Question: Several people mentioned the importance of zone - whether a weeping blue atlas cedar will be hardy in a particular zone. How do you factor in other conditions? I live in southeastern VA on the Chesapeake Bay. The water that surrounds us moderate temps on both ends. In spring, temps warm up slowly. In winter, temps get cold later. Usual 1st frost is in late Nov - early Dec. This year, our first hard frost was in late Dec. The big issue here (and it's a BIG issue) is wind. It's not usual to have winds of 30-35+ mph to blow for days, causing plants to dry up and die. In winter and early spring, NNW winds are the main problem (we are fairly well protected from NNE winds). Although this situation is comfortable for people, several days of warm/hot wind aren't good for trees that are under stress and must deal with these conditions - or die. Given these conditions, would you grow a weeping blue atlas cedar here? How would they handel an occasional salt water bath from a tropical storm or hurricane? Thanks, Pam

its a conifer ... see what i just wrote at the link .. perfect watering .. you will probably end up cutting the top off.. and having to train a new leader up ... and you could learn about that in the conifer forum ... i would not make this decision until spring.. to see if the top buds out ... you havent given us any info about anything ... if you want us to speculate on why it happened ... i suspect you planted it like a perennial/annual.. and that might be part of the problem ... you could also convert to the latin name.. in google.. then flip to the images side .. and find out.. it might be 5 to 10 feet too close to the house and railing ... massive potential ... though you will get a few extra years.. in it dying back ... ken http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/3268363/thuja-emerald-green-occidentalis-arborvitae-dying?n=2

in the mean time... conifers shed needles in one to 3 years .... interior shedding of the oldest needles is NORMAL ... and increased by a multitude of variables ... like drought last year.. rough transplanting.. bad winter ... improper watering.. etc .. ad nauseum ... your first indication is whether it buds out.. if so.. its alive ... second... is such of normal amount.. subject to the transplant stresses ... is it somewhat vigorous ... or is it weak looking???? .. time will tell ... so far.. you made it thru winter ... not bad ... with an epic fail it would not have .. the next hurdle is when the heat of summer hits.. and whether you have enough roots.. to carry thru that.. taking into account.. proper watering ... so when you go take the new pix.. focus on the new growth... and lets see how that looks ... ken

permanent drip irrigation connected to the existing sprinkler system I think is a good idea. A) I read no, it's not just the first couple years need water that many trees still need additional water for like the first 5 years being a common mistake of why trees die, b) this past summer's drought and heat waves were so bad that mature established arborvitae died all over the place, not just younger ones with smaller root systems but emerald greens 10 feet high that had been there over 10 years, green giants 16 feet high, and smaller globe types. I didn't see any other species affected except rhododendron even in shade which they prefer but at least these are showing new growth and can be dead wooded whereas the arbys are all basically brown and crispy and saw some leyland cypress some either completely brown or with spots or some limbs brown, some mature established up to 17 feet tall. Also doesn't hurt to fertilize the landscape besides the grass if it's done right. I did read (no reference) somewhere the closer you plant they shorter they grow and possibly lifespan because the root system competition, makes sense to me. ok, if "no tree just reaches a certain height and stops growing", but most will have spurts to a certain height and then be very slow growing maybe 6-12" a year which I'm ok with and not worried will become twice what I expected and be a damage-hazard if it falls. WHY is nootka cypress not a good companion plant? What is that is similar? I think this person who nay-says on the first comment on almost everything I post now here is mad that I once argued back about wanting to plant only long-lived trees, so the landscape lasts generations, they said no, people change their landscapes all the time and want their own idea. But I think if it's not broke don't fix it. If the trees have clear space to root on all 4 sides except where it joins the next plant, which isn't nearly as bad as say a driveway or patio etc where the roots won't get oxygen or water , how bad would it be to plant them say 6 feet apart? I want them to make a full screen starting at like 6 feet near the fence top. As with many species there's conflicting max height and width specs online and on tags. The tags for these bracken's say about 35 feet tall and 22 feet wide, which come to think of it IS a stout tree with the base being wider than expected, but the lower 5-6 feet of the base will likely be skirted back eventually so it doesn't take up yard space and can be walked under but still block over the 6 foot fence. So if the widest area being the base would be about 20 feet, that's about 10 feet spacing but 6 feet up the trunk once skirted width would be more like 7 feet apart, so to plant 7 feet apart doesn't seem too close, these aren't the most dense trees so I don't think any mold etc will be caused if they're packed a bit closer than suggested. Also the nootkas might prefer some of the closer shielding in hot weather and vice versa for the bracken's in winter winds (although would only be on 2 of 4 side. IDK I'll probably end up doing something like 7 foot spacing. I have several customers where emerald greens died this summer and can plant them the leftovers bracken's after hi-lift jacking the arby roots out.