Thank you for putting words and humor to the frustration many of us have experienced in trying to get rid of a take over everything plant. I would love to know the answers to the 'assigned seating mineral' question and also be able to offer some tips to help you in your endeavor to get rid of it, but all I can do is wish you success. I'll be checking back to see how it goes, pun intended :-)

One of the other common names of Himalayan cedar is California Christmas tree. By far the most impressive ones I've seen were a row in front of the state capitol building in Sacramento. These were planted in 1871. One of them measured 101' by 17' 9" (approximately 5 1/2' thick) during 1989. What you are seeing as "beautiful" is the foliage of the young small tree above the ghastly stripping of most of the trunk, which served primarily to make it look odd. If it was furnished with branches to the ground it would look 10 times better. https://losangelesloveaffair.wordpress.com/2011/11/25/114-deodar-trees/

Thanks for your replies, wirosarian, Jackie, Patty, and SoFL rose. I'm surprised to hear that our temps could be cold enough to cause this. We have days in the 60's and nights in the 40's lately. But, I guess it does make sense, because if it was much colder, it wouldn't bloom at all. I never would have considered cold temperatures causing it. Some sort of bug was consistently ruining the buds on Irish Creme during the summer. I just assumed it was the same thing. I think you guys maybe correct. I'm looking more closely now, and I don't really see chewing from a pest. I'm glad I asked, because I never once thought it could be anything but pest damage. Thank you all so much! Lisa

Its a large crown molding above the window head trim with sloped dark copper flashing above it. Its not continuous above the big windows, its just a low resolution photo.