Tulip Tree in August

(Okay, so I missed July but it was much the same.) For those of you who do not regularly follow my blog, I am following a tree with Loose and Leafy. My tree is a young Tulip Tree who this year, after three winters, began to wilt. I asked the advice of my cooperative extension and we came to the conclusion that the tree may have been planted too deeply, not suffering from verticillium wilt. (It came to me as a very young sapling – twig, really – swaddled in Myrtle so it is possible it was planted too deeply.) So, I dug around the base of the Tulip Tree and removed some of the Myrtle. What I found was a twisted trunk – as if the tree tried to grow out from underneath the Myrtle, and a lot of suckering at its base. I followed some of this “twisting” to make sure I wasn’t dealing with a girdling root and I think not. So, I removed the suckers, let the bare soil breathe for a few days around the tree, and then mulched. The tree proceeded to lose its upper leaves and now looks like this …

The original leader seems to have died along with the two main side branches, but all still seems flexible so I’m hesitant to cut it back. It could be this tree suffered cold damage like many of my other shrubs and died back? Only the leader and side branches did leaf out in the spring, unlike my other shrubs whose branches remained bare.

The Tulip Tree is growing from the base again and this time I am letting it go as the original stems are not in leaf. I suppose it is possible it will grow a new leader? I think it is young enough to grow this way and still remain structurally sound so I am leaving it alone to do its thing. If the original leader becomes brittle I will cut it back as far as I can. The new growth looks healthy.

Those big leaves, gorgeous.

What do you tree followers think? Cut my losses, plant something new? Tulip Trees grow extremely tall so structure is important.

Hang in there with the Tulip Tree? Wait another year? I’m listening and value your opinions.

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May Observations: The Damage You’ve Done (and the Tulip Tree in June)

“Hey, did you see that?”

“No?”

That was May whizzing by in a blur, speed: super fast with nitro injection (did I ever mention I used to date a drag racer? I don’t like to dredge it up much). May was very unlike the **** (four letter word) Winter which crawled by at a pace so slow one could observe every minute, painful detail (never did date an annalist). Yet these two paces meet up in my observations for May: The Damage You’ve Done. Yeah, if I had a dollar for every shredded leaf you’d make me a millionaire and it wouldn’t repair the damage you’ve done to my garden, Winter baby.

Which brings me to the sad state of my Tulip Tree I am sorry to report. I have been following this tree along with Lucy at Loose and Leafy. It is a good thing I am, too, because at my current pace I may not have noticed how unhappy my Tulip Tree is until too late!

I have consulted with my cooperative extension because I am very concerned. I thought that maybe it is suffering from Verticillium Wilt, but the nearby Dogwood shrub, Pin Oak and the neighbor’s Silver Maple are robust and happy if not downright cheerful. If my soil had this fungus, everyone should be showing some sort of sad sign. There also isn’t any evidence of bark striations or a dark ring in a cross section I cut. We have had plenty of rain. If I dig an inch into the soil it is moist, but not too wet, so rule out too much or too little water.

Neighboring Silver Maple

My happy Pin Oak

The extension and I have concluded that the tree may be planted too deeply.

This is entirely possible since I did plant the tree as a very young sapling – difficult to see any sort of “flare” – and its base was swaddled in Vinca Vine. It would also explain why this tree hasn’t grown as fast as I think it should be from all I have read or heard. The nearby Elm is double the size of the Tulip Tree and it was also planted as a sapling (a sprout from my neighbor’s tree).

Time is of the essence! (And it is the one thing I don’t have- arrrghhh!) The question is, do I simply dig out around its base? Or do I dig it all up and replant it higher? I think I will dig out the base, cut away the Vinca, and see if there is any improvement.

I just love this tree and love these leaves – especially when they look happy and healthy.

The beautiful leaves of the Tulip Tree

As I look around, though, I wonder if the tree simply had a rough go of Winter. (Many of my other shrubs are damaged.) Stay tuned as I continue to follow the Tulip Tree … your prayers and well wishes for this tree are welcome!

So, what is the damage Winter has done? It is evident now at the end of May and into June (already!). The Spicebush, Lindera benzoin, surprisingly, have suffered and are very slow to leaf out. No blooms, but they are still young so that didn’t worry me. The branches are supple and the base of these shrubs is nice and green. I’ll wait a little longer and cut back anything not leafy.

Yet, just down the row, Pagoda Dogwood is loaded with blooms!

The same leg up symptom is true of my Sambucus Black Lace which was so incredibly beautiful last year. No blooms, slow to leaf out, but a healthy comeback at its base.

It will get the same treatment after waiting just a bit longer. The Cranberry Viburnum and Ninebark along the drive, however, are fully leaved and fully loaded with blooms!

The NJ Tea? Well, R.I.P., sniff, little guy. No signs of any leaves even at the base and not very supple stems. Oh, the damage, the damage you’ve done to me.

Let’s hope that will not be the same fate of my beloved Tulip Tree!

Tip Toe Round the Tulip Tree

Once again I am joining Loose and Leafy for Follow A Tree. Not much has changed with my Tulip Tree over this past month – the buds are not unfurling into the beautiful leaves I imagined opening already. The warm sunshine I imagined didn’t happen either, but the snow has finally melted all around it! You may see a few patches in the background but last month this was all snow.

Finally. It was 50 degrees today! And now my dog’s toilet garden is a soggy mess. I spent the day outside tip toeing around my little Tulip Tree, admiring the bird song and picking up pounds of dog poop branches. I was finally able to move the large branch that fell from my neighbor’s Silver Maple during the ice storm in December 2013 –  that thankfully missed falling on the Tulip Tree. I contemplate that one day I will be picking up branches from the Tulip Tree come Spring as they are known to drop a few during winds and storms.

The leader is proud and nearly as tall as our 6′ fence. I should measure its height as I think this is the year it will leap! It is currently 57 inches tall.

I still cannot seem to get a good capture of the buds – too much movement and background. I tried to hold a branch in my hand and still work the camera with the other – I am not that coordinated.

Things will begin happening fast now that we have warmer weather. It was nice this morning but is raining now – good for the Tulip Tree. I will hold on to the image of what I am calling a sunshine Crocus I spotted out front. I noticed a few more around the Pin Oak. Blooms! Buds have to follow suit.