How long has it been in that spot? How much has it grown, and how big is it now? I'm wondering if it is fully established yet.

Alex

Hello,

I have some on the south edge of a thick fence row,they do get some shade but this is the sunniest spot I've seen them.
Never underestimate the power of mulch.
You could try mulching an extra wide circle around tree.

Does the tree receive any shade?
How large of an area do you have to work with?
One other thing you could try,before you mulch kill all the grass in the area you are going to mulch.Grass can steal most of the moisture that otherwise would be available to the tree.

lp

Definitely don't get rid of it, it's a great tree. I've only seen it grow in the wild, but in some areas it was in full sun. How long has it been there?

I do mulch it. It is in a tight spot in my urban garden. It gets shade in the morning, but full sun from about noon to five. I was at an arboretum today and saw absolutely gorgeous ones as the canopy for a shade garden. They were multi-trunked. They seemed to get some shade from some nearby white pines, so they were sort of growing on the edge of a forest. They GAVE wonderful shade though. That's why I chose to plant this tree where I did, I was hoping for that very effect that I experienced today, a beautiful, multi trunked specimen at the edge of my patio. The tree has been there two years. I know it's a slow grower, that's not the problem, it's that the leaves look all curled and dry. The tree is not lacking water or mulch though.

I am willing to stick it out with this tree, I am just wondering if there is going to be any hope to acheive what I'm looking for. It was so odd that one day after I posted this I found the very effect I was going for at the arboretum. Sorry I don't have a digital camera or I would post pictures.

If you mulch and it gets some shade then how is your soil?
clay- compacted some times a tree wil not be happy in one spot and 15- 20 feet away it's just fine.
I have one on my lawn tucked in next to a white spruce thats doing just fine.
What kind of shape was it in as a seedling?
Nothing jumps out as to what it may be ,thats the reason for all the questions it sounds like your doing a good job.
I bought mine as a 2yr old seedling bareroot, alot of the time younger trees will transplant better than older trees grown in pots.

lp

It was a pot grown tree, fairly large. I know what you mean about bareroot, the crab apple next to it is 1/3 larger, and it was a bareroot twig I planted with the lowest of expectations at the same time.

LOL on the soil, since my beds are so small I double dug them with sand, peat and compost when I set them up. Putting in that sand was the smartest thing I ever did. I also put down compost a couple times a year. BUT, this tree is in an awfully small spot. I try and compensate by occasionally fertilizing all my plants. Some I guess just will not be happy at the root level I'm afraid. This intensive style of gardening is new to me but it's what I have to do in my tiny urban courtyard.

I'm trying to decide whether to stick with the musclewood or cut my losses. I think I will stick with it due to what I saw yesterday, that's what I'm hoping for. The tree isn't dying, it just isn't flourishing. I think more time will tell what the ultimate outcome will be.

I am sorry for your predicament and I don't have anything positive to add, but I did a little research on this tree recently because I have a seedling of it in a pot and I was considering where to plant it. One of the things I recall reading was that it was known to have "foliage problems". I don't remember any more details, but that stuck in my mind because the spot I want to put it in is damp and shady. I once put a serviceberry there and it was not happy there at all. It got "foliage problems". I was hoping the hornbeam would be ok there, but I am skeptical.

Wendyb, a damp, shady spot is perfect for this tree. It is, in nature, an understory tree.

1pinkmountain, I have nothing to offer in the way of suggestions. You seem to be doing what can be done for this tree in this location. I'd say tough it out for a couple more years and see if it can get better.

+oM

Tom hit it on the money, damp shade is just what musclewood likes. Seems odd that the serviceberry wasn't happy in that spot too. How "damp" is it? It may be that some of the horticultural serviceberry varieties aren't as "wet feet" tolerant, but that's hard to believe. Another tree for that spot is alder, although I never see that one at traditional nurseries. Luckily I have a native plant nursery just up the road, which is where I got the musclewood.

Hey, while looking for info for you on "trees for wet sites" I found this tidbit on a Virginia Cooperative Extension Web site.

"Most trees, and especially urban trees and trees in containers, become stressed when they have a disproportionately small volume of soil for their roots. Reduced soil volume leads to a site that dries rapidly as the root system absorbs moisture, often causing a chronic water deficit for the trees. General signs of water stress include reduced growth, poor flower or fruit production, limp, slightly curled or scorched leaves, and changes in leaf color."

This totally describes what is going on with my tree to the letter! I water it all the time though! I think I need to pull out the ugly stuff growing around it, and mulch is some more. That's about all I can do. I don't think this poor baby is right for a tight spot though, so I dunno.

Well, the small soil volume available to this tree could eventually become a factor, if it isn't already. But musclewood is not, after all, a large-growing species. So it seems intuitively, if not in fact, that it would not need the root-run area of say, a maple or oak.

Keep us posted.....+oM

I was thinking about this problem and it reminded me of my hybrid kousa dogwood ('Stellar Pink') planting about 10 years ago. Its also an understory plant and is not supposed to be in full sun. But I thought I would try to bend the rules.

I planted it in almost full sun (11-5) and on a slope as well. It struggled so much. THe leaves were burnt and droopy all summer long for a couple of years even though I watered well. Then it seemed to settle in okay but barely bloomed. I set out soaker hoses and fertilized and watered heavily. After about 5-6 years, I finally got some blooms. THe year after was even better. I kept the soaker hoses on it and paid a lot more attention to watering. 2 years ago I noticed it was a bit sparse. Last year it didn't leaf out well at all in the spring. I discovered borers at the base of the trunks. I treated them and pruned and fed and crossed my fingers. I got new growth and hoped we fought off the evil borers. this spring it was still alive but just a bit of growth at the ends of the some branches... about 10-20% alive. I had to decide whether to keep trying or go for the mercy killing. I did the mercy kiling and I was actually quite relieved. No more struggling with a plant in the wrong place for little reward.

A stressed plant is likely going to succumb to some insect or disease. Its just a matter of when and how much time and energy you invest before the mercy killing. My lesson learned.

As far as my serviceberry not liking my damp spot, not sure, but I read they are prone to rust. Maybe it was poor air circulation. I just planted the hornbeam tonite and the soil was nice and rich and lotsa earthworms. In the spring the area gets very soggy though and I can't even walk there. its a low-lying poor drainage area. THe soil used to be kinda mucky but it seemed nice now. I planted it a tad high just to be safe.

LOL, the tree I was thinking about replacing the musclewood with was a kousa dogwood!

that is funny!