I have replaced 3 Emerald Green Arborvitae from the West side of my house. They usually last about
one year. Just across the sidewalk from the problem area is
another Arborvitae, getting the same care, which seems to last much longer. An
arborist looked at the problem and said he suspects bad trees, since there are yews
and grass growing well, around the tree. This site was occupied for many years by
a Red Cedar, which was always healthy and was pulled out because of Apple Cedar
Rust interaction with my fruit trees. My soil has lots of clay about a foot down, but
I dug a decent hole for it and added mulch to the soil. There are no signs of insect
infestation, so this problem is really a mystery. The nursery supplier claims he has given me trees
from Canada and Ohio, and I live in a suburb of Chicago. Even with
our drought, the trees were given careful watering. The tree died over a one month
period. Any suggestions would be welcome.