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Arborvitae Dieback

Arborvitae can brown for many reasons. Your plant is browning in the middle, which is normal (evergreens drop up to a third of their needles each year, though they don't drop all at once as with deciduous trees). This specimen appears to have been in this location for some time, so in all likelihood the watering and drainage are not problematic (though too much/too little water or poor drainage can take a toll, resulting in a different pattern of browning). Check the trunk at the soil line to make sure it's not injured or damaged.

Occasionally pests such as spider mites are an issue - you can check for them by placing a white sheet of typing paper under a branch and shaking the branch slightly. If present, the spider mites will fall onto the paper and should be easily spotted. Look for other signs, such as webs for spiders, tunneling on the stems and leaves, leaf miners and wet sticky sap that might be a sign of aphids. If you discover a pest, your local garden center or nursery can help you determine effective solutions. (Never spray without knowing what your pest is, because that, too can cause browning!)

By | 2016-01-20T02:18:23-08:00 January 20th, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
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Browning On Hydrangea Flowers

Unfortunately, the fading of white flowers always is more noticeable than it is on any other color bloom. If this was a pink hydrangea you wouldn't see the browning nearly as quickly as we do on white petals. But beyond that, there are two things that cause hydrangea flowers to brown quickly. The first is exposure to hot sun and the second is the frequent splashing of water on the flowers. If a hydrangea is in a place where the sun is hitting the flowers from 11 AM to 3 PM that flower will brown faster than those that are in shade during that time period. Secondly, if a sprinkler system or hose is hitting the flowers frequently, this will also cause the petals to go brown. So in order to keep any hydrangea bloom in great shape for a longer period of time plant it where it will be in shade during the hottest part of the day, and water it deeply every 5 to 7 days depending on temperature, only in the morning so that the foliage and flowers dry quickly during the day. If a hydrangea is watered for a long period of time every 5 to 7 days, and the area around the plants is mulched, the plants will be able to go without more irrigation which will keep the flowers in better shape.

By | 2016-01-18T18:21:29-08:00 January 18th, 2016|Shrubs|3 Comments
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Boxwood

This could be a form of canker. It will cause new growth to be an unhealthy-looking light green color and, as it progresses, the leaves and entire branches turn a light brown. The bark at the base of the branch is loose and will peel off readily. Any branches that look this way should be removed immediately, disposed of away from the plant and all leaves raked up. This disease can be easily transmitted, and all your boxwoods can be affected. They should all be treated with a fungicide. This treatment also will control most forms of blight.

With leaf spots, the leaves are straw yellow with small black dots, but it can be controlled by shaking out all dead leaves and destroying them and spraying with a fungicide before growth starts in spring.

Root rot (Phytophthora) causes clumps of pale foliage, sudden wilting and very quick death of entire sections or the whole plant. Infected plants will die, and the soil must be removed or sterilized (with steam). All soil infected with this problem can cause death for new boxwoods.

Keeping your soil light and airy can help prevent root rot. Fungus problems need to be treated quickly, and all dead leaves should be removed from around your boxwoods. Keep the plants neat and make sure the soil is not waterlogged, and you can avoid most fungus problems.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:27-07:00 January 18th, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
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Pineapple Guava

Feijoa sellowiana - Pineapple Guava is a large fruiting,evergreen shrub or small tree. It is used primarily as a landscape shrub on the west coast of the united states but has the added feature of tasty, edible fruit and flowers. Zones 8 äóñ 10. What this really means is that it likes some cool weather, can go down to 10 deg. F, likes rain in the 30äó_ äóñ 40äó_ range, and doesnäó»t like super hot daytime weather äóñ not so good in the desert.
täó»s adaptable to a wide range of soils, including acidic soil, but prefers a humus rich soil that is well drained. Adding compost and not manure works for this plant.
Full sun is best äóñ but it can tolerate partial shade
The flowers which bloom late Spring are edible. The thick petals are spicy and are eaten fresh. The petals may be plucked without interfering with fruit set. The fruit ripens in late Fall, which is a great boon, since almost everything else in the garden is gone. The fruit in the picture below, came from my garden on December 22 after many days of frost. They taste fresh and tangy. We eat them by scooping out the fruit with a spoon. Or you can cook them in puddings, pastry fillings, fritters, dumplings, fruit-sponge-cake, pies or tarts.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:27-07:00 January 18th, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
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Transplanting

We don't think that they are diseased. The damage appears to be lack of water. Just because you were watering it, doesn't mean it was able to utilize the water. It's hard to tell by the photo, but it looks as if the closeup is of an Azalea. They do prefer shade in SoCal. You will need to amend the soil to lower the pH. Azaleas prefer an acid soil. If there are other types of plants, please take photos and submit those. We have a few questions: When you dug them up to transplant them, were the roots easy or hard to dig up? We are wondering if you ended up losing some of the root ball or even maybe a tap root when you dug it up. If you did (or even if you didn't), you should try to reduce the top growth (leaves & stems) by about the same amount. It seems as if you transplanted in July-August, correct? Probably not the best time of year to do that. If the plant was trying to get used to its new environment, it probably didn't have enough of a root system to pull up the water that it needed to survive in the heat. New soil is a good idea. With the weather cooling off a bit and your top pruning, they should pull out of their current state soon. Plants need time.

