"rsc" wrote in message
vers.com...
I had a very nice dogwood tree planted last fall. With the harsh winter
here
in the NE it had a hard time doing anything this spring. Most of the
branches
are obviously dead. Only few show tiny tiny leaves and the 8 ft high tree
has
a hand full of blossoms. The whole tree looks rather pathetic compared to
all
the powerful growth going on around it. My Landscaper does not want to
replace it as it just 'leafed'. Whatever that means. Will this tree make
it
or is it actually dead and only shows a bit of a stress growth.
Any suggestions highly appreciated!


The same thing happed to me. I had a Cornus florida "Cherokee Princess"
planted several years ago by a landscaping firm. Most of the tree was dead
the next spring. They replace it. The replacement tree was fine for about
a year or two and then started a noticeable decline. I ended up cutting
off the dead branches, leaving little more than a stump and a few branches.
The tree has recovered and looked particularly good this fall. Had I known
that this tree was a very poor choice due to anthracnose, I wouldn't have
allowed them to place it initially or to replace it with exactly the same
plant. I have a sycamore that also suffers from anthracnose, but it only
causes minor cosmetic damage to the tree. In much of the NE, cornus florida
has a serious problem with anthracnose. I would discuss this possibility
with the landscaper and suggest that if this is the tree you have, that you
insist that he/she replace it with an alternative selection. Cornus kousa
is relatively resistant to anthracnose.