Well, the weather widget was only forecasting rain today, so I had planned to dig my Daylilies later this week... but it so happened that there was some sun today, so I dug one up. It wasn't hard to dig up because the ground is very soft right now, but the clump was big and it was heavy. I was dismayed to find that they are already starting to sprout. :-( I may not get all of them moved this year. I also discovered a hitchhiker:
He buried his head, clearly *not* ready to wake up yet!My leeks are making progress... I have yet to figure out what chewed on them. Squirrels, maybe, but I'd be surprised if they liked things in the onion family. Who knows... whatever it is, it doesn't seem to be nibbling the new growth. Seeing the leeks grow is a happy spot in the garden, aesthetically, not that exciting, but it's WINTER and something is growing! Especially since my garden produced nearly zip last season... it makes me hopeful for this next one.
I've been investigating the possible reasons why my kousa dogwood is sickly, but can't pinpoint anything. :-( I checked around the base today, to make sure it wasn't planted too deeply, but that doesn't appear to be the case. I did move the mulch away from the base of the tree. I guess a soil test should be next up... I remembered that we've thrown our wood stove ash in the corner near the tree in the past, maybe that screwed up the Ph too much... *sigh* I really don't want it to die, so I sure hope I can figure something out.
AND... last but definitely not least... Coralie is wearing JEANS today. I found a pair of skinny jeans ('jeggings', I guess. I really hate that word) at Kohl's. They are soft and stretchy, but they'll be sturdier than her regular leggings. Hopefully, this will be a nice bridge to wearing other kinds of pants. :-D
5 comments:
What have you ruled out as possible causes of the dogwood's health problems?
mp
It doesn't appear to be a problem with the planting depth. I don't see any insect activity/damage. There aren't any obvious signs of disease on the bark... but it seems stunted (It's still the same size it was when we moved in 8 years ago). Last year, it leafed out late, and the leaves curled up like it was thirsty. Except, I'd never had to water the tree in the past, and even with watering it didn't recover. It also didn't flower last year. I've pruned off all the dead stuff I can reach. I guess we'll see what happens this time.
I did some reading about these trees. It seems like your symptoms fall outside the normal range of expected behavior for this tree. I guess it comes down to, how attached are you to this particular tree? You may have just gotten a bum tree; bad genes or not properly taken care of at the nursery. Sometimes, nursery plants just never get off right.
Depending on the size of the tree, you could dig it up and put it in a patio planter. With potting soil instead of ordinary soil and placed in optimum growing conditions, it might have a better chance of recovery.
Trees take such a long time to mature, at some point the question becomes: how much time do I want to spend waiting for this tree? Might be better off just buying a replacement.
I am attached to this tree... it is my favorite tree, the only thing worth keeping of all the landscaping the previous homeowners did. You're right though, there might just be no saving it... I will replace it if it doesn't survive. I probably should to a soil test in the area, just in case that is the problem.
Well, then, nothing for it but to battle on. I'd suggest finding an arborist in the area and have him/her look at the tree. I think this might not be too expensive. And that person can tell you right out, Get rid of it; or, Do this to save it. You pay a bit of money, and get some ease of mind and a plan of action.
mp
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