18 Outside
us Andertons, but baldness, a thinning
of the once lush canopy, says a lot about
what’s going on down below in a plant.
A lack of sap, a lack of energy to open
enough bud. It does not mean next year
might not be better, but it’s a sign that all
is not well.Prolific flowering
Sometimes an unhealthy plant decides
its one last hope of survival is through its
genes, so it flowers like crazy, even
though growth is generally weak. And
then, if the season and the bees are on
its side and a lot of fruit/seed is set, the
business of fattening and ripening all
that weight of seed can be the final nail
in the coffin. It flowers itself to death.
Nice way to go, you might say, although
usually the fruit is small and doesn’t
ripen because sap is in short supply.Discoloured foliage
There are several problems that can
cause the discolouring of foliage, but
sometimes you will see a plant where
every leaf looks sickly, undersized and
perhaps a little curled in, and yet still
new ones are being made. It’s often a
sign that the roots are dying.Instability
I believe that if a shrub has lurched
under the weight of snow or been blown
over sufficiently that its roots can no
longer support an attractive canopy of
leaf, its time is up, no matter how special
it is. So don’t feel bad, just start again.Baldness
I hesitate to say that it comes to us all,
and it certainly doesn’t seem to strikeI
t’s all well and good building a
beautiful garden, but sometimes
there is that one plant that just
won’t play ball, that looks poorly
and fails to thrive. You’ve tried
everything — feeding, watering and
cutting it back — but nothing
works. And the truth of the matter is, it’s
just too darned old.
It’s hard, of course, getting rid of an
old friend, but it has to be done to make
space for the new. The important thing is
to do it wisely. So what signs should give
you the confidence to say sorry, pal, your
time has come?No strong growth
Dying is a gradual process. If a plant is
making no strong growth anywhere
throughout its canopy, only short
stumpy shoots, then it could be
appallingly starved and a good feed and
a mulch might perk it up no end, but it’s
also quite likely to be on its way out.Flaking bark
So often the base of the stem of a dying
plant tells a tale. There may be fungi
visible there or patches of bark coming
loose. Moss completely clothing the stem
of a small trunk that you would expect
to be clean and regularly expanding is
not a good sign.Die-back
If a garden tree or shrub has a significant
amount of die-back, the chances are
there is a serious disease afoot: ash
die-back, perhaps, or coral-spot in
Japanese maples. Time to identify the
problem, treat it if you can, and to note
over time whether the plant or the
disease is winning.How to spot a
dying plant
Stephen Anderton
explains what you
should look out for
— and when it’s
time to give up
Moss clothing
a small trunk
that you would
expect to be
expanding is
not a good sign
If foliage starts to discolour it
can signal serious problemsJENNY LILLY/GAP PHOTOS