The tree appears to be suffering from more than lack of water. In fact, it very likely will suffer further harm from additional water. Healthy oxydendrum leaves are a deep, glossy green. I do not think it's about to bloom, either. In Z6, mid July or so would be normal bloom time. The photo seems to show dried out seed pods from last year's flowers, not buds about to open. Sourwoods need conditions which would make a rhododendron happy: acid pH soil with at least 25% to 50% coarse organic matter that provides excellent drainage and lots of oxygen. In short, pretty much the opposite of clay. You'd be better off replanting the tree in a raised area of suitable soil than in clay which provides neither the airspace nor organic content required. This is also a pretty sizable tree to have come out of a 3 gallon pot, so it's possible that it is severely root bound. Again like a rhododendron, encircling and massed roots need to be cut or teased apart so they can grow outward.

Oh no, the pressure washing zealot is back?! So unfair that you can't feel your plants are safe where they are. Wind can be annoying, but, it don't gotta brain. Humans, on the other hand, don't have an excuse for laziness or blatant inconsideration or worse destructiveness. It makes me mad, when one is conscientious and worry about not imposing on the neighbor and then some miscreant (or a mental cretin) bulldozes over our property. Big BIG sore point with me. So, please! Feel free to vent. I totally understand not risking a loss of something you've taken the time to acquire. Living babies that you plan to nurture and grow to nice specimens! Totally understand that. hhmmm, well, you get visitation rights 'til you get a private piece of property to space out a nice garden. Girl, believe me, I take major issue with stupid, irresponsible people…. especially after being the only one towed home from this recent collision. His Explorer was drivable, and the 2 cars in from of me in the pile up drove home. Yes, 3rd time some idiot plowed into me. 1st time my front end was rammed from the right when the idiot women ran a red light 4-5 seconds after it set (and everyone opposite me had stopped) red and broke my front axel in two. She was going 60 miles per hour while I was barely moving left. 2nd time (in 2010) my car went head on into the fool that cut me off. Both going at 40 miles and hour. This helped wiggle 3 discs out just a little further than good and later caused a really bad sciatica event that took out my right leg for more than a month. The current slam has set me back in the muscle spasm dept. Whiplash, crumped shoulders and neck. Right leg thigh twitching like mad sometimes, but no sciatica, thank God. And with a knot in my stomach (anger), I begin the trial in researching and looking at ads for a similar condition car all over again. What I had, and was quite happy with-not going to ever sell, was a 2nd generation Lexus sedan, 15 years old but they were made with bulletproof engines. Took 2 years to find my car in excellent condition with 62,000 on the odometer and I want the exact same 15 year old model. Sigh. But, yes. I am getting treated, but can walk and wasn't hospitalized. Thank you, Planto, I really appreciate your words. I look forward to communicating with my cactus buddy, too. I need the connection to the prickly fat leafed admiration club. It's a welcome relief from the current hassles. I wish that was the only problem I face, tho. Where I live, it used to be a pleasant safe neighborhood. Just in the last 5 years, we are being drawn into a battle over securing our block from transients that park their Rv's and campers for weeks and leave their trash in the street in front of out homes. This being underwear, smelly clothes, broken furniture even condoms, bottles of beer and lurid looks. The ones without vehicles decide to hole up behind our alley and smoke and drink and urinate back there. They overturn the dumpsters and litter the alley with garbage. I hate seeing them there when I take my trash out for trash day. I hate for my Mom to be exposed to them and worry when I'm not home. Last year, I've found people using our front hose to take a bath, I've found trash, smelly blankets thrown into my yard. It means a call to local non-emergency, sometimes, twice a week. My, whose ranting, now. :[ I sometimes lose interest in organizing the yard when I think about what I see happening to my block. I worry. What I like about cactus and succulents is that they are quite forgiving and stay green even without a growing medium. I still have the remnants of the mealy triage, I did a month ago, putting out roots waiting for me to give them a pot. I admire their resilience. Maybe, I like this type of plants because they've shown me that you can go on despite less than ideal situations. I can't give up. Some days wear on me more than others. I forgot to post this bloom. It's a tricho named Lavender. Quite a deep deep magenta with edges of purple. It's my moms favorite ( every new bloom becomes the current favorite). It lasted 3 1/2 days This post was edited by aztcqn on Fri, Jul 4, 14 at 2:59

Hi, i need some advice. Struggling with the same issue and cannot figure out who is eating our meyer lemon tree. The problem is i cannot catch the “offenders” in the act (looked with flashlight in the middle of the night and in early morning). I tried various sprays and nothing seems to work. Not sure if it makes a difference, but we live in the Bay Area in California. Thank you for any advice you can offer.

Roselee- they have more energy than experience at DIY especially when it comes to landscaping. I know I did projects 10 or 15 years ago that i wouldn't think twice about hiring done today- mostly because I didn't realize what I was getting myself in to. But they've just finished some other projects that had to be hired out and are trying to do things that they can when it comes to the yard. I just don't want them to put a lot of sweat equity into this, and not have it look like they want at the end. Good point about the sprinklers. I wonder if they could be capped off somehow for now, but when they have a final layout maybe the water access lines could be converted to drip irrigation. Hmmm. Lynn Marie- I'm not sure you can call the mountain laurel healthy. It has a weird shape. I didn't include this picture initially because the lighting is horrible, but it shows a different angle for the mountain laurel. The trunk comes up at about 45 degrees from the ground and then 2 or three much smaller trunks shoot off straight up. It almost looks like someone tried cutting it down years ago, then it came back. Or maybe someone backed into it getting out of the driveway- it's pretty close to it. I guess you could limb it up some, but it would bug me if I was trying to back out. It's weird because the rest of the trees have been pruned and shaped pretty well You guys have made some great suggestions. Appreciate you looking it over and posting your thoughts. Thanks- Lisa