Some small clematis go into shock when first planted and do this, but the roots are fine. Cut it completely back to ground level and don't worry, it will come back much nicer next year ! Suzy

I would leave it alone, at least for now. That isn't all that tall yet, branching would probably occur when it is a little taller. If you do want to clip the growing point to help it along, wait till spring when it will speed up its growth. David

It's kind of hard for us to toss any advice your way because we can't see what you are talking about. Some pictures would help us to see what you mean. Anywho, I usually try not to plant anything that may encroach on any neighboring yards, so if it were me, I'd definately deal with the vibernum by either total removal, or by cutting it back. Keep in mind that a lot of plants can tolerate being cut back quite severely, thus starting them over. Note though that they have a good solid root system by this time, so they will grow much faster then they originally did. Besides being overgrown, the fact that the vibirnum has anything to do with Chicago is reason enough to deep six it :) In the future, you should try to keep up on trimming yearly, because you'll achive better results. Waiting until you have a big mess, and then busting out the loppers, usually results in an unsightly trimming job for a while. The insides of bushes and trees a lot of times will die off because the inner leaves will get no sunlight. If you just grab the loppers and start cutting, you'll end up with a mass of sticks, and no leaves. Eventually things fill back in, but if you were to trim lightly each year, you'd never lose those inner leaves, so things stay full and looking good. So, ultimately, you have to visualize what it is you want, and work from there. Dropping trees is a big deal, because they take a long time to grow, so you better be absolutely sure before you cut anything down. I am upset because the previous home owner planted 3 norway maples and one freeman maple in my yard, but planted them wrong. They apparently never cut or untangled circling roots when they planted them, and they planted too deep. They also never pruned the trees to establish a strong framework. Now I have 3 norways dying from girdling roots, and a freeman maple with 3 trunks that are splitting. I NEED to cut some down, but don't WANT to because it'll take a long time to have a new tree grow in. So, it's all up to you, but as I mentioned, without pics, we can't really know whether you need to drop trees or not. Joe

Did you grind the roots of the pine tree and remove all the wood chips? That needs to be done. Then refill the hole leaving a mound over the top of the hole. The mound should be at least 10% by volume more soil than fills the hole. In three years that mound will settle down to the level of the surrounding surface. If you don't do that, you'll have a hole right there. If you don't remove the wood chips from the hole first, those will try to decompose under the surface of the soil. That process requires a lot of nitrogen which the microbes will take from the soil leaving nothing for the plants. You'll have a yellow spot there for years and years no matter how much fertilizer you use. It's best to always remove wood from the soil. Just growing grass will break up the soil below the surface. Deep and infrequent watering will play a big role in this. It wouldn't hurt to apply 3 ounces of shampoo per 1,000 square feet. That seems to soften the soil for everyone who tries it. Use any clear shampoo you can see through. Chances are this will solve your problem without new topsoil. Adding topsoil usually has unintended consequences. DO NOT DIG DOWN unless you are going back to remove the wood chips left in the hole. Oh and wood chips left on the surface are fine. It's the wood under the surface that's the problem.