Quite right, Ken and TJ. A too-deep planting is indeed one of the worst things you can do to your new plantings, but that problem manifests slowly over time. Not the case here. Beyond that which has already been said, I wonder about the handling of these plants while at the garden center/nursery. Could they have been left to dry out one too many times in the holding yard? Something like that, I suspect. Wooly adelgid was, of course, the first thing that popped into my head, but we don't have it here yet, so I'm not the most well-versed in that regard-thankfully. There's tons of hemlocks where my land is. Are there buds present on these denuded twigs? By now, there should be, and believe it or not, if there are viable buds, these plants could still turn out just fine. BTW, for you easterners, I believe some Asian hemlocks may be the better long-term bet for the landscape, given the wooly adelgid has pretty much set up shop out there. +oM

Josh: The western Hemlock grows somewhat differently from the eastern hemlock. It grows faster, and often in dense stands, and can produce some good quality lumber relatively free of knots. Here in the mountains of Western MD it is seldom utilized for sawn timber. Even very large logs are knotty all the way to the ground, And the knots seperate from the sawn boards very easily. Some mills, especially in the west, have computerized systems for cutting out knots and pasting in fill plugs. I don't know of any mills in my area equipped to do that. But some timber cutters do put large hemlock logs on trucks and they go somewhere for something, but most logging operations I have seen just leave them alone. I am sure with the proper mill they can be made into good plywood, at least. Beng: Really interesting about the adelgids seeming to disappear and the hemlocks seeming to recover, at least to some extent. Maybe you could call some one there--a forester--and ask about what might have happened. Maybe you are observing something that just might be (hope, hope, hope) indicating some success with the predator beetle releases. Now that would be very stunningly good news. Perhaps some weather variations could be responsible, but I doubt it. I read one report that these adelgids can withstand temps as low as 60 below zero. Maybe some extreme warm/cold/warm pattern could have disrupted their life cycle or something? Anyway, I have heard that in colder climates they spread more slowly. They were reported about 10 miles from my timberland 6 or 7 years ago, and so far I haven't seen any on my timberland. They have been releasing beetles in the area, but so far no one is publishing anything about good results--or maybe I just haven't seen it, but I frequently do web searches for the latest news. But what I understand is that even if the beetle releases are working, it will take a number of years for their populations to get to a level that they can effectively control the adelgids, which seem to multiply much, much faster. The researchers working on this emphasize that we can't expect to wake up one morning and have these bugs under control, but over the long term this all may just pay off. --spruce

Resurrecting an old thread here: I'm inspecting my weeping hemlock for adelgid and for the most part I do not see any white fluffy spots. However, there are some very small amounts here and there. Also, I've cleared some brush out in the back yard to leave more space for a nice hemlock tree (maybe 15' high or so) that was starting to get crowded out. Apparently my neighbor planted it years ago on the property line (actually on my side). It looks healthy, but I'm seeing a good amount of white adelgid spots. What can I use this time of year (June) that will help both plants? I'm reading that oils and/or insecticidal soaps are safer but may not work as well. (Oils are only for the fall as well?). Does anybody have a recommendation for a foliar application they think will be effective?

Seagreen, some of the suggestions offered are, while good ones, not necessarily what you are seeking. If it's the actual tree-not a garden mini-that you seek, then you want straight-species eastern hemlock-Tsuga canadensis. And if that is the case-that your main appreciation is for the native tree itself, well then let me tell you that is just as valid a quest as that of the collectors that participate on this board. I really like some of the conifer gardens I've seen. It really is, IMO, one of the pinnacles of skilled horticulture. But that in no way compares-for me-to the wonders of growing, watching grow, cutting down, burning, hehe, let's just say a range of activities, with the woods and tree farm that has been my project since 08. Or of seeing the same processes at work in the relatively less-disturbed areas in my travels. Anyway...the main issue with eastern hemlock these days is an imported (by accident) very destructive insect know as the hemlock woolly adelgid, which is in fact decimating this tree to the east. Michigan has recorded at least a find of tis pest, but I'm not sure of the present status without doing some quick research. But in any case, check that issue out-it sounds like you can still grow hemlock in SE Michigan-but arm yourself with knowledge, should you ever have to treat your plant(s), which is doable, BTW, or if that's just not a go with you. Here in Wisconsin, so far so good. But it has tended to be the case that whatever shows up to our E, it does end up here eventually. Cold winters, blah blah. They said that about gypsy moth-we got gypsy moth. Then two winters ago, when they said it would kill all the emerald ash borers, it didn't kill all of the emerald ash borers. And so on. Would really suck-right around where my land is, it is hemlock that I see coming up as regeneration in many areas. And there is a patch of old growth on the high bans of a lake nearby-this actually has state designation as a legacy stand-so much to lose around there if adelgid comes in. +oM