It has failed to establish. That is likely due to improper irrigation or planting and usually both. . It may be planted too low and could use some air right aound the base of the tree. There is an investigate probing that needs to be done, soil around the base of the trunk needs to be gently pulled away plus photo after, close up. After getting some air to the top of that rootball, then you proceed by composting heavier away from the base of the tree, so roots can find their way out of that frightful looking weed mess she's been struggling for her life with...just sayin.. also, pulling the weeds may have damaged just developing roots...but she'll be a tough ole bird if you can get her established...dropping leaves says roots not getting enough oxygen or leaves are not balanced with the roots cuz your fertilizing her when she don't want it...

Woody, I will have to look for that thyme. I don't always have an easy time growing it because of clay soil. I put a patch along the edge of a raised bed two years ago and it turned into a very pretty gold mound last year, so I want to try more. It's great to have a plant that reminds you of your Mom. My Mom loved Gardenias and I never fail to think of her every time I smell one. I've heard that about Ponds before. [g] My DH helps me a LOT in the garden and he is just not a gardener. He does not have the interest that I have. I always felt bad that he helped so much and didn't enjoy the garden as much as I did. He never made comments about plants and seemed indifferent to everything I tried to interest him in. Then one day a newly planted Honeysuckle bloomed and he came in and asked, 'What's that smell?' He loved it! So I finally had a way to bring him enjoyment with the garden. Now I look for every fragrant plant I can find...lol. He even brings home Hyacinths from the supermarket now and for the first time he suggested himself that he might want to bring houseplants to the office. He has three now. :-) Honeysuckle, Roses, Viburnum carlesii, Lilacs, Casa Blanca Lilies, I love them all. I can't get enough. Four O'Clocks, Alyssum and Heliotrope for annuals. Woody, I was so sick of the RLLBeetle, that two years ago, I gave up on my Casa Blancas and pulled them all out and tossed them. They looked horrid that year. To my surprise they came back last year. I guess there must have been offsets. They looked wonderful and I managed to stay on top of the Beetles last year. So now I'm going for it and buying more. I have a new approach. I used to struggle to pick them by hand, I don't spray anything. They would fall and they turn upside down and you can't see them. Now I carry a 5 gallon pail with water in the bottom with me, and just knock them into it. It is much easier for some reason. Then I eliminate them on the driveway. Last year was the first year my foliage looked decent in awhile. I am keeping my fingers crossed for this year. I love lilies and would have a garden full if it weren't for that darn bug!

Lot's of leaf loss here and out of bloom for a while now. I hate it that it won't rebloom until next year at this time. I think it's a lck of sunlight around my parts that causes the leaf loss..Oh well:-( Purple, I never heard of a town called Opp..Cool name! I thought that was the abbreviation for youur town.lol It sounds like a place where you can hear a swarm of bees from a mile away and the sounds of a hummin birds feathers flap as it drinks from your food source! What I would do without noise pollution and the every day cars backed up on the roads. To hear the frog peepers make their music on a first warm spring night. We use to until development took over. I once stayed at my sisters house which is a mile into the woods in the country. It was so dead silent there to sleep, that I could here buzzing noise in my ear all night. I never slept thatn night! A place where you can plant an Osmanthus in the ground and enjoy it's size for years to come! Mike

Linelle, I was telling my DH about your post. Everyone was posting such intricate lovely appetizers and then you went with a fabulous shrimp from Costco. It made us both laugh. I wished I had a Costco nearby. I would be getting all of my party foods there! We are going to a Christmas Eve dinner and decided we would take a spinach dip in a bread bowl. My husband loves to bake and he practiced making one yesterday. I asked him why we don't just buy one at the grocery and he said he liked making bread! I thought that was pretty funny. We are also taking some nice big homemade biscuits. I do not see how one can go wrong with biscuits with your dinner instead of plain bread! I guess it is not a common thing to bring but I know I will gobble them up!