By | 2016-01-18T09:42:17-08:00 January 18th, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
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Rose Of Sharon

We apologize for the delayed response but unfortunately all our advisors studied your photo and agreed that a positive identification from a single leaf is too challenging to be sure. However, rose of Sharon, Hibiscus syriacus, is prone to fungal and bacterial diseases. If there are not too many, clip off any leaves with spots and dispose in the trash and do the same with any fallen leaves. Also make sure the plant is in soil with good drainage and watered regularly so that it is moist but not soggy, in full sun and feed with a slow release or organic fertilizer formulated for blooming shrubs. Remove and destroy any leaves with spots. Also remove and destroy any leaves that have fallen around the base of the bush. If the problem is extensive, and it has been confirmed that this is likely a fungal disease, treat the bush with foliar fungicides to prevent the spread of the fungus to the rest of the bush. We also suggest watering around the base of the plant rather than overhead.



Read more: Rose of Sharon Disease | Garden Guides http://www.gardenguides.com/95183-rose-sharon-disease.html#ixzz3A5ftS1zfA deciduous tree or shrub popular for its gorgeous summer flowers. Unlike tropical hibiscus, these are remarkably hardy once established in the landscape. Needs full sun and regular water. They start blooming mid summer and continue until near frost.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:27-07:00 January 18th, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
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Eastern Arborvitae

Also called northern white cedar. Though usually planted as a shrub or as a hedge, it can be, after decades, a tree more than 40 feet tall. It is native in eastern North America, and planted very widely. is a very adaptable landscape plant with fragrant foliage. The leaves are glossy and green, covering the trunk from the ground up and the branches are upsweeping. The trunk is dark, grayish brown and shreds. Excellent for hedges. The yellowish-brown fall foliage is often considered unattractive. Cultivars include 'Affinity', 'Emerald', 'Hills Dark Green', 'Nigra', 'Sunkist', 'Techny', 'Wareana Lutescens', 'Fastigiata', 'Columnaris', and 'Pyramidalis'.

Plants need full sun to light shade, prefers humidity and moist soils, but tolerant of clay and dry soils. Fertilize with organic formulations that promote woody, strong growth rather than excessive foliar growth. Avoid storm damage by pruning young trees to a single trunk. In winter, use twine or burlap to protect branches from breakage. Take care not to overprune as the tree does not recover well. Damage from browsing deer can be common. Roots are quite shallow, so can be easily uprooted in wind and storms. Prone to bagworms.

For more information - http://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/eastern-arborvitae

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:27-07:00 January 16th, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
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Winter Damage On Broad Leaf Evergreen

This is winter damage, which often makes small leaf imperfections and leaf spots from the previous summer more noticeable. Winter damage is caused by cold winds and/or sunburn from the sun reflecting off of the snow. The plants that most frequently show winter damage are the broadleaf evergreens such as Cherry Laurel, Rhododendrons, Holly, Camellias etc. Boxwoods and Euonymus often turn dry and tan.

Because these plants have leaves that are scorched, the areas on the foliage that had some leaf spot damage from last summer are more evident. You'll see dark spots, or white spots where the leaf tissue actually died last summer or fall and now is turning tan or white. On some plants, such as cherry laurel, such dead leaf tissue often drops out and leave holes.

At this point there isn't anything that you need to do - the plant will drop this scorched foliage this spring and will put on new growth. To help prevent leaf spot in the spring and summer, make sure that the plants aren't getting hit with water from a sprinkler on a frequent basis, as this is a prescription for leaf-spot fungi. To help protect broadleaf evergreens in advance of winter you can use an anti-desiccant product in October, although in a really cold or snowy winter plants will still show some winter damage.

By | 2016-01-15T22:08:37-08:00 January 15th, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
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Pineapple Guava

Feijoa sellowiana - Pineapple Guava is a large fruiting, evergreen shrub or small tree. It is used primarily as a landscape shrub on the west coast of the united states but has the added feature of tasty, edible fruit and flowers. Zones 8 äóñ 10. What this really means is that it likes some cool weather, can go down to 10 deg. F, likes rain in the 30äó_ äóñ 40äó_ range, and doesnäó»t like super hot daytime weather äóñ not so good in the desert. Itäó»s adaptable to a wide range of soils, including acidic soil, but prefers a humus rich soil that is well drained. Adding compost and not manure works for this plant. Full sun is best äóñ but it can tolerate partial shade. The flowers which bloom late Spring are edible. The thick petals are succulent with a tropical floral flavor and are eaten fresh. Great sprinkled over a fruit salad. The petals may be plucked without interfering with fruit set. The fruit ripens in late Fall, which is a great boon since almost everything else in the garden is gone. The delicious fruit pulp is sweet and tangy at the same time. Eat them by scooping out the fruit with a spoon, or you can cook them in puddings, pastry fillings, fritters, dumplings, fruit-sponge-cake, pies or tarts.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:28-07:00 January 13th, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
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Manhatten Euonymous

The green growth and blossom in the back and top of the shrub is similar to Manhatten Euonymous, a fast growing evergreen shrub that grows 6 to 8 ft. tall, 5 ft. wide. If this is a Euonymous, and we can't be sure because we can't clearly see the healthy growth in this image, the primary growth we can see is clearly stressed. Here are some suggestions. First, before you can manage whatever is causing the yellowed leaves and dieback (the branches with no leaves), you'll want a positive identification of this shrub. We suggest taking a healthy branch with several leaves and a blossom and a branch with the yellowed leaves to a reputable nursery or your local extension office for a positive identification. Put the samples in separate plastic bags. Before you take samples in for identification, look at the base and bottom branches of the plant. See if there is any abnormal growth on the branches. Here's a link from Clemson Extension Agency showing a gall on a Euonymous plant. Galls occur on Euonymous and cause general decline and yellow leaves - http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/pests/plant_pests/shrubs/hgic2054.html

You'll want to refrain from pruning the dead branches back until you confirm this plant's identity and know what's causing the problem as some diseases, like galls, can be spread by pruning.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:28-07:00 January 12th, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
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