plain guide to the ones we work on most. We at Broadway Tree Care handle trimming, health checks and removals across the whole county.
Live oak
Live oak keeps its leaves through winter and develops wide, heavy horizontal limbs; structural pruning when young and deadwood removal later help maintain that canopy. A heavy branch or weak fork may be a candidate for cabling rather than removal.
Laurel oak and water oak
Laurel and water oaks grow quickly but can develop weak, multi-stemmed structure and internal decay while the canopy still looks green. Have a mature one over your house checked for decay before deciding between pruning and removal.
Pines
Longleaf and slash pines grow on the sandy uplands toward Withlacoochee State Forest and around Lecanto and Hernando. Watch for persistent browning needles, dead tops, sawdust or pitch tubes, and have a dying or leaning pine assessed if it could strike a structure.
Sabal palm
Sabal, or cabbage palm, is Florida's state tree and tolerates salt and wind. Keep healthy green fronds, which feed the palm, and remove only dead brown fronds and old flower or seed stalks rather than leaving a few upright fronds in a hurricane cut.
Southern magnolia
Southern magnolia has glossy evergreen leaves and large white flowers in late spring. Preserve its natural shape with limited removal of dead or crossing branches, and keep digging and heavy traffic away from its shallow roots.
Bald cypress
Bald cypress grows along the Withlacoochee and spring runs, with a fluted base and feathery needles that turn rust-orange and fall. Give it room to grow, remove dead limbs as needed and avoid cutting the root knees flush with the ground.
Red maple and crape myrtle
Red maple grows in low, damp spots and benefits from light structural pruning while young. On crape myrtle, remove dead wood and crossing twigs rather than cutting the branches back to thick stubs, which forces weak regrowth.
Caring for any of them
Keep mulch a few inches back from the trunk so the root flare remains clear, and discuss watering and cooler-season pruning for the trees in your Citrus County yard. Arrange a health assessment for signs of decline, or discuss the site before planting a replacement.