"Me" wrote in message
om...
Any advice? My new yard has some beautiful plants that were neglected
by the former owner. The dogwood is about 40 feet tall and the upper
third looks pretty healthy. The lower branches and leaves are quite
damaged by the disease although the trunk looks fine.

I've read about prevention (which I wish had been exercised here) and
control, but I'm not sure if it's a lost cause. Anyone have
experience combatting this disease? Should I spend a few years trying
to revive this tree or should I begin thinking about what to put in
its place?


I had a small one that seems to have recovered after I pruned off the
diseased branches, but I suspect that it is just a matter of time before it
gets re-infected. As others have indicated, a mature tree will be less
likely to survive. I would plan on a replacement - perhaps a flowering
crabapple. Also, I doubt that neglect on the previous owner's part played
any role in the tree's demise. I don't why these trees are even being sold,
but I see them every year. I have told people looking at them not to buy
them, but obviously enough people buy them that merchants continue to stock
the. The same goes with Bradford pears which grow beautifully for about 15
years and then break into splinters during a storm.