My Amelanchier lamarckii is half dead?

jmsholder · April 2022

So, my new tree, planted last year, was growing well and had started to flower but when I saw it only days later the top half of the tree was brown. This happened at the start of April when it was frosty. Are these trees so sensitive to frost? Is this common? It seems pointless cutting it back to the lower growth if this is going to happen annually. We live in Cambridgeshire which is not really that cold after all. Any advice gratefully accepted. Thanks.

Fairygirl · April 2022

They're very hardy shrubs/trees. New, soft growth can get a bit of damage, but it shouldn't affect it long term.
I planted a new one last month, and there was no problem with the many frosts we've had since then [minus 3s and 4s etc] .
Do you have a photo? There may be something else causing the problem

Dovefromabove · April 2022

Hi @jmsholder and welcome to the forum.

I have an amelanchier and I’ve never noticed a problem with frost … I would’ve thought your climate is very slightly milder than yours … whenever we travel upwards Cambridgeshire at this time of year we usually find you’re slightly ahead of us. We certainly had some sharp frosts not long ago 🥶

Can you show us a photo of the problem … perhaps that’ll give us a clue …

jmsholder · April 2022

Not the best photos but hopefully you can see the lower branches flowered and are now growing but the upper ones seem to have just got frosted

Fairygirl · April 2022

I think that's struggling to get enough moisture to the extremities. It's surrounded by grass, which is competition for it. It's a good sized specimen and would have needed watering thoroughly for the first few months [or more, depending on when it was planted] to get it well established, and it would then be able to withstand drier periods.

It needs a good space cleared of turf around it - a couple of feet in diameter, so that you can add some organic matter around the base, and that will also prevent any damage to the trunk when cutting the grass.

thevictorian · April 2022

From a quick glance, it looks like it could be drought or wind desiccation, rather than frost. See what the others think.

jmsholder · April 2022

Thanks. I will try cutting the grass back, mulching and watering it more. I might not trim the dead looking bits back for a little while longer just in case they magically spring back into life. If it does the same next year though ... it's in trouble.
Thanks again for your speedy advice. What a great forum!

jmsholder · April 2022

Thanks @thevictorian . It was quite windy although I had hoped my laurel might have given it some shelter. Not much more I can do about that aspect but I will be more vigilant on the watering and mulching. Thanks for the reply.

Fairygirl · April 2022

They're not bothered by wind - even regular, quite strong winds, but if it's already dehydrated, wind can be even more drying.

jmsholder · April 2022

The lawn edger and hosepipe are getting readied! 👍

Dovefromabove · April 2022

Ours had gallons and gallons of water in its first two or three years. It takes a huge amount of moisture to produce blossom and leaves. Don’t cut the branches back. With any luck it’s only those leaves and blossom that have withered, and fingers crossed more will appear.

Give it more tlc … it’s so worth it …

My Amelanchier lamarckii is half dead?

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