It looks dried up and desiccated. Not good. I see drip tubing. Is that how you have been watering it? I also see it looks to be planted in a hole in the landscape fabric. Did you close the fabric around the root ball after planting and hide a drip emitter on top of that?

Please tell me that fabric is NOT your left over rubber liner from the pond.

yup, i use drip emitters but there is no fabric close to the root ball, I cut those away. Nope, not rubber pond liner lol.

i use drip emitters for all my plants in the front and backyard and have good results so far except for this particular plant but I have done supplemental watering by hose when I noticed it dry up. Hope it isn’t too late.

Would be interested to know if the pine survived. If it did, I'd plan on moving it as soon as is feasible. It will get way bigger than that siting will accommodate!! The attached photo shows one that is not yet even fully mature.

A specimen that was just like stock of this cultivar being offered by local retailers at the time appeared in a Seattle traffic island some years ago, went on to produce a plant more like the typical species in shape and size than was probably expected. And subsequently disappeared, as though cut down for being more than was wanted.

A thing that happens is commercially produced, otherwise quite dwarf and slow growing garden conifers being invigorated by grafting onto non dwarf seedling (as in raised from seed) rootstocks.

I'd sure love to see a Japanese Thunderhead Pine like that gardengal. I've never stopped for a close look at the one large specimen in town that I know of. Perhaps I should.

I'd be interested to know how it's doing too. subersibo1973 is in the desert SW if I recall. The only other option I could think of than water, was sun scald going from a comfy nursery to the desert sun.

Hi guys! Sadly, the thunderhead as well as 3 other plants (2 green mound junipers and a mugo pine) didn’t make it. I am pretty sure it’s a water issue. I’ll try planting again in the fall.

I have increased the water time on the one surviving plant (and also the most expensive!) - the scotch pine topiary.

i live in Elk Grove, Ca. It’s pretty hot here.

Bummer. We have all killed plenty plants. Keep trying.

Juniperus procumbens tends to be disease susceptible, a body can have this die out even when there isn't a watering issue.