[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hen I was up in Colorado this summer I was introduced to a poster by the late Bonnie Appleton (a horticultural educator) entitled ‘How to Kill a Tree.’

This tongue in cheek title was followed by an illustration showing all of the mistakes that people make when planting and caring for trees.

While many of her guidelines are universal, it got me thinking that there are also some specific care and planting techniques that are important to follow here in central Texas ...