Jeep461 Confederate Rose is a plant that likes water. If you can find a neighbor who has that tree any branch that is cut off will if just stuck into a bucket of water will take root. Strip off all the leaves and put a nice stick in water and keep in the shade you will see white nubs form soon then the root will not take very long before they are big enough to put into the ground. You need to keep it watered until it gets established. They can get over 20' tall and quite wide. They can be cut back to the ground each year to help control their size and shape The trunk can get to 12" across. I had mine cut back to 3' last fall and it it over 8' tall now. They bloom in the fall when the weather starts to cool down. In the summer months they will lose leaves when the weather is hot and dry but will come back in the fall with cooler weather and moisture. When I got my first start is was a 3' stick. Put this into the ground and it just sat there until we had a hurricane which brought lots of rain which knocked it over and had to be replanted. From all that rain it took off and ended up being about 8' tall and full of blooms in October, it has never slowed down since then so I have nice shade for my back window. I know this is the BOP site but you mentioned Confederate Rose so I wanted to throw this in for you. Thanks

I'm wondering how it would be if you reduced the stems to near the base and then went lower using a sharp mattock or even axe. I'm thinking of it as being in the same category as removing a full-size Phormium tenax - requiring serious effort. It does help to have a manual winch to keep tension on the plant while you chop the roots through - and to pull it clear. Sharp tools and great prudence. If someone with a 'calf-dozer' could access your small yard, then taking it out with the front scoop could be an option. Or hauling it out for you. The mini-size machines used for working in ditches and tight corners. You might find that there is a local company with the skills to work in constricted areas to remove plants past their acceptable size. (I hope they don't have to cart it through your house to take it away... I remember doing a job where I had to do that.) It would be worth a trawl through the Yellow Pages, perhaps. For the roots: Personally, I'd leave it for a season to see if there was any regrowth, then put fresh soil/compost into the area and allow natural decay to work for me. The other thing I'd be looking for would be the effect of the change in light density on the other plants in the yard, You may find some of them start into enthusiastic growth as soon as they get more light and water.

Hi Mjz...Wow! What a story. How long has this been going on? So, you're Bird is planted in the ground, not a container? Since the leaves are healthy I surely wouldn't toss it. Does the soil your Bird was planted in stay wet all year round? If it were my Bird, for the time being, I'd plant in a container with appropriate soil, until (if) roots grow in. Don't expect miracles, especially since winter is nearing. Do you normally fertilize this time of year? I'd also add a hormone/vitamin product like SuperThrive.. Keep the Bird warm, in a sunny, (not scorching) spot. Last, keep your fingers crossed..lol. If you decide to plant in a container, use a pot that isn't too large. You'll need to stake especially if your Bird is tall. Good luck, Toni

My backyard is shielded by many tall overhead trees that keeps most of my backyard shaded all day long. So when you factor in all of the rain we get (along with plenty of good drainage), we have moss growing all over the place; which includes the trunks of my ornamental trees. The green color is just harmless moss that grew on the trunks back at the greenhouses. It will go away all on its own. Especially since Ikea's only been giving them little "sips" of neglectful underwaterings. No wonder they're having leaf problems. On a side note; this year, I've bought myself a weeding tool to rip up these unsightly weeds by their roots. I've been going thru my yard weeding out any that I can find so that the mosses can grow better. Since it looks more appealing, and it's much easier to deal with than trying to grow grass there. Plus, the moss is so much softer to walk on.