I'm thinking maybe they froze. Earlier posts might be taken to suggest that USDA 5 tends to be the border for this species. A friend here in USDA 8, where they wouldn't have frozen also has had some canes on hers go in a similar fashion during a prior year - so there is something else they get as well. When the mulch on our old 'Mariesii' got played out it it immediately started to decline, perhaps some canes on it also 'exploded' during this period of chrisis. I think I eventually got some organic debris under it and saw an improvement but then that soon petered and we were back to small palish leaves etc. Bored with the now-persistent trend I took the old girl out. Today I might have made more of an effort and brought the plant back around, it was a nice feature here for years and if still with us would now be huge.

I have to say that I'm with Paulie on the subject of wedelia. It is an extremely invasive plant that is nearly impossible to get rid of once it's fully established. My parents were given some years ago which they then planted under a large laurel oak. For a while it didn't do much but then it took of like it was on steroids. It quickly migrated out of the flower bed and into both their lawn and the neighbors. Then it took over the nearby azaleas and actually climbed them! The only invasives that my parents have had a harder time getting rid of are blackberries, swamp weed, nut sedge, and florida betony. Some good ground covers to consider are chenille plants which are surprisingly tough, perennial peanut with it's bright yellow flowers, purple queen, blue eyed grass, beach sunflower (some of which seems to get taller then others), and creeping thyme. I prefer a mix of ground covers so that when one isn't blooming or is going dormant then another one is. Kara

I've made a start.... thanks to Julie, Rick, and Leaves. It's almost tougher when you have a list of varieties then when you go 'looking' without knowing exactly what you want. And, of course, it's still early so nurseries are just starting to get the shrubs in. So far, I've found: Amelanchier alnifolia 'Regent'(Serviceberry/Juneberry) and Aronia melanocarpa elata (Glossy Black Chokeberry)- Both found at Sargent's on 2nd (Rochester. Viburnum 'Blue Muffin' found at Owatonna's newest nursery Turtle Creek. And, just today Viburnum 'Onondaga' found at Nagle's Sod and Nursery on I-35 south of Medford. I have to say, I love Onondaga! The spring color is just lovely. I have planted it near a deep evergreen tree on one side and with the silvery Chokeberry on the other side. That little section should just be stunning when the shrubs get a little growth on them. I think the golden current and the 'Kelsey' dogwood might be the toughest to track down. I've found plenty of 'Alpine' currents but not the golden variety. Same for other varieties of red twigged dogwood but I'm kind of stuck on Kelsey for it's small size (2-3' H&T). I can always mail-order, but would rather do business locally if I can. BTW, for anyone who hasn't been there, Nagles has the greatest selection of iron (the natural rusty looking variety) garden accessories. I ended up buying a bench and trellis's as well as the viburnum. They also have a lot of concrete yard art, benches, etc, but it was really the iron that got to me!

When hungry, rabbits will gnaw the bark of young tender trees. They love fruit trees such as apples. you reported the gnaw ring was 3 ft above the ground - think snow depth. If it is the work of a rabbit, the gnaw ring will be about 10 inches above the snow crust at the time of the gnaw. One winter, I lost 5 new fruit trees to rabbits. Rabbits prefer the thin bark of young trees to that of a mature trees with thick, dead bark scales. The damage usually occurs after snow has covered the bunny's food sources. I have experience with red squirrels, too. One harsh winter, red squirrels killed my lilacs. They stripped the bark off the limbs starting on the upper part of the twig and worked downward. I have never seen gray squirrels eat bark. They will nip the tips off evergreen trees. They like spruce and arbor-vitae. Porcupines will girdle evergreen trees especially pine. Beaver can bite deep enouth to eventually fall a tree. They prefer young tender decidious trees for food (up to 6 inch diameter), although they will take pine as well. However, given enough time, they can fall a mature tree. I live in a small town (population 10,000) with big cities nearby. I've been here 33 years without beavers, but 3 years ago, a pair moved into a small creek that drains the town and established a dam and beaver house behind a rental property. I discovered them when I noticed that group of small trees by a drainage ditch had been fallen. Froma distance, I though that vandals had been at work with hatchets, but on closer inspection, I saw it was the work of a beaver and that was confirmed when I discovered the beaver dam and two beaver huts. This was surprise. We do have beaver in remote areas. It is rare to see them take up housekeeping in an urban setting.