A few years ago, I pulled out some Red Cedars on the West side of my
house, because they were causing problems with Cedar Apple Rust. In
their place, I planted two young Emerald Green Arborvitae. After one
year, one of them needed
to be replaced. The following year, the other original tree need
replacement. Now,
this year the older of the two again looks like it is going. These
trees were bought
at a reputable nursery in my Chicago area, and I had to pay 50% of cost
for each
replacement. There were no signs of insect damage. The trees were
planted properly and are cared for regularly with proper watering and
fertilizing. What I did
observe when buying them that therewas that there was some die-back
inside the tree, near the trunk. The nursery said this was normal for
these trees. Also, these
trees are rated for partial to full sun, so a half day's sun they
receive should be enough. I'm wondering if the nursery is just selling
bad stock, although this problem
has been going on for several years, and they have had time to switch
suppliers.
Right now, the trees are growing for a year, or so, and then dying. The
nursery is
coming out in a few days to inspect the trees, but they will probably
find some excuse to claim it was my fault the trees died. I have heard
horror stories of nurseries knowingly selling defective stock and not
caring for the consequences.
I don't suspect a soil problem, since the Red Cedars had grown there for
many years, and I have yews and apple trees nearby who are doing ok.

Sherwin D.