wrote in message
ups.com...
For Dogwood Anthracnose, it sounds similar except it's the top of the
tree that is looking dead (or is dead) and the bottom still has leaves
- which sounds like the opposite according to the link there. I'll
inspect the trees more closely to see if I can notice anything wrong on
the branches or trunk though because I don't remember seeing anything,
but I wasn't looking at those areas as much as the leaves.



Keep in mind that this type of disease can be much worse in some years than
in others. In 1982, my dogwood looked hideous. Knowing little about it, we
brought in a tree "expert", who sold my wife on the idea of having these
little vials stuck into the tree, like hypodermic needles. Without this
expensive treatment, he assured us the tree would be dead within a year or
two. The next year, the tree looked bad, but no worse than the previous
year. Then, it looked perfect for a number of years. It's had a few off
years, but it's still alive today. The best advice we found over the years,
for *any* fungal tree problem, is to rake up diseased leaves and discard
them, rather than leave them lying around as mulch.

The previous owners of the house planted it in the wrong place, two feet
from a blacktop driveway. Dogwoods are NOT happy living near what is
essentially a hot pancake griddle. This doesn't cause disease, but it does
not make for a tree that's as healthy as it can be, and able to fight off
disease.