A few nice Lawn Service images I found:

Neighbors are adding MORE fake plastic flowers


Image by .imelda
I need to contact the HOA. I don’t like coming home anymore when I have to see a yard like this. Makes me sad.

Capitol Christmas Tree, December 2011


Image by Princess Stand in the Rain
The Capitol Christmas Tree has been an American tradition since 1964. The first tree was a live 24-foot Douglas fir planted on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol. The original Capitol Christmas Tree died after the 1968 tree lighting ceremony due to a severe wind storm and root damage. The tree was removed and the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service has provided the trees since 1969. The 2011 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree will be harvested from the Stanislaus National Forest (located in the Central Sierra Nevada Mountains in California).

The Capitol Christmas Tree should not to be confused with the National Christmas Tree, which is planted near the White House and lighted every year by the president and first lady. The Speaker of the House officially lights the Capitol Christmas Tree.

Last day for the Olmsted Elm at the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site


Image by Chris Devers
Via WBUR: Saying Goodbye To The Historic Olmsted Elm

BROOKLINE, Mass. — Tuesday is your last full day to bid goodbye to the historic Olmsted Elm, which is scheduled to be cut down Wednesday after a 200-year life and a long battle with Dutch Elm disease.

The Olmsted Elm is not just any tree. It stands beside what was once the office of Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of American landscape architecture and the man behind Central Park in New York City and Boston’s own Emerald Necklace. When Olmsted bought the property in 1883, he chose to clear away the other trees that surrounded the elm — to leave it standing alone on the south lawn.

Now, the site is a national park and the once-magnificent elm is visibly thinned out and unhealthy. Supervisory park ranger Alan Banks and others at the National Park Service worry it could fall and damage the building. So Banks, who has been a ranger at the site for 20 years, is preparing to say goodbye.

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Via the Frederick Law Olmsted page from the National Park Service

Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903) is recognized as the founder of American landscape architecture and the nation’s foremost parkmaker. Olmsted moved his home to suburban Boston in 1883 and established the world’s first full-scale professional office for the practice of landscape design. During the next century, his sons and successors perpetuated Olmsted’s design ideals, philosophy, and influence.

Bidding Farewell to the Olmsted Elm

Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site is preparing to bid farewell to its "Olmsted Elm" due to its hazardous condition. The tree removal is expected to take place at the end of March. The National Park Service hopes to replace the elm with a genetic clone derived from the original tree once the ground has been prepared and one of several clones, or propagules, has reached sufficient size. To learn more about the elm’s history and its removal click here for a .pdf download (1.3M).

If you would like to share your thoughts or reminiscences, please join the discussion on The Olmsted Elm Facebook Page.