still hanging on

Oh Dear, Fran. It doesn't look very happy, does it? At least, as you say, it's hanging on in there. Quite a few of my trees and plants are looking distinctly dodo-like.

this is the last of three that I bought, the others went the same way, going all-brown. I've no iidea what the cause is - too little wtering? too much? too much sun? too liitle? or a virus or insect prob?

areyours going the same way as thjs one? or at least,looking similar? maybe we could work out some common denominators!

Peter bought me two beautiful columnar golden cypresses for Christmas and I planted them either side of the steps leading up to the house: one is now completely dead and the other one is on the danger list, and I have no doubt whatsoever that it has been long-term drought and ouch-high temperatures. I expect yours were the same, Fran ;o) !!!!!!

I was using those three-tier plastic "steps", and so had the plants a bit too close together - each tier pressed a bit against the one behind/above it, so I wondered if that was why - I tried to remember to turn the pots round a bit now and then, to make sure that the bits at the back had their turn in the sun, but didn't always, so it might have been that. lol or maybe the back sides didn't get as much water, so it might have been that.

I've stopped using the steps, made it too easy for the squirrels to knock the pots off; the pots are still a bit crowded, but at least more or less on the same level, so sun and water can get all round.

Did yours go on the back, sheltered, shaded side, or the front, or all round? mine went on one side first, then spread

All around - bottom branch tips, then the top, then the other day, quite suddenly, we noticed the whole tree had turned its face to the wall. It definitely wasn't lack of light with ours - more likely the opposite.

ah, right. that's baffling, never heard of that before - but then you could fill a library with things I've never heard of before!

It's a problem with conifers - once a bit of it has died, it doesn't really grow back, and nothing comes in to fill the gap if you cut out the brown bits (except yew, of course).

Just been watching Alan Tichmarsh's Natural History of the Bristish Isles - he said that even Scottish conifers are suffering from unaccustomed heat levels caused by climate change. Might be a generic thing that none of us can do anything about - at least, until we can decrease global emissions, which is a sort of very-long-term solution, no immediate help.

We'll just have to keep replacing them..........£££££££

lol or put them in a cold house?

Ours are quite tall...... (or WERE quite tall) :o)

mine are dwarf, but the programme showd full sized Scots Pine and other conifers that were browning off and dying

There seem to be whole stands of trees round here that have died, and we aren't sure why, but it's quite alarming. We guessed the freezing winter might have done it, but just think of Scandinavia with its population of conifers, so could it just be that followed by drought? The nurserymen must be rubbing their hands with glee and booking expensive holidays.
We were looking at ranks of perfect, beautiful, healthy "Goldcrest" columnar cypresses the other day, and thinking about replacing our poor dead and dying ones, but our wallet said "no". :o(

can understand the temptation! I like columnar trees - maximum tree in minimum space.

What type are the dying local trees, deciduos or conifer? surely if they're native to the region they'd be adapted to the climate - or at least the original natural climate, whereas trees that are native to another area would have to do some rapid adapting to acclimatise to the new home.

But summers are getting a lot drier all over, so that could well be a factor: the deep down soil is'nt as moist as it used to be where the roots need it.

And old climate bands are shifting northwards (or southwards below the equator) so that what was once a mild temeperate zone is now tending to semi-gropical - change happening faster than the plants can adapt. If indeed they can! old-zone plants would give way to new-zone plants, which would be better adapted to the conditions.

lol long way of saying I don't have a clue what it's about!

Me neither! There are dead trees of both types, but the complete stands tend to be conifers. We've noticed and commented on it with increasing frequency. The temperature extremes round here seem to be spreading - ever colder winters, ever hotter summers. We're finding it difficult to cope with, why should plants be any different?

lol and they can't wrap up in woollies! they'll adapt, given time; but there's the rub - IF they have the time