Rod wrote:
Charlie's right, it's probably too late to save it. In the hope of
saving somebody else's tree, something like this really needs time to
prepare the rootball before moving it, that is at least a growing
season. Allow a good diameter of rootball but bear in mind the
practicalities of moving this sort of weight (make it as big as you
can move), dig a deep trench all round it, cutting through any roots.
Replace that soil with a good friable compost /soil mix - lots of
small fibrous roots will regenerate into that during the growing
season. When you come to move the tree you'll lift it with all of that
fibrous root and you'll stand a chance of success following the advice
Charlie's already given. Use Google to find about moving mature trees,
you'll come up with some spectacular stuff about moving *really big*
trees.

Thanks, Rod. I think one of the contributing factors to this beautiful
tree's demise was that it had been planted right against a decking wall
almost, which meant that about half of its roots travelled under the
decking. So only half "the pie", to to speak, of its root system could
be dug out. The other half, under the decking, were simply inaccessible
and had to be sliced through. Transplanting it was still worthwhile
though, just in case it survived. It couldn't be left right in front of
the kitchen window. I think what hurts is that right through winter it
looked OK. It's only since this spring that the fact of there having
been absolutely no new growth, plus slow browning of the lower branches,
began to emerge.

Anyway, it's now getting loads of TLC, and I'll keep you posted.

Eddy.