these are considered short lived trees .. and your is well down its life cycle ... and there is nothing you can do to reverse aging .. and there is nothing worth saving ..

and not unlike grandma ... as they get older .. all kinds of problems can set in ...

but frankly .. its not worth investing in curing any of the secondary problems.. as you cant reverse age ... the primary problems ...

all that said .. it will all happen in tree time .. and you may still be whining about this thing in 10 years ...

so it all boils down to your level of patience ... of looking at it.. as it slowly declines ... in my world.. warped as it is.. it would probably be gone before the next proper tree planting time ... and who knows when that is.. wherever you may be ....

on replanting ... do consider backing out of the driveway .. and being able to see whats on the street ... whoever planted this thing.. really didnt take into account.. how big this thing would get.. when they planted it there ...

ken

If concerned enough to budget for it hire a qualified consultant to come look at the trunk and make recommendations. There may be a pesticide solution you can paint it with that will help, depending on which particular destructive agents are present. There is also a high percentage of dead twigs, this could be a separate issue from the trunk problems, with its own treatment regime.

In addition to the undertaking of some pest and/or disease control routines possibly being able to produce a visible improvement this specimen would be a lot more graceful and impressive if you stopped cutting the branches back, to make it look like a cocktail umbrella. (Frequent pruning of cherries can also make stem diseases worse). The main particular point of weeping Japanese cherries and other weeping garden trees is the long pendent branches producing a fountain-like appearance. If these are not desired or practical in this instance then this could be another reason for removal of a garden feature which is in addition already in a deteriorated - and therefore homely - state.

If you do end up taking it out, wish to continue with another flowering tree in that bed here is one that might fit near the road and driveway better than the cherry did:

The U.S. National Arboretum presents Malus 'Adirondack', an elegant testament to the versatility and landscape value of the ornamental crabapple.

http://www.usna.usda.gov/Newintro/adirond1.html

Note however that even with an upright branching and quite small growing tree such as this the typical average crown spread (after 20 years) is stated in the above profile to be 16 ft.

"Your weeping cherry is looking like ALL weeping cherries eventually wind up looking like in the PNW after a few years. They are highly prone to all manner of insect and disease issues, notably brown rot, bacterial canker, shothole fungus/bacterium, black knot and unidentified gummosis. Also very commonly prone to graft reversion, where the rootstock overtakes the weeping portion."

Exactly. Remove and replace.

@Everyone Thank you for all your helpful advice. Now I have to convince the wife... ;)

Would people recommend either the Crabapple mentioned above or a Dogwood?

Most readily available kinds of dogwoods will grow out well beyond the edge of the bed in time, do not have a branching structure that lends itself to pruning to control size.

Look at weeping dissectum japanese maples. There are red and green-leaved cultivars.

Personally, I'd opt for the crab. Either the Adirondack listed above or Royal Raindrops or Sugar Tyme. All do very well in this climate and are exceptionally disease resistant. And will satisfy your wife's desire for a colorful spring blooming tree.

"Personally, I'd opt for the crab. Either the Adirondack listed above or Royal Raindrops or Sugar Tyme. All do very well in this climate and are exceptionally disease resistant. And will satisfy your wife's desire for a colorful spring blooming tree."

I would replace it with another weeping cherry before I did that.

Well, we all know your aversion to crabapples but it really has no basis in reality. In THIS climate - where the OP is located - crabapples are a much more suitable and far less problematic tree than any cherry, weeping or not!!

Bed looks too small for non-dwarf crabs with spreading branching. Even a Sargent crabapple would be poking beyond it eventually. For that matter the way the bed is shaped there is a case for putting the tree in the back corner - making the situation even tighter. And suggesting a shrub should be used for height instead of a tree. Actually if it were mine I would furnish this bed mostly with shrubs, instead of having a high proportion of perennials dispersed all through it. Otherwise the dissectum maple was actually a very good idea, as long as shorter companion plants more in character with it were added, as replacements for the existing combination.

What should be planted there is pretty much a matter of personal choice. If the bed is large enough to accommodate a relative mature weeping cherry, it will certainly support the growth of a not too wide crab also for many years. Or the bed can be easily enlarged if that continues to be an issue. And there is this popular tree taming concept known as 'pruning'!!

FWIW, if crabapples are a recommended Seattle street tree for under wires and for a 5' wide street planting strip (road on one side; sidewalk on the other), then they are certainly an acceptable choice for this planting bed.

Thank you again Everyone...I am humbled by the thoughtful insights and recommendations. I expected one-line answers, and everyone has given me a gracious amount to consider. Thank you again!