If it developes a 50' spread, I might be in trouble. It will be in an open setting with roughly 20'-25 clearance to other trees. They're marginally hardy this far north, so I'm going to assume it will stay a bit more compact. I wouldn't mind dealing with a vigorous Katsura that threatens its neighbors. :) Whaas, how have the Katsuras in your area handled drought? I've always thought they were very vulnerable to extended dry periods, but maybe that's only when they're young. I've got sandy soil, but this site is well watered.

My Katsura was diseased so we had to cut it down this year. Sad. I have seen one near here that was very, very large. My Japanese tree lilac does well in a fairly shaded site near oak tree roots. I'm sure it could perform better if it were sited more appropriately, however, during its "on" year it does bloom quite nicely. I have found these trees bloom every other year with spotty bloom during the off years. We water regularly, so unfortunately while I have a variety of ornamental trees in my gardens, I can't give you any advice on what trees might truly be drought tolerant. Sorry to hear about your Cercis. What a terrible hot, dry summer this has been. Have you thought about a variegated kousa dogwood at all? They seem to do well in New England and make a nice statement in the garden. I'm pretty sure those are fairly drought tolerant. Oxydendrum is a great tree and I'm not sure why it's not offered around here more. I know of two large trees where I do not believe there is any supplemental watering (one at a closed down place of business) and they are both doing fine this summer. I think fringetree might also be fairly drought tolerant. I can smell this tree from all over my yard when it is in bloom. Good luck with whatever you choose!

Probably a water related issue, such as damage from the hot summer we had last year. Or a root pathogen such as honey fungus interfering with hydration of the top by attacking and diminishing the root system. This situation may require a consultant who can visit the site and poke around in the soil in person in order for the problem to be identified. Maybe including sending samples to a lab for diagnosis.

Long ago (1988) I traveled through the northeast US from KY up to and around Nova Scotia. Along the way, I visited many arboreta, gardens, plant collections - and individual spectacular specimen trees that I'd heard about. One was the massive WoW! specimen Cercidiphyllum japonicum on the town square in Amherst, Massachusetts. Indeed, that was a big and handsome tree, more than 100 feet in spread and over 100 years old at the time. Somewhere, I have a slide or print of that tree with my lovely bride next to it - as my measuring stick. She did not appreciate that quality at that time - but it sure indicated just how impressive that tree was. Does anyone else know or remember this tree? I suspect it is no longer there, as I can find no current reference to it and it does not appear to be present on Google Streetview or in any listings of the UMass Amherst collections. I have never before or since observed or heard described a more significant specimen of Katsuratree. Someday, I will get my old images of past technologies scanned into today's digital systems, and maybe remember to share them. On that same trip, I was able to see and photograph the imprssive plants at Dumbarton Oaks and at Morris Arboretum - where we narrowly missed being struck by lightning. Till then, 'Amazing Grace' will continue to raise the bar on what this species can be...