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Bay Tree turning Brown!

admingSeQqEeQadmingSeQqEeQ Posts: 9
in Problem solving
Hi all, 
I know nothing about gardening whatsoever so hopefully you might help me  out :) just over a year ago I purchased this tree and had it planted.

It's near a pond, in a sheltered location (which gets the sun quite late in the day) based in south wales, and it's going brown all over - knowing nothing about it other than it's suppose to be evergreen, the brown is concerning!

Any ideas on how to rectify the situation or is it normal for this time of year.

TIA! :)ut's
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Posts

  • admingSeQqEeQadmingSeQqEeQ Posts: 9
    trunk pic.
  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445
    It's normal for a lot of Bays this year but it's not good. It looks as though the bark is separating which is not survivable. I don't think those twisted ones are good for longevity at the best of times


    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • admingSeQqEeQadmingSeQqEeQ Posts: 9
    nutcutlet said:
    It's normal for a lot of Bays this year but it's not good. It looks as though the bark is separating which is not survivable. I don't think those twisted ones are good for longevity at the best of times
    Oh that's rough! the tree is sort of a memorial tree, for my MIL - I think it cost me £1500 a year ago so I was hopeful of it being there quite some time, is there anything I can try(?)
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    admingSeQqEeQ said:
    nutcutlet said:
    It's normal for a lot of Bays this year but it's not good. It looks as though the bark is separating which is not survivable. I don't think those twisted ones are good for longevity at the best of times
    - I think it cost me £1500 a year ago 
    Blimey!
    All you can do is wait and see if the green growth that's still there - stays and thrives, and you can then take the dead stuff off, and hope that you get some more new growth. That would be best left for a month or two though. 
    I agree with @nutcutlet - when you have those specimens with the twisted stems, it can be more problematic, and not just with bay. Those are what you're largely paying for. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    I agree with @nutcutlet and @Fairygirl the specimens grown with 2 or even 3 plants rarely do well as they mature.  I've experimented with various trees, in various climates  over the years and always end up  losing one or 2 trunks.
    I hope the £1500 was a typing error.  If not, I'd take it back to where you bought it from, explain how you have maintained it and see what they say. Good luck  :)
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited February 2023
    Normal for this winter.  If you look inside the mophead you can see that it is still alive.  Trim it back and it may live to sprout again.

    A vertical crack in the stem may be OK if it doesn't link up with others and ring the trunk.  Let's hope.

    But £1500, that's criminal.  You could fly over to Ghent (Gent, Gand) and come back with one and still have money to spare.  It's just two tree twisted together say 3x the cost of one tree.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • admingSeQqEeQadmingSeQqEeQ Posts: 9
    bédé said:
    Normal for this winter.  If you look inside the mophead you can see that it is still alive.  Trim it back and it may live to sprout again.

    A vertical crack in the stem may be OK if it doesn't link up with others and ring the trunk.  Let's hope.

    But £1500, that's criminal.  You could fly over to Ghent (Gent, Gand) and come back with one and still have money to spare.  It's just two tree twisted together say 3x the cost of one tree.
    so should I trim it now? and/or just remove the dead leaves? they pretty much fall off when touched or leave it a few weeks to see how it gets on?
  • admingSeQqEeQadmingSeQqEeQ Posts: 9
    edited February 2023
    philippasmith2 said:
    I hope the £1500 was a typing error.  If not, I'd take it back to where you bought it from, explain how you have maintained it and see what they say. Good luck  :)

    Haha sadly not, and in all honesty, it's just sat there doing its own thing, gardening is not my thing which is probably why it is the way it is now!
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I wouldn't cut it back just now, but maybe if you're in a very mild part of the country it could be ok - ie if you don't get cold weather/frost etc during March. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    While waiting to see if it recovers, you could remove all the dead leaves surrounding the trunks on the ground, incorporate some organic matter into the surrounding soil and give your plant lots of water. If the roots are still viable and the weather turns milder, your plant may recover. I wouldn't prune until fresh leaf buds start to appear below the browned leaves and stems.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


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