Your maple does appear to be distressed. As mentioned above, if the roots have been nicked it is possible that Verticillium Wilt, which is naturally present in soils, has entered the tree. Generally maples do not survive this. Here is an easy way to visually check for the wilt. Remove the lower right hand branch which appears to be dying. Using a very sharp knife, start whittling down vertically along the thick part of the branch, carving away wood until you reach the center core. If this round center core appears to be black or dark green in color, running the length of the branch, the maple is infected. However, If your tree is not infected with VW this center core will display a healthy whitish/very pale green color. Any time a maple or dogwood tree exhibits branches dying off, one by one over several years, suspect Verticillium Wilt. Perform this test on a branch with dying leaves for a quick confirmation that it is or is not VW.

Embothrium: Way more than once, I have seen septic leach fields so infested with willow roots they had to be rebuilt. Likewise with 4" plastic drain pipe totally clogged by roots and trapped sediment. Except for one or two cases, the willows involved were not at all large trees. This is not a question of structural damage but of the propensity of willow roots to seek out the wettest areas. Ask someone involved in keeping municipal storm water drainage systems clear if you doubt me. Certainly dwarf arctic and alpine willows present little danger. All other varieties, including the cute variegated ones at the nursery in 3 gallon pots, best to beware.

Lol, Mike, that's sooo funny about you shoveling snow, and the mites laughing at you..inside warm and cozy..lol Mike, I know it's temping, but don't bother bringing plants back out..the reason is, you'll haul them out, then it'll rain, nights will turn cold, and you'll have to deal with a muddy, icy mess..I've done this before, never again. I finally cleaned out the back room, planned on toting plants inside today, well, it's pouring. Not showering, but pouring rain..I hope and pray it doesn't get cold tonight..hopefully, rain will stop..I wish we had one more warm week w/o rain...even if it was in the 90's, plants would come in..that'd be perfect..each plant is hosed before coming in, water is cold, unless hose is hooked in the basement. Using cold water on plants is bad enough, but worse if temps are under 50. So, don't trust the weather, Mike. Mother Nature is playing a game..lol.. Again, you're funny about your idiot neighbors and their trees..lol.. Talk about idiots, our old neighbors planted a young tree, before moving..What the he** was the point? That little tree has grown tall and wide. It obstructs my southern windows. I hoped the tree would get struck my lightening, but unfortunately, never happened. This may sound harsh, but considering they moved 3 months later, a planned move, for the life of me, I had NO idea why anyone would plant a tree before moving. It's not like they're going to see the tree, especially since they've moved out of state. sheesh!!! So, I know what you mean about your neighbors trees. Are you seriously thinking of asking if you can keep your citrus across the street? Is there a spot in between your house and the neighbors, a gangway or entranceway, where your trees would get south sun? West light helps, since your front faces north, they should get west and east, right? I have the same problem, Mike..Most plants in the yard get north!! Some 'idiot' planted a maple tree out back, (detest that tree) that shades the yard from south. If I place them beyond the maple, they're shaded by neighbors' bushes..they don't bother trimming their darn bushes, so I end up doing it. Are you friends with ppl across the street? If so, maybe you should talk to them, ask if you can possibly add a 'few' plants on their property..lol.. Maybe if you offer a little money, like one would renting space, they'd agree..As long as you clean up any mess, (soil on windy days) felled leaves, etc, they might agree. But wouldn't you worry someone might walk off with a tree? That's my biggest fear when it comes to outdooring in summer. Especially my Gardenia tree and a mandarin someone gave me. Mike, all ingredients in the home-made insecticide are natural, except for dish soap, and soap if fairly safe. My favorite dishsoap is by Ajax..they sell grapefruit and lemon scent. The smell just might help deter insects, too. Besides, Ajax is, I believe considered a generic brand, so it's probably watered down a lot. When I use it to wash dishes, etc, I have to double the amount to get a good amount of suds. Still, 2-4 drops in even a gallon of water bubbles up. I wanted to tell you, you can experiment with dossages. The only ingredients I measure is soap and SuperThrive. Garlic, Citrus rind/juice/and pepper are added w/o measuring..I take a sniff after ingredients are added..when smell is noticable, it's enough..lol. A little more or less isn't going to matter. Except for ST, but I don't know if you plan on using it. Everything else is safe. Keep us posted if you're going to haul citrus outside again..Oh, what about your Gardenia? What are the temps up east? (the next 2 wks prediction) Leave gardenia out till temp is 40 or so. If you want it to bloom. One thing about gardenias and citrus, they bloom throughout the year. Same applies to Cyclamen, Azaleas, and Holiday Cactus..(Christmas/Thanksgiving Cactus.) Take care, Toni

Wow....thanks everyone! I guess DH was probably right? (Did I really just say that??) In the past I have planted a Mandevilla vine on the end of the arbor. It did look pretty, but the wait until mid-summer for flowers and for it to grow to any size was frustrating for me. But....DH likes how it looked and wants me to plant it again. This year I tried Heavenly Blue morning glories, they are blooming now, but again the long wait. I have not been really happy with the morning glories this year either. :-( Couldn't decide why. I had thought that the look I wanted was to cover the arbor with vines....but after reading your comments and looking back at pictures from other years, maybe you are right. Not a huge or heavy vine, but stay with a lighter vine? Oh, the indecision. We built the arbor ourselves, no plan, just ideas. The "windows" were something we had picked up the summer before we built the arbor, with no idea how we would use them. As we planned the arbor, DH mentioned that he thought he could incorporate them into the arbor, and so he did. They are cast iron and have love birds in the center. I do love the picture of the honeysuckle and if not on the arbor, I will find a different spot to plant one of those!