Ok so I have these bushes in my backyard of which I've never known what type of bush they are and I was wondering if someone would know what they are and what I could do to save them.
Here's a picture from May 20th, 2008.
[img]https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/wrathloki/5-18-2009/DSC00245_1_.jpg[/img]
Here are the pictures from today (May 18th, 2009).
[img]https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/wrathloki/5-18-2009/DSC01632.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/wrathloki/5-18-2009/DSC01633.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/wrathloki/5-18-2009/DSC01638.jpg[/img]
I'm not sure what's changed to make them go from so lush one year to so dead the next. I'm guessing I'll need to trim them down but I'm not sure how to go about this to save them and at what time of year I should do this. If possible I'd like to trim them down so that they're still fence height or so but if it's not possible that's just fine I suppose. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
It looks like forsythia to me. Lovely plants, and one of my favorites. Sadly, I lost mine in a flood a few years ago. I want to get another, but need to plant it in a better place. The one I lost was here when I moved in. 
I'm sorry, but I have no idea why your plant is suffering. I wish I could be of more help.
I'm sorry, but I have no idea why your plant is suffering. I wish I could be of more help.
Do you know how to trim these and when to trim them?Kisal wrote:It looks like forsythia to me. Lovely plants, and one of my favorites. Sadly, I lost mine in a flood a few years ago. I want to get another, but need to plant it in a better place. The one I lost was here when I moved in.
I'm sorry, but I have no idea why your plant is suffering. I wish I could be of more help.
They're blooming and have leaves right now. I'm not sure on that stuff on the bottom, I'll need to check it out tomorrow in the light, what does that mean if it is? And I think it's possible the neighbor behind me could have sprayed it with something on purpose since I'm pretty sure he hates us for letting a "weed" tree (which I really like) grow right on the edge of our property.plkelly wrote:Normally these are trimmed after they bloom in the spring. Did yours bloom at all this spring or have any leaves?
I'm wondering a couple things: is the growth at the bottom new growth from the same shrub? And could the neighbor behind you have sprayed it with something accidentally?
I asked about the neighbor because it seems unusual that it would do so well last year and all of a sudden be dying this year. These aren't shrubs that require a lot of special care--around here people grow them as large rambly bushes (my preference) or trim them into square hedge shapes. They all still bloom like crazy in the spring.
If there's lots of leaves at ground level, the shrub is trying to save itself by putting up new growth from the roots.
If there's lots of leaves at ground level, the shrub is trying to save itself by putting up new growth from the roots.