Hi there
I live in the Ottawa area and early last May I planted two Kousa Dogwoods in my backyard. They were doing really well with exception of some Japanese beetles that were nibbling on their leaves, which I vigilantly removed. They bloomed and had some berries but the leaves failed to change to red in the fall and stayed on in the winter. At the time I didn't think much about it because I had read that its normal for young ornamental trees to experience marcescence during their first year. We had a sudden cold snap last fall and then it got warm again. I also read that the leaves should just drop off in winter, but they didn't. So come early spring I just removed the leaves by hand by crumpling them. There are buds at the tips of each branch which I'm assuming is the flowers. Its mid May and I haven't seen any leaves yet so I'm getting nervous. Last year this time they already had leaves when I planted them. The branches are still very bendy and don't break easily. When I cut a twig off its still green under the bark and its not dry. I've read that Kousa Dogwoods can take a while to leaf out their first year but how long should I wait before I declare the trees dead? Is this normal for Kousa Dogwoods when planting them in the Ottawa area or did that cold snap in fall kill them?
Any advice would greatly be appreciated... Very sad at the thought of loosing them
Thanks
DawBee
I live in the Ottawa area and early last May I planted two Kousa Dogwoods in my backyard. They were doing really well with exception of some Japanese beetles that were nibbling on their leaves, which I vigilantly removed. They bloomed and had some berries but the leaves failed to change to red in the fall and stayed on in the winter. At the time I didn't think much about it because I had read that its normal for young ornamental trees to experience marcescence during their first year. We had a sudden cold snap last fall and then it got warm again. I also read that the leaves should just drop off in winter, but they didn't. So come early spring I just removed the leaves by hand by crumpling them. There are buds at the tips of each branch which I'm assuming is the flowers. Its mid May and I haven't seen any leaves yet so I'm getting nervous. Last year this time they already had leaves when I planted them. The branches are still very bendy and don't break easily. When I cut a twig off its still green under the bark and its not dry. I've read that Kousa Dogwoods can take a while to leaf out their first year but how long should I wait before I declare the trees dead? Is this normal for Kousa Dogwoods when planting them in the Ottawa area or did that cold snap in fall kill them?
Any advice would greatly be appreciated... Very sad at the thought of loosing them
Thanks
DawBee