We did some heavy pruning of all 9 15 yr old trees. There are some small buds coming out at the base of the main trunks. I am not sure what to make of this yet, but I will continue watering them (fertilized earlier) before making a decision. These "shrubs" stood over 10 ft. tall and served as a privacy fence between us and the neighbor. As a pro-active measure we planted 8 "sweet olive" shrubs in between the suffering legustrum. If,, in the next year we decided to cut them off at the base, then we at least have something else in place to create another privacy fence. Its a sad situation because they were so full and healthy with large trunks and expansive roots. Rob - in Tyler

Hello. I hate to revive an old thread, i a follower up question. I have over 100 sprouted garlic at my house right now. The greens are anywhere from 6 to 10 in tall, our daytime highs are in the 50s and '60s, and are overnight lows range from mid 20s to low 40s, is it safe to plant my garlic outside? I know that garlic doesn't mind the cold, but would repeated freezing temperatures overnight and warm temperatures during the day bother it over much? It doesn't stay cold enough long enough for the ground to freeze. All I have to do is stick my finger in the soil and less than half an inch down it's pleasantly cool.

My Shoestring acacia was already stressed from all the rain the last couple of years. It did not grow at all last summer where in the previous two years it had grown about four feet a year. Also the foliage was sparse last year and many small twigs were dead. Unfortunately, the freeze finished it off and we had to remove it. I'm just glad I got to enjoy it for a couple of years. It's one gorgeous tree! There are several growing in Austin. One of them is shown here in photos 14 through 17 on Pam Penick's blog: Digging. I'm very curious to know whether it and others survived this last freeze.

Freeze damage is ruptured cells and they cease to function as cells for nutrient transport. Where Freeze damage happens, it is what it is. Canker is more, in a bad way. (At least this is what I believe based on growing a lot of roses inzone 6-7 where winter can be kind only to turn merciless in early spring.) Odd question, but important: are you colorblind? I ask because my husband is and there are reddish and reddish purple colors that he can't see. And that makes canker ID a whole lot harder.) Canker is a (IMO) catchall term for fungus that thrive on dead plant tissue. But worse, there are fungi that don't need a lot to get a mycelia-hold fast (little mycologist humor there) to appear on a stem. Are the fungi active? Apparently some, maybe most, give off ethylene gas in large enough amounts to affect adjacent otherwise healthy cells. When those cells are affected, the color changes from green to reddish magenta. And it doesn't change back, even when the causing fungus becomes inactive due to heat/humidity. I've seen Tea roses survive with only half a cane green an the rest dead . That cane will be weak but may last years, especially if supported. If you cut through a cane and see totally dead pith, then it becomes a learning experience: that pith will be crushed by the growth of the stem-unless the fungus has damaged the xylem and phloem system. I think there are major variations from rose class to class. I don't understand Chinas, aside from Old Blush. Polyanthas are like their kin, except most of the kinships aren't published. Hybrid Teas seem really susceptible to winter damages, and to spring damages. there's a reason they were greenhouse grown a century ago and where they would be budded on the rootstock of the countryside. If I were you, I'd choose to do autopsies on canes that you think are going to die and see what's happening inside them. I'd also check out some less healthy canes that you'd cut off anyway, and see if all the canes are looking fresh on the inside. And then some of us are going to have to watch out for cicadas this summer and that's a whole 'nother set of symptoms. Ann