the stakes are useless .. the string is improperly placed.. so.. as tj said.. be done with it all ... or ... get a much stouter stake.. and actually bind it straight ... now.. the only reason i replied... is that i see landscape fabric .. i will yell.. PLEASE DONT USE IT ... its a waste of money.. a waste of effort.. and within minutes of putting it down ... airborne seed will be settling on top of it.. and it will be near impossible to pull weeds out of it.. once they grow thru it ... and if you ever want to plant something else .. you will have the nightmare of digging thru it ... as to the conifer.. the soil looks very dry.. its cracked ... i would create a basin .. of about 2 feet wide .. taking the level down a couple inches ... especially near the trunk.. until it is at proper depth ... and then i would water by repeatedly filling the basin and let it soak in.. until it is wet thru out the WHOLE root mass.. and if need be.. i would dig a small hole.. and insure there is water down deep ... then i would add 2 to 3 inches of mulch over the whole bed ... but not closer than a few inches from the trunk .. and spray that down a few time .. until it absorbs some water ... and then i would not water again.. until my index finger inserted at least 2 to 3 inches into the soil .... indicated the soil was hot or dry ... hot meaning it will soon be dry ... have a great day .. if you did not already... ken ps: i wont even get into how everyone here at the forum hates these plants ... i cant grow them up here in the great white north.. so i dont care ..

'Jim's Little Guy' was found on the edge of a large pond by Jim Berry at JBerry Nursery, Grand Saline, TX. While it's similar to Peve Minaret, there is one difference. Peve Minaret can't be rooted easily and Jim's Little Guy can (proof that it's probably a fairly young clone). Jim's Little Guy was a seedling witch's broom and Jim Berry discovered it could root rather easily. He evaluated it for several years and decided it didn't really fit into the mix of his nursery inventory and asked if I was interested in the clone. Heck, yes. I named the clone after Jim Berry. It has very short internodes and it's difficult to get good rooting wood. Can be grafted, of course. We have distributed a good number of plants over the years and have planted a grove of them at the new Gayla Mize Garden in a natural wet spot. We find they root quite easy, albeit a bit slow, and have found vigorous pencil sized cutting root best and grow off quickly. Can get a two footer in a couple of years. Ultimate size? Not sure . . . might become huge in a thousand years. Here is a link that might be useful: Taxodium distichum 'Jim's Little Guy'

Joann, we would love to see pictures of your cypress trees! also, if i am correct, the upper elevations can be slightly warmer during cold snaps for two reasons- the cold wind tends to whip through the valley, while the mountainsides and hillsides are more protected. Secondly, the colder air settles down lower in the valley (slightly). temperatures where we live in bluffdale (near the jordan) are usually a degree cooler. ps, does anyone know how to subscribe to threads, or access my recently viewed/written posts? (as in other forums)

Just a guess but it sounds like they were over watered. Check this site link. I'd also suggest posting this question in the conifer section.