Death in the garden

More this week on the sudden and apparently inexplicable death of trees and large shrubs. It happens surprisingly often - one day you have a fine and healthy specimen, the next you have a dead tree on your hands.

Was it something you did or perhaps something you didn't do?

In practice there are a number of likely causes of sudden death, and by running through a checklist it's usually possible to find a plausible explanation for your sudden loss.

This won't bring your tree back but it might make you feel better.

Here then, in no particular order of prevalence, are my top ten causes of death in garden trees.

1 - Damage to roots by excavation, burial (see last week's article) or by compaction of the soil around the tree by vehicles, large animals or large numbers of people. This reduces the oxygen available to roots and can seriously damage a tree's health.

2 - Waterlogging. This also deprives roots of oxygen and, if it continues over a long period of time, or if it happens regularly, waterlogging can eventually kill even large trees.

3 - Mechanical damage by careless gardeners with strimmers or by other mammals like deer, squirrels and voles, may enable the entry of fungal disease and bacteria through wounds in the bark. Ringbarking, the removal of a complete ring of bark around the trunk, will quickly kill a tree; constriction of the trunk by neglected tree ties or fencing will have a similar, though less rapid, result.

4 - Chemical overdose, for example through the use of weedkiller around newly-planted trees, or by the seepage of road salt into nearby soil, can seriously damage roots.

5 - Drought. Lack of water is one of the commonest reasons for the death of newly-planted trees and shrubs. Established plants are less likely to suffer from drought though it may still be a contributing factor in hot, dry weather.

6 - Pests and diseases. There are numerous bugs, beasties and lurgies out there waiting to attack your trees and shrubs. Look carefully at the foliage for tell-tale signs and consult a good guide such as the Collins Guide to Pests, Diseases and Disorders of Garden Plants.

7 - Colf temperatures, especially long periods of unrelenting cold, can kill plants that are on the borderline of hardiness.

8 - Lightening damage. Yes, I know this sounds unlikely, but it does happen. Like teething in babies, it's a good fall back if none of the other answers fits.

9 - Weed competition deprives a tree of water, light and nutrients. This may kill young trees or trees already stressed by other problems.

10 - Old age. Don't rule this out as a factor. All trees and shrubs have a finite lifespan, some are naturally shorter than others. Your tree may have simply reached the end of its days.