I have a redbud I planted as a whip from Arbor Day in April last year. The “leader” died but this year it’s got four awesome arching branches instead. The problem is that one of them is already in the driveway. To train it away from the driveway should I put a stake in the ground to push that branch away? I want to encourage the weeping look but ideally in a slightly different direction.

Thanks nothotsuga for your explanation, I didn't know this part of historie. At school were I learned to become a nurseryman, I learned that the name was Chamaecyparis nootkatensis. Soon I learned that something wasn't right about this species because the cones were much differend then all the other Chamaecyparis species. Another thing was that it wasn't possible to graft the Chamaecyparis nootkatensis cultivars onto Chamaecyparis lawsoniana understock. Later on I heard that the name Chamaecyparis nootkatensis was renamed in Xanthocyparis nootkatensis because it was related to a new find conifer in Vietnam, Xanthocyparis vietnamensis. Lately I found out at this forum that a 3th name for this species was given, Cupressus nootkatensis which was allready given as the very first name you're telling me and that it was Spach (or Spät?) who named it in the wrong way as Chamecyparis nootkatensis... This is quite a story but the very sad thing is that in a lot of books discriptions are mentioned about Chamaecyparis nootkatensis and Xanthocyparis nootkatensis. I hope that this confusion will be explained in a good way in new written books. For me and other nurserymen is this new name a big problem because our customers are just familiar with the name Xanthocyparis and now whe have to tell them that also this name isn't right and that the correct name is Cupressus nootkatensis... How about the famous cross Cupressocyparis x leylandii? This name isn't possible, because Cupressus and Chamaecyparis will never cross. What should be the correct name for this plant, Cupressus x leylandii? Thanks again!

NEVER use an insecticide.. UNTIL you find the bug.. ID it ... and then react with knowledge ... besides ... if ONLY the large leaf is affected... but not the newer ones .. then the bug is probably long gone ... frankly .. i have spent more time here typing about this issue [gladly, mind you] ... than i would have ever spent ..... if i saw this extremely minor leaf damage ... on a tree in my yard ... mother nature is not martha stewart ... perfection is not always possible ... and sometimes its the same plant.. repeatedly ... ken

We live in Boise, Idaho. Zone 6B. I should have mentioned that we had a horrifying cold snap in November that devastated the area, and much of the damage is only now being realized. There have been quite a few news stories just in the past week about all of the damage done to vineyards, public parks and private property. On November 6, it reached a high of 69 degrees. On November 13-14 we got about 6" of snow and on November 15, the overnight low was 1 degree. The daytime highs didn't get back above freezing until November 21, with single digit overnight lows that entire week. So we went from warm fall weather to permafrost in about 9 days. Surprisingly, our hydrangeas and many other delicate trees and shrubs weren't even fazed. But this one tree - probably our favorite tree in the yard - was just decimated.