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Is my ceanothus dead? :(

WinniejWinniej Posts: 37
in Problem solving

Hi

I have beautiful ceanothus tree which is about 15 years old but this year it looks really brown and dead. Can I do anything? 

Thanks

Karlaimage

«1

Posts

  • Mark56Mark56 Posts: 1,653

    Scratch the bark on one of the stems, are they green or brown underneath? Not looking great I'm afraid. image

    Last edited: 31 March 2017 18:03:25

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    When an evergreen looks like that, it's all over. They're very often not long lived, I lost one last year, not as big as that



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • WinniejWinniej Posts: 37

    Oh no....gutted as it is so beautiful every May and the bees love it so much they took residence in the bird box behind it. ?

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    image these things leave such a gap don't they. But I manage to convince myself it's a planting opportunity every time



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • WinniejWinniej Posts: 37

    True. Wondering what to put in it's place now as also blocks out neighbours house. Mature trees are so expensive! Wondering about growing something up the bones of the tree. Something which grows fast!! Any suggestions?

    Last edited: 31 March 2017 19:17:26

  • WinniejWinniej Posts: 37
    Mark56 says:

    Scratch the bark on one of the stems, are they green or brown underneath? Not looking great I'm afraid. image

    Last edited: 31 March 2017 18:03:25

    See original post

     Kind of both Mark. Took photo but cant see to add it. image

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    I would never grow anything up a dead tree. It always looks like a dead tree and eventually falls over taking your climber with it.

    the bark scratching is much quoted but sometimes means your shrub has not been dead long. There's a look of a shrub that's dead, no swelling buds, dead leaves still on, wrinkles in the smaller branches. It just looks dead. It may be that you'd get a few shoots from somewhere and it isn't quite dead everywhere. But how long would you want to look at what you've got there?



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • WinniejWinniej Posts: 37

    Good point. I'll have a better look tomorrow for those signs. Thanks all.

  • Mark56Mark56 Posts: 1,653

     How long has it been like that? since January? A great shame, it should be full of leaf, bud & vigour at this time of year. When it's a shrub that old it has sentimental value a lot of the time too. image

    Last edited: 31 March 2017 19:54:58

  • WinniejWinniej Posts: 37

    Thanks. Trying to console myself in shopping for a new tree. 

    Mark just recently really. But got browner and browner over past 4 to 6 weeks.

    Last edited: 01 April 2017 11:03:04

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