Garden Losses

I'm blaming the warm spell we had in late January/early February for this.

I've lost most of my cherry trees this year. We'll be removing them later today or tomorrow. One is nearly 30 years old, two are about 25 years old and the other two are 15 years old. One of the 15 year olds has enough live parts on it that we will cut off the dead portion and see how much it will recover but I don't have much hope for it. Fortunately it is one of the ones that suckers and I see there are a few at the base, so I will be able to regenerate that variety. The apple trees survived although the one that has the best fruit doesn't look its best. We'll cut off the dead parts of that one and see if it survives enough to keep next year. Its really disheartening to lose such old trees.

My neighbour just down the road lost all of hers as well. 7 cherry trees and two big hawthorn trees (planted ones, not the native species). They removed theirs yesterday. Their yard looks so bare with them all gone. :( Her apples all survived with minimal dead branches. My daughter has one cherry and it survived quite well but its just little yet and was mostly covered with snow.

My blueberries aren't doing well. One is dead and one has only one green branch. So only one out of three that is doing OK. I will buy one more to ensure pollination but won't replace them again if they don't survive this year. I have the worst luck with them. Fortunately, the haskaps that I was worried about last fall (they shrivelled and got brown spots all over them before fall), have survived and are doing really well. I had 4 but have purchased two more this spring.

I also lost my purple smoke bush which has been here since we bought the property 30 years ago. I was kind of proud of it as it is a zone 6 plant and has survived all these years in my zone 3/4. My roses are coming back but they died right back to the ground.

None of my thyme survived (it doesn't always come back) and all of my sage plants died.

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Comments

  • Sheila
    Sheila Posts: 108 ✭✭✭

    That's heartbreaking! I hate losing good trees of any variety but especially fruit ones!

    We had one of our apple trees tip this year from the snow load fortunately the pruning has been hit and miss the last year or so so the branches actually kept it from going all the way over! Managed to right it to about a 60 degree angle and braced it (it gives really good apples so trying not to lose it!) buried the exposed roots and now we will see how it does. It was the only casualty this year so I am happy!

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    Well, I'm not the only one with losses. There was a report on the news the other night from a city a couple of hours north of me. They have lost a large number of landscape and fruit trees due to winter kill.

    Another friend an hour east of me lost all her rose bushes. Hardy rugosa roses!

    In the past week a neighbour (about 1/2 km away) lost all her tomato plants to frost. We didn't have any frost at my house (the coldest it got was +1C, just above freezing) or at my daughter's, but the neighbour had 3 nights that were 0 or -1C. Its not unheard of for late frosts to hit in June but this is following record setting high temps for May.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin

    That is horrible to lose such important trees. I would say though, not to waste the cherry wood. It would be fantastic for smoking meat! If you were closer, I'd ask for some.

    I hope your others recover.

    About the one that suckers, is it on its own root? If it's grafted, it will give you something else.

    We have missed our spring frost. I've never seen that happen. Now we have had a long string of 30°+ heat. This morning we had a lightning storm that actually brought us 6/10" of rain (and no hail). That's the most we've seen this spring. It should help whatever saskatoons we have fill out. I haven't checked them all for set.

    Our haskaps are starting to ripen.

    I plan to put my tomatoes & other bedding plants in in the next couple of cooler days before the heat resumes. I hope they will be able to cope.

  • letitgrow850
    letitgrow850 Posts: 4 ✭✭✭

    Awful to hear, so sorry! I do feel some of your pain. However, not the loss of trees at their ages. I'm in Florida and in the panhandle this year, we have had a much colder winter. Once it was supposed to be gone, I started my seeds. I bring them inside if it does turn out too cold, in the night for them, but it is usually fine, as it stays warmer temperatures here most of the time. Not this year. All of my first cucumbers planted died when it decided to freeze overnight in the end of march or first of April. We have a cool snap around Easter, usually the last one of the year for us, but that is usually a break from the already 90 degree days. I think we have had 2 90 degree days so far, in 2023. It is still cool at night, meaning upper 60s, which is cool for us.

    Our zucchini lived, but that was all. So we replanted and have been doing okay, but nothing like last year.

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    @LaurieLovesLearning We have some of the wood put away for smoking purposes. Yes, the ones that sucker are on their own roots. They are from original plantings brought by some of the early settlers in this area. No idea what kind they are but they produce a dark, almost black cherry that makes great pies and juice. I believe they started bearing fruit in about 4 years after I got them, so I will baby some of the suckers and see if I get any good looking ones.

    Good news on the smoke bush. It has new growth and will survive.

    Welcome to TGN's forum @letitgrow850. I don't consider 30 years to be too old for a cherry tree. I've seen ones much older that still produce copious amounts of fruit. It seems to be a strange year for temperatures all over.

  • letitgrow850
    letitgrow850 Posts: 4 ✭✭✭

    @Torey it is definitely a strange year, with the temperatures. It is the middle of June and we have just started, with the heat. Definitely, a much cooler spring than usual for us. Thank you for the kind welcome! I know very little about cherry trees, but plan on learning as much as I am able, about as many plants and trees as possible. Good luck!

  • VermontCathy
    VermontCathy Posts: 1,987 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Very sad that you lost your trees. I was talking to some local friends last night who told me that they had lost their first garden planting this year and pretty much had to start over.

    Cold temperatures last through the first half of spring, then suddenly temperatures shot up to summer levels. Last frost was about a week later than I have seen the last few years.

  • SuperC
    SuperC Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭

    Aw, so sorry for your tree losses. The diligence it takes to care for, manicure, harvest, and love our trees. We tend nature, yet nature knows when its time. Hopefully the ones that are able to regenerate will be fruitful for years to come.

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    It has just been on the news that the Okanagan wine industry has taken a huge hit. Winter damaged most of the new bud growth and in some cases has killed the vines entirely. They are saying it will be over $100,000,000 in losses to the industry in BC.

  • nicksamanda11
    nicksamanda11 Posts: 755 ✭✭✭✭

    I have seen dead conifers everywhere this spring.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin

    @Torey That is a lot.

  • VermontCathy
    VermontCathy Posts: 1,987 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Beech Leaf Disease is spreading eastward across New York. No treatment or cure is known. This may end up being yet another type of North American tree that follows in the path of elm and chestnut, being hit hard by a non-native pest or disease.

  • SuperC
    SuperC Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭

    Ash Borer Beetles are damaging many trees. Now, there is a Birch Tree threat.