i used to do roses... and all the spraying was one of the reasons i gave them up ... that and moving to an all sand property.. roses dont like sand ... lol ... since i fixated on both .... i would say.. the biggest difference.. is that trees do NOT need the heavy feeding that roses do .. and frankly.. even in my barren sand.. i NEVER fert trees... these are conifers.. but conifers are a subset of trees... and trees... once fully established... should be free range... never really needing anything ... bugs/disease aside .. but what is imperative.. is getting them ESTABLISHED ... after a transplant .. and that means getting the roots settled in and working... and that is accomplished thru deep watering.. thru the whole root mass planted.. and near drying in between ... conifers.. have a lot of needles.. to maintain..while repairing the insult ... i consider all trees... free range by year 3 ... with onoly watering in year 2.. in drought... presuming proper mulching ... i asked about potted.. because filed dug BB.. ball and burlap.. has its own set of problems.. as in cutting off too many roots ... potted stock.. on the other hand.. has its own problems of circling roots ... of which there are many old posts ... why one out of 6 failed.. who knows.. i am sure you are gardener enough.. that they should have all taken... but one didnt.. but 5 did .. so what ... it was.. most likely a stock issue... whatever it may have been ... i cant grow these.. but have not heard great things about them.. so i would definitely.. find other things.. for replacement ... i wish you luck ken

This is a very typical problem and has come up a lot lately. I think this type of deterioration of a newly installed tree is most often a product of having a poorly grown product and /or having it improperly installed. Mulching a newly planted tree is really important. But you need to do it right. More often the worst possible practice is used. A wide (several feet) circular mound of mulch should be built around the planting area to try to create a well around the rootball so that more water will penetrate around the roots - before it drains away. That's a good idea in my opinion. But the exact opposite is more commonly used. There is no reason to mound up mulch right up to the trunk, like a giant anthill. I see landscapers do this all the time. I cannot imagine what purpose it serves. In fact, it's probably much, much worse than not mulching at all. Mulches (or soil) shouldn't ever touch the trunk of a tree!! They defintely should not touch 12 inches of trunk in a weird volcano shape. Tree trunks are not supposed to be suffocated or wet. That shold be common sense. Trees do not grow like that in nature. Trees should be installed so that you can see the trunk flare out right at the soil line. When fresh bark (the most common mulch) dries, it sheds water, it certainly doesn't direct it to the roots of the newly planted tree. A volcano of mulch will only keep water from getting where a newly planted tree's roots are. When I see trees mulched this way in shopping center parking lots, I'll sometimes kick the mulch away into the street to help out the idiot landscape company and prevent the needless death of a tree. No "professional" (for money) landscape work in my area is ever done "professionally" (in a responsible, workmanlike manner according to certain standards). People forget the word "profressional" is supposed to imply that certain standards are observed. When neighbors ask me about good nurseries or landscapers I can't tell them anything. No one does better work here than I do in my spare time as a hobby. I've said it before - but growing plants is a race to the bottom, lowest common denominator business -- and planting and selling them is too often the province of illegal immigrants who don't speak English, more less know the best practices of their trade. I'm not disparaging people who are just trying to earn an honest buck - but just pointing out they generally don't do their job well. What's worse is that people look to nurseries and landscape companies for advice - and both generally have very low standards and knowledge - at least at the employee level. Just my opinion.

Faizan, How tall were these trees when you planted them ( the ones pictured without the privacy fence) Those seem to just have some branch die outs but, those smaller ones that are all brown are history. I live in zone 8 as well or about 4 hours North of the Gulf of Mexico in Alabama. The first pics of the small trees holes that were dug needed to be wider and deeper. I have to plant mine in impervious red clay-loam type soil that doesn't drain well (see my posts on GG's and Leland's) In your case, I'd dig it deeper so the trees roots have a softer bottom to grow in but when the trees are set back in the holes spread out the roots like an octopus would look like with it's tentacles all out. Make sure the root ball or trunk base is an inch or two above the ground grade and put back in the dirt you removed (minus the rocks) and walk it in to get rid of air pockets (don't stomp the dirt down). Depending on the soil moisture, that will depend on how much you water it in. Don't water log them. Put 2-3 inches of mulch around the root ball and outer drip line for a top dressing. Don't pile up the mulch around the trunk! I'd come back the next day and wet the mulch until you see it build up and go into the ground and stop. I don't see any need in making berms around the trees (unless the ground grade requires it) as this encourages water to pond in there if you get too much rain or watering. Check the trees in a few days as others have mentioned for moisture content. I'm going to get about 12 Italian's this Spring to plant but haven't found a good seller around me to purchase them. I've always read the smaller grow faster than the bigger when planting and it seems to be the status quo with Leland's and GG's so far. I hope this helps you out and please look at my posts regarding the planting and techniques I've put in place for problem soils down here. Let me know.

The difference in outcomes between the Cypress and the Box could be due to them having been two different sets of plants. The way to have tested the conditions in the two different parts of the bed would have been to have planted the same plants throughout. The pointedness of the Cypresses emphasizes the height and narrowness of the planting space rather than softens it. So this is another characteristic of the Cypress that was not actually suitable for the situation. One of the main reasons to plant trees and shrubs in front of architecture is to provide some toning down of bold architectural lines - something your house has in abundance. You should consider moving the width of the foundation bed out to the edge of the drive so it can accommodate shrubs tall enough to match the house without them looking too tall for the bed. And for the most flattering effect the plantings should be planned so there are multiple elements present resulting in variations such as taller, different kinds of shrubs at the corners of the house than are below the windows. And perhaps a round topped tree of some height in the nook where the Cypresses were planted. If such concepts are an utter mystery you might think about bringing in a garden consultant, garden designer or landscape architect to be sure an attractive and compatible setting for your house is created.