Hi I sent you an email. Thanks

The gummosis (weeping sap) is a result. On your tree, it's a result of a canker (the longitudinal crack on the trunk), most likely caused by a fungal disease. Members of the prunus genus are well-known for this, and it's one of the main reasons most prunus species tend to be short-lived. The bad news is that while young vigorously-growing trees are less likely to become infected and, when infected, can often outgrow the infection (at least for a few years), your tree seems to be suffering pretty badly already. Low-vigor, pruning at less than optimal times, improper pruning, and high disease pressure can all contribute to the problem. When your tree was planted, it probably took a little while to get established and then, because it's not in full-sun, it probably continued to grow a little more slowly than it otherwise would have. I don't know when your tree has been pruned in the past, but the best time is early-spring just before most growth occurs. Your tree has obviously not been pruned very well; the subs left on most pruning cuts should not be there and need to be removed. Always prune immediately outside the branch bark ridge/collar. The other side of the high-disease-pressure coin is plant susceptibility, and sweet cherries are known to be more susceptible to disease (especially fungal infestation) than sour cherries. Because your tree seems pretty badly infected already, it might be worth considering a replacement. If you can get the tree's vigor up, it may be able to, at least for a while, outgrow the canker (of course, fast growth may also lead to other problems), but a new tree might have a better chance in the long run. It's impossible to really know how your tree will do in its fight against the problem, so replacement isn't necessarily the only right answer (although I probably would replace it). The fact that the tree's form is a little awkward is another thing to consider, when considering whether to replace the tree. ________________ If you are going to keep the tree, I would remove the stake if possible. Trees are better off when allowed to move freely. There's also less chance of damage from the ties or from the trunk hitting the stake in high-wind conditions. ________________ I'm not great at putting detailed pruning instruction in print. I've been thinking about writing a set of guidelines for quite some time, but haven't because it seems like such a big job. I'll give you some general guidelines and then you can ask specific question if you still have them. First, know how to make a proper pruning cut. On a small tree like yours, this mainly means knowing where to make the cut. At the bottom of this (click for link) page, you'll find a pretty good picture that shows where to make a cut. Notice the swelled area, along the bottom of the limb in the picture, that is the branch collar. Sometimes this area is harder to spot on a real-life tree, but the picture will give you a good idea of what to look for. Never leave stubs, but, on very small limb tips, it is possible to leave a lateral bud to form new growth. Second, prune for balance. If there's a limb on one side (of the trunk or of a parent-branch), there should be another of approximately equal size on the other, or two at somewhere like 120 degrees from the first branch (picture a Y-shape, looking from above). The limbs don't have to be (and often even shouldn't be) directly across from each other. If there's a dominant unbalanced branch, pruning can be used to slow its growth to allow its corresponding balancing branch(es) to catch up. Third, select branches with good branch angles. Your tree doesn't appear to have a problem with narrow crotch-angled branches, but it is something you need to watch for in the future. Narrow crotches can be removed (prune off the branch) or corrected with crotch spacers or ties. Narrow crotch angles are more likely to result in failure as the limbs get larger and heavier. Fourth, choose a pruning style. You don't have to stick rigidly to a certain style, but it helps to give you an idea of your pruning goal. For your tree, and especially since it's not in full sun, I'd choose an open-vase/open-center form. Picture your tree in the shape of a "Y", or an umbrella that got blown inverted in a powerful windstorm. This form allows for much better light penetration because the center of the tree (looking down from the top) is a hollow cone. Another important factor here is the desired size of the tree. You don't want branches to originate from too low on the trunk (mowing nightmare, difficulty of harvest, etc) or from too high (difficulty pruning, spraying, and harvesting). You do want to have the branches leaving the trunk in a well spaced manor so that you don't have multiple branches originating from close proximity (no ). Well, I think there may be some other things I was going to add about pruning, but I seem to be loosing my thought outline and have probably written too much already. If you have questions, I will try to answer them. Hopefully I've given you a start.

I was able to find a very informative site, which gives the origins of the different cherry blossom varieties (you might have to copy and paste the link) http://botanyboy.org/yoshino-cherry-tree-prunus-x-yedoensis-the-famous-japanese-cherry-blossom/ There are nine main different varieties of cherry that grow in the wild in Japan: Yamazakura (Prunus jamasakura) Oyamazakura (Prunus sargentii) Kasumisakura (Prunus verecunda) Oshimazakura (Prunus speciosa) Edohigan (Prunus Ascendens spachiana) Mamesakura (Prunus incise) Choujizakura (Prunus apetala) Minezakura (Prunus nipponica) Miyamazakura (Prunus maximowiczii) The Yoshino cherry was the result of a single hybridization between Edohigan and Oshimazakura. Cherries with the name 'Serrulata' are those found in the Satozakura group, which are the cultivated cherries. These derive mainly from a number of the wild Japanese varieties listed above. In addition, there is the Kanhizakura (Prunus campanulata), which was brought to Japan much later, and can tolerate warmer climates.

Can "Skip aka Schip Cherry Laurel" deal with what I would call DENSE shade in zone 6b? or will it wither away. I understand it might be thinner and not as dense in growth...I just want it to grow. Shade is so hard to rate the degree of bright/dark...so I will describe what is growing there with success now: Rhododendrons, Ostrich Ferns, Jack Frost Brunnera, Pachysandra....all in the shade of a mature old large leave Linden Tree, some Pin Oaks, some mature American Holly. I want to plant two towards the back to block the view of the fence. It's spring in this first more recent photo so the shade is not full yet. the 2nd photo is from last summer with all the leaves on.