Forum home› Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Has my Whitebeam died???

Sambucus JanSambucus Jan Posts: 15
in Plants

I have a Whitebeam which is about 30+ years old, and normally does not appear to suffer many problems.

However, in last summer's severe drought, I noticed that the leaves shrivelled up and died in mid-July, about 4 - 6 weeks earlier than they would normally start to brown and drop off. I assumed it was a case of drastic water conservation action, so didn't think much about it. No berries formed at all.

Then the dead leaves just stayed put (all winter, in spite of rain, frost, high winds etc.) and now, when the Whitebeam is usually the first of the deciduous trees in my locality to start forming leaves - nothing.

I've just got on a chair and had a look close up - no sign of life at all in the branches I could reacc, and the lower twigs I broke off to inspect are very dry, crisp, no signs of greening/sappiness at all.

Does this mean that the whole tree has most likely died, or shall I give it the benefit of the doubt and see if it stages a recovery during the course of the year please? 

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Doesn’t sound very hopeful to me.  I think quite a few gardeners are going to find similar losses this year as a result of last year’s drought ... there’s what was a beautiful large Cedrus deodara aurea at the top of the rise here ... we’ve been watching it turn brown over the autumn and winter ... the owner of the garden must be heartbroken. 

    If you can bear to see a dead tree in your garden this summer you could wait and see ... but if if was me I’d bite the bullet and get rid of it and prepare the site for a new plant/tree. 

    Every dead plant is an opportunity to choose a new one  😊 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Silver surferSilver surfer Posts: 4,719
    There is a horrid disease that attacks all  Rosaceae including Sorbus/ including Sorbus aria...Whitebeam....called fireblight.
    Maybe an idea to research this before replacing your tree with another.

    https://www.google.com/search?q=whitebeam+fire+blight&client=firefox-b-d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwic0fe96JjhAhXTTRUIHVaHD2UQ_AUIDigB&biw=1920&bih=944

    https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=160
    Perthshire. SCOTLAND .
  • Sambucus JanSambucus Jan Posts: 15

    Thanks to both of you for your replies. Doesn't sound very hopefully sadly.

    Hadn't thought of it perhaps being a disease, Silver Surfer, will certainly have a look into that possibility.

  • Sambucus JanSambucus Jan Posts: 15
    Stop Press: whitebeam never recovered throughout 2019, gave it the benefit of the doubt this spring but.....no chance, dead as a dodo. Has now been felled and we are looking for something to replace it!
  • Silver surferSilver surfer Posts: 4,719
    edited June 2020
    Thank you for update.
    Sad to lose any handsome tree.
    Please read up about fireblight before planting a new tree.
    Perthshire. SCOTLAND .
Sign In or Register to comment.