Henry Linde (Tilia)

[Dutchy]

I just found your thread of misery RF.
If one plant is bouncing back and the other one is making new growth than hopefully it was something temporary from this summer.
Are you sure nextdoors did not douse the weeds with something truly nasty?
Something that prevents plants from taking up water and simply die off their roots is not something I would expect in nature
Have you considered taking a soil sample and having it analyzed?

Honey fungus can be seen on the roots so if you dig where your dead plant is and find nothing than that is not it.

I wish I could help.
Cheers
Dutchy

[Ladygardener]

Gosh RF how awful for you, I've just seen this thread. I've no advice at all to offer only hugs and sympathy. I do hope you find out why this happened.

[Rosefriend]

Thanks Dutchy and LNG - well we are no nearer to finding out what the problem is. My GC/Nursery - the one that I always go to and they are also friends after all these years are going to do a soil sample for me - exactly on the spot that the Linde stood. They are getting the Hibiscus that has also totally dried out and the Laurel, roots and all.

Apart from the Hibiscus everything is in sandy soil. Where the Hibiscus is/was used to be a pond and we had to get earth in when we filled it up - horrible stuff - clay - couldn't get it off the spade. It took me years to make it good earth and still bulbs won't live there.

I asked the neighbour if he had been spraying my garden with something - the smile on my face and the glint in my eye told him that I was only joking (not) and he assured me that he hasn't. The only thing is the fertilizer that he uses. You will probably know it Dutchy - Blau Korn - very high powered and it could easily burn roots if enough was used. The thing is that it is a bright blue colour - I would have seen it, if my garden was full of it.

Olaf (gardener) has called in another couple of his pals to see if they can see what the problem is and one is adamant that it is too much fertilizer but if so, it hasn't come from me. Odd though that they are all on the same side of the garden and exactly on the border between the neighbour and us!!

I shall let you know if they all come to a conclusion - if not the best thing that I can do it to accept what has happened and just hope it don't happen again.

If the soil sample doesn't show anything then I am going to plant my two minarette apple trees there - fingers crossed that they live.

RF

[Amo]

The plot thickens! Don't you have any by laws over there about neighbours ruining your garden!!!

[Rosefriend]

Well if he did it, I just don't know how to be honest - I doubt it very much really and Olaf says that to do the damage that it has, it would have to be something in a liquid form.

The one thing that has us all wondering is that of the 3 shrubs/trees that have died, none should have died - they are all ideal for this climate, they can take anything the weather here can throw at them. My Budd's are still alive - they are also on the same side - they would be the first thing to die.

I shall wait for the soil sample to be analysed and then just cut my losses if nothing turns up.

No matter what the reason it would be interesting to find out the cause but maybe it will just go down in history as another of life's many unanswered puzzles!!

RF

[Dutchy]

At least you will know what to do when the results come in.

I do hope your neighbour did not wash out a container of something and carelessly dumped the enriched washing water near your fence. But then three shrubs down. He would have had to do it with a container still pretty full
Maybe people with less knowledge looked after his garden during his hols?

But then again what is life when all puzzles are solved... maybe just plain boring.

Good luck

[Amo]

If you had dificulty with the imported soil to fill the pond you know that patch will be different to the rest of your garden. Have you any idea, are you absolutely sure, of what is under the area of garden that the plants died in? There's not a section of old wall or drainage that may affect them?

[Rosefriend]

Oooo this is getting to be a real criminal story - now then Sherlock - may I be Dr. Watson!!

I have no idea what is under that area except to say that they are all in a straight line and in the same line are the Budd's and a couple of shrubs that I personally would have expected to bite the dust if any.

We have decided (neighbour and us) to bore for a well next Jan/Feb and it is in that line. Neighbour said that he had heard that there were pipes there - well we have lived here 25 years and I can't think what kind of pipes they could be.

For the well we are going to have to go down to 20 - 25 meters before hitting water (hopefully) so I reckon we will find out then if there are things lurking there.

Neighbours girl-friend did spray with weedkiller one weekend but she asked me how much and I watched her for a while to see that she was doing OK. He played hell when he got back as she had walked on the grass after spraying the terrace and the grass had gone yellow where she had walked. However certainly not enough to do the damage that it has done.

If there are pipes and something is leaking then heaven help us. If also there is suddenly a drainage problem then I would expect the Budd's to die this winter as well and if my wonderful and enormous Chitoseyama Acer dies then my gardening days are over - the garden will be concreted over and painted green!!

RF

[Rosefriend]

The puzzle deepens - the soil sample is ok - nothing wrong at all. I didn't ask for details, his word if good enough for me... so I planted the two minarette fruit trees where the Laurel and the Linde have been - added fresh compost and a kiss and a prayer.

Time will tell.

RF

[Ladygardener]

Good luck RF, I'm sure you'll keep us posted.

[Dutchy]

Fingers crossed indeed Rosefriend.
The plot deepens.....
Literally maybe.