How plants work: anatomy, physiology, reproduction, and the underlying mechanisms that explain why care practices succeed or fail.
Tree flowers explained from the four whorls outward: perfect vs. imperfect, monoecious vs. dioecious, gymnosperm cones, wind vs. insect pollination, and what flower anatomy means for cultivar selection, fruit set, allergies, and disease management.
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The internal architecture of a broad leaf: epidermis and cuticle, palisade and spongy mesophyll, chloroplasts, stomata and guard cells, transpiration, antitranspirants, and the controlled shutdown of abscission.
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The internal architecture of conifer needles and awl leaves: thick cuticle, sunken stomata, compact mesophyll, and the water-conservation engineering that lets conifers photosynthesize through a Puget Sound winter.
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The underground fungal economy that determines how trees thrive: how mycorrhizal partnerships work, what common landscape practices destroy them, and why the most effective management strategy is a list of things to stop doing.
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Root cap, apical meristem, root hairs, rhizosphere: how absorbing roots work, how severed roots regenerate, and why most urban tree problems start underground.
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Understand the macroscopic anatomy of trunks, branches, and twigs: trunk taper and live crown ratio, branch collar and included bark, and the buds, nodes, and internodes that map next season's growth.
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How the vascular cambium builds wood and bark: xylem, phloem, sapwood, heartwood, growth rings, rays, reaction wood, and why bark damage is worse than it looks.
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