Rest of shrub looks fine in this shot. Cut the dead branches off and dispose of them, as in burning or garbage can. Maybe that'll be the end of it.

Thank you! I looked at some online sources and I found photos that look exactly like my tree, its leaves and its fruit. -- Mike

Wow...it looks like it will get ripe! It's hard to tell the size of it? 8" across? Konrad

Hi all, kiminpl we do well with Rhododendron and azeleas, too cold for camellias. I'd love to have evergreen conifers but the oak shade limits the options. (I miss hemlocks!) rev gardens, I nearly choked on my tea when I read your comment! Yup big difference! The pros really aren't that bad but I am frustrated by my inability to express what I'd like to achieve. That is why I am hunting for leads. Clearly my words aren't doing the job! Kitasei, The house is a little white Cape in a wooded area. Mostly oak, some maple and sassafras. Good moss! We have some lawns, a small flower garden and vegetable plot. We are on a hillside but the area in consideration is a small level spot with a gentle slope behind and a steeper slope down toward the road. That is fairly well screened with rhododendron. It is on the east side of the house and somewhat remote from the rest of the yard. do I stop talking about Japanese gardens and focus on feel? Green, serene, simplified woodland with clearing carefully edited to highlight the quality of certain shrubs and trees?