it just seemed.. that at the top of the pic.. it suddenly started getting wider ... perhaps wind changes up there ... i dont do IC in z5 MI ... all i know from lots and lots of posts... is they are not a favored plant... rather short lived due to disease [in tree years i mean] ... bug issues [i think] ... and generally falling apart over time... this is not to say you need to worry about it all right now .. its more about understanding.. on some emotional level.. that it might not be around forever ... so that when the time comes.. you can have an easier time getting rid of it ... just keep in mind.. it isnt worth spending a hundred dollars on remedies.. to save a plant ... that might be replaced for $15 .... IF IT EVER COME TO THAT ... this is about the future.. not pruning out this branch ... good luck ken

a pic would be worth a thousand words of speculation ... if they tipped over.. most likely a significant portion of the roots were destroyed ... but you will never know.. until you dig them out ... they most likely have no need for your mystical protect and feed stuff ... they are large trees.. they dont need to be fed ... the base problem.. is as tom said a while back ... trees are giant storage systems ... and can take a lot of tree years.. to use up that stored energy ... and perhaps.. in this case.. they just havent gotten over the storm insult and are just winding down.. in tree time... pic if you want more than just guesses .. btw.. i would spend a lot of hope on hoping they releaf down low ... sure.. they probably can ... how many years are you willing to wait and see?? most likely.. time to go ... and write them off to storm damage ... and this time diversify ... dont replant the same problem plant ... ken

The planters are open on the bottom to the soil beneath, however the soil beneath is composed of rocky clay soil that doesn’t seem to drain well. FWIW, I think the rest of the planter gets decent drainage by excess water leaving the planter through the spaces between the bricks (I’ve watched this happen when hand-watering previously). However, within the last year in the troubled section, adding additional soil outside of the planter between the planter and hot-tub (to prevent rodents from getting underneath the tub) may have prevented that section from draining similarly to the rest of the planter.

Christopher, I'm not as hot as you are (I'm in Petaluma) and even here, I have learned, sadly, that I can only plant woody plants in late autumn/winter. If I plant in spring I cannot keep up with the watering and the bone dry air is a real hindrance. If that photo was taken here, it would mean that they were on the way out. I do 80% of my planting in November, and then complete the rest of it during December and January. The only things that I plant in January/February are those that might be slightly tender, and I have to watch them like a hawk for the summer. Putting an umbrella or similar structure over them for the first summer can help. All of the questions about soil type and planting methodology are good ones, but no matter what you did, with the hot dry temps in summer it is really hard for newly planted woody plants to get established, no matter how much you water.