Hi Everyone, First thank you for your comments and helpfulness. I have numerous pictures but at the present moment, I am uncertain as to how to post them...smiles. I have clipped a few edges to see if there were any green left to them and from the tips I would say no. As mentioned, right now, these two large branches do not have any flowers on them and look dead in appearance. If fact, I just spoke to a gentleman who sold me the tree a few years back and he was saying that the winters here in Illinois have been very bad on the Redbuds in fact to the point of him no longer carrying them due to all the one year guarantees he had lost. Smiles. This tree only has about 6 main branches and if I cut out the two, I have a feeling, it may then be best to cut the whole tree out given that it is not that big and all the diseases this tree is suseptible to. Right now, I am thinking of possibly a Kousa Dogwood given that I do not want something too large given that it will be situated next to a sidewalk. I would like something with decorative flowering and the possibly a maroon leaf during the year. Again, I am in Illinois. Thanks, MEtten

Sorry about the out-of-focus photos ;-( I tried to retake them but fear that only this one, of the magnolia, has come out clear enough. Luckily (if one can call it that) the lesions on both the redbud and magnolia look exactly the same. The damaged section in this photo is about two inches long and there's a smaller one on a skinny twig/limb next to it that you can also sort of see. Both about 5 feet up on my 6+ foot Little Gem. Ken, the Little Gem was purchased at Home Depot last year and the Forest Pansy came from an independent nursery and both were lugged home in my Subaru Forester. Neither have had any "mechanical" damage that I can think of. When I first noticed the problem, the swollen cracked part felt a little soft and moist but it's since hardened off. And as I mentioned in the original post, there is new growth above the lesions on both trees. Fingers crossed someone here can enlighten me on what's happening... Thanks.

Your tree needs serious and immediate help but, it may not be to late. When you pruned heavily the inner trunk was exposed to a lot of sun and now has sunburn (that's why it's pealing off). If it's pealing all the way around the tree (360 degrees of circumference) nothing can be done above that point. You need to get some flat white latex household paint and paint all the trunk and limb surfaces. This will reflect sun and heat and also keep harmful rays from burning the bark. Kind of like the way lifeguards put zinc oxide on their nose. (but please use paint ;) If by chance you have one of those picnic shade covers and it can fit over the tree, use that for the rest of the summer, say through September, to help prevent more sunburn. Also, do not prune any more for a while. let what grows, grow. The tree will need all the leaf it can get to recover. I think you did the right thing by removing fruit for this year. let the tree work of leaves, not fruit for this year. Lastly, and please go easy so as not to burn the little bit of leaf you have, use a fertilizer with a high nitrogen content to help stimulate lots of green growth. Hopefully in the next few weeks, you will see new growth and in a couple of years have a full tree again. Arthur the Date Palm Guy

There is a more or less common fungus disease caused by the the fungi "Phytophthora". Phytophthora cause the most serious soilborn diseases of citrus. The common name for the disease is Foot Root. You can evaluate the symptoms listed below and see if they match what is going on with your tree. The infection occurs near the ground level. At first the cambium and inner bark are damaged, but the outer bark remains firm with small cracks through which abundant gum exudes. Lesions spread around the circumference of the trunk, slowly girdling the tree, and the bark is eaten away. Severly affected trees have pale, green leaves with yellow veins. Large trees also may be killed, but typically the trunks are only partially girdled and the tree canopy eshibits leaf defoliation, twig dieback, and the tree attempts to make a weak growth flush.(ref. Comp. Of Citrus Diseases). Here is a web site with more information and two pictures for you evaluation. http://cals.arizona.edu/PLP/plpext/diseases/fruits/citrus/citrusgum.html - Millet