First order of business is to pry up and discard the glued down rocks so they can't interfere with watering. Don't keep the tree indoors. Liquidambers are outside trees. Give it morning sun and water when the surface soil is dry to a depth of 1/2". Let it go dormant (loose its leaves). If you live in a place that gets below 25F put the tree in a protected place where it will stay between 30-40F. If it is dormant it can be in the dark. I would not try to do anything to it until spring when it is getting ready to sprout new leaves. In the meantime you should look for a bonsai club in your area. Go to the website of the California Bonsai Federation. There you will find a listing of almost all the clubs in CA, along with a contact person. You should also get at least one or two books. I would recommend, Bonsai Techniques I, by John Naka. It is the best single book on bonsai in the US. Any book by Peter Adams, Peter Chan, Harry Tomlinson, Marty Mann would also be helpful. If you Google "bonsai books", you will find web sites where these books can be purchased. Good luck with your new obsession, Jack

Thanks all! We're in the SF Bay Area (Oakland, so not in the fog belt---pretty mild/moderate). We do have very heavy clay soil and have been amending it where we've planted new trees to try to mitigate drainage issues after losing two avocado seedlings to root rot. As far as the second cherry, if this is bacterial canker, is it likely to spread to other fruit trees? We have aging apples, persimmons, and figs (one fig is ill with something too, but our local nursery noted that it may just be at the end of its life). We also have younger plums, avocado, and citrus. All are in close proximity (entire yard is maybe 1200 square feet?). It's obviously a little late for dormant spraying in our area, but is there anything I should be using in the spring/summer season to prevent the spread of the canker, if it can spread to other nearby trees? It does seem to have been eating away at the cherries for some years now, as the previous owner had taken off large chunks of both trees. Also, we would like to replace the cherry (though maybe in another part of the yard, it sounds like!) I've seen cherries on both Gisela5 and Mazzard rootstock. (Am guessing the current trees are on Mazzard or something similar as they're huge.) Is one more resilient than the other, or should I just choose based on size/fruiting? Thanks!

The proper conditions will speed the digestion of these up just as it does Walnuts, Acorns, and all the other seeds and nuts. If you bury one of these in the soil and keep that soil relatively moist how long before you see a new tree sprouting from the seed? Walnut, Acorn, Liquidamber, Osage Orange seeds I have plunked in the ground germinate and grow the following year, and the Walnuts and Acorns that have ended up in my compost have been digested in about a year.

Hello Cathy, You mentioned 'Amber Star' which is an excellent choice to go with ÂGlowing AmberÂ. It has the same height, the same vigour, but very different colour alright. It is a sport of ÂGlowing Amber and not a sister seedling. You mentioned my rose ÂIngrid which is a Mini-Flora & will be introduced in the US in 2006. It has the identical colour as ÂGlowing Amber but will be a bit taller and has larger blooms. ÂIngrid is a half sister of ÂGlowing AmberÂ, or step sister as it has the same pollen parent. Check out photos of all three roses I mentioned on HelpMeFind (HMF) Glowing Amber and Ingrid you will find at the "Mander Roses" at HMF. See link below. For 'Amber Star' you'll have to search at HMF. George Mander Here is a link that might be useful: Mander roses at HMF