"if this accurately represents tree hardiness, a number of trees deserve colder ratingscolor>" Let's look at which trees those might be.... From experience (three winters) I would say Picea breweriana is quite happy in my zone -- versus the Z6 designation above. Especially this year, the new shoots are extra long ! By contrast, I would probably move Pinus thunbergii from Z6 to Z7 -- no end of grief with this one (yet). My Taxus baccata 'Fastigiata Aurea' is doing a lot better, despite being rated the same Z6. That Z8 rating for Sciadopitys verticillata seems totally out of whack with what I've been told recently on this forum, although I have no experience with it myself. Z7 for Picea sitchensis seems a bit overblown too.... and probably likewise for Cephalotaxus harringtonia. And Pinus contorta rated Z7?! ....give me a break ! Not easy to find a reliable list, that's for sure.

im a nurse so I am like a moth to the light when I see the word 'diagnose'; hopefully someone in your area will chime in as they will know your humidity/precipitation/sunlight strength, but it might be too much water and the changes in sunlight hrs that is making it chuck leaves...also, I don't see spider mite damage like I have seen on mine. Instead of watering every couple of days, try using a wooden dowel or a bbq skewer to test the growing medium moisture; let it dry between waterings/fertigations. I have several of mine in Gritty and I only water 2x a week in the hottest conditions and I am in SoCal=dry environment. The green leaves look healthy, I think it is just throwing a tantrum with the changes in conditions...I would give it more than 5 hrs of direct sun to get enough energy to flower and try to let it dry out between watering. -Stephen

Pink Traviata does fantastic at nearby rose park .. that one is a beast in alkaline clay, hardy for the past 10 years. I'm putting MULCH FILM (black plastic) to kill grass for a new garden next year, but it takes 6 months to completely kill the grass, to be ready for next spring. Our cold zone zaps roses so small, it's so easy to fit into the garden. My La Reine is 1 foot by 0.5 foot, lots of blooms. My Barcelona (very hardy) is even smaller, like a mini-rose. The blooms of own-root are small too, but they get big after 4 years, if the soil is made loamy. When I first got William Shakespeare 2000, it was so small, and the bloom was 1 inch. !! Now in its 5th year, the bush is much bigger, and the bloom is at least 4 inch, I put tons of gypsum in its planting hole, which helps with zillion petals & also sulfate of potash for potassium.

This looks like all of my Emerald Green Arborvitae.....I believe it's just their cycle of shedding old leaves. I'm not an expert, but all I did with mine was take some gloves, and cleaned out the bottoms of them all. I took out handfuls. We planted them last year, and this was the first time I'd cleaned them out. After a couple of weeks, they are bigger, greener, and fuller. I was told to do this during the spring after the frost date past so they could breathe, and grow well. So far so good. I also, after cleaning them out, sprayed the leaves with a jet of water thoroughly to get rid of the webs I saw on some of them. Seems to have helped. I don't have any brown leaves on the outsides. It's only on the insides.