Even with all of that love and attention, I have a very sick tree in my own yard that I have decided to cut down. In September of 1999 I planted a very small but beautiful Crataegus viridis 'Winter King'. Better known as the Winter King hawthorn.
Healthy 5 year old Winter King Hawthorn |
I even had Susan Rose and the master gardener diagnostic team out last summer to see if they could find out what was causing this tree so much distress. They could find no evidence of bugs or disease. Every tree and shrub around it was healthy. Even the grass was healthy around it. No obvious signs of the culprit.
I sprayed the foliage with Miracle-Gro and the leaves I could reach turned green for a time but went back to being yellow in a month or two. This year, same story. Lots of beautiful white flowers followed by small leaves that are turning yellow.
Sucker growth at base is normal for this variety of tree. Notice the striking exfoliating bark |
So, after years of struggling, it's time to put it out of its misery. I am going to cut the 'King' down this week. I also plan to dig out the root ball to find out if there is a problem with the roots. Its driving me crazy that I don't know what happened to this tree.
I will document the process and post as soon as I can. Wish me luck as I say Farewell to a friend.
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