Should I trim this bush?
by
Dee W
+9
I have forgotten what this bush is called but I do remember that it has 3 seasons of color and is a very slow grower...if anyone recognizes it I would appreciate knowing its name.
Also, as you can see in the first picture the top half looks dead. Some of the smaller branches have fallen off but the thicker ones are still slightly bendable--my questions is: should I trim it back or leave it and maybe it will recover?
Thank you for any help and information you have
Also, as you can see in the first picture the top half looks dead. Some of the smaller branches have fallen off but the thicker ones are still slightly bendable--my questions is: should I trim it back or leave it and maybe it will recover?
Thank you for any help and information you have
Planted last autumn, it appears as though the top of the bush is dead when it is actually still pliable, it just has no leaves
A close-up of the leaves that might help in identification
6 answers
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Looks like a rather sad Piria (it has other names, too, Andromeda is one of them, I think). The green and red leaves on the bottom are the new growth. I would prune out all the dead branches and hope for the best. This is a pretty resilient shrub so you might get lucky. Good luck.
Iberkeley
on May 21, 2015
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Looks like a red-tip to me, not sure of proper name. If so they are being attacked by a blight nationwide and nothing you can do about it.
Lagree Wyndham
on May 21, 2015
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This is a Pieris, or Lily of the Valley Shrub. Yes, cut all of the dead branches off. Each time you cut look for the cambium layer - a thin green lining between the bark and the white, pithy center of the stem. If, by the time you get down to the parts with leaves which look healthy and you still don't find a cambium layer, then it's most likely the bush is dead and just doesn't know it yet. Sometimes parts appear alive, but it's just using up the last bits of chlorophyll. And yes, @iberkeley , it is sometimes called an Andromeda.
Deborah Donovan-Navarro
on May 21, 2015
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@Dee W Be sure to water it deeply and often as it's recovering and through the rest of this growing season, so that it will be strong going into the winter. After about a month, if it's still alive, I would fertilize it with some "super phosphate" - a fertilizer which strengthens roots and stems without encouraging new leaf growth. And don't forget to water it in! Glad I could help.
Deborah Donovan-Navarro
on May 21, 2015
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Suggestion - cut it off at the ground and add a teaspoon of salt.
Jim Grossman
on May 22, 2015
- See 2 previous
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Hmm, yes, but you don't want to kill the andromeda. I remember the salting of the fields, which has fallen a bit out of fashion but good to know for weeds in sidewalk cracks etc., although boiling H2O works nicely for that,too. Thanks for your reply.
Iberkeley
on May 23, 2015
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