Garden Wildlife UK

Ohh, what a shame William. We planted a cotoneaster (can't remember which variety sadly) and that berried up the following year quite nicely, which the birds enjoyed

Thank you all, will not put another back as the disease is already in the ground, so not worth it. Still have a native hawthorn with white flowers and a standard with red flowers on that patch.

My Rowan which is at least 40 years old has suffered over the last 6 months. The spring blossoming went as normal with plenty of berries forming as usual but the dry weather has caused most of them to drop. There are a few left but I think they will soon disappear. There is also die back on about four different branches but not enough for me to consider felling the tree to start again.

Had to lop a branch of a Crab Apple and saw this discolouration in the centre - went and cleared and checked the base and found this fungal growth - Can't decide if it's terminal or not

Hope it is not Germain. Picture not showing.

I got around to cutting the last 2 branches from the rowan. Just have the trunk to deal with now. So out of the 2 branches left only 1 was healthy, the other being dead.

Willpar wrote: Mon Mar 23, 2026 10:14 am I got around to cutting the last 2 branches from the rowan. Just have the trunk to deal with now. So out of the 2 branches left only 1 was healthy, the other being dead.

I have been losing branches out of the top of my Rowan for some time now but here are still plenty of good branched nearer the middle and bottom. I don't know why the upper branches are dying off.

That is how mine started JS, dying off in the upper branches.

Willpar wrote: Mon Mar 23, 2026 10:40 pm That is how mine started JS, dying off in the upper branches.

Doesn't sound great for my tree. I will keep a close eye on it his year, so if there is a poor crop of berries again I will get advice from a tree surgeon on what to do next.

Jacksparrow wrote: Tue Mar 24, 2026 8:23 pm

Willpar wrote: Mon Mar 23, 2026 10:40 pm That is how mine started JS, dying off in the upper branches.

Doesn't sound great for my tree. I will keep a close eye on it his year, so if there is a poor crop of berries again I will get advice from a tree surgeon on what to do next.

The recent hot spell of weather seems to have dealt the final blow to my Rowan. What few berries it had are now on the floor and the foliage is looking very grey. An autumn farewell looks almost certain.