A Sad Day to be a Tree

The word came down today - the Kwanzan cherry tree outside my office window must go.

It's actually a pretty tree, maybe 10 feet tall. We planted it when we first moved into the house 10 years ago. In the spring, it sports these beautiful cotton puff pink flowers. I have fond memories (and several great pictures) of the kids pulling the flowers off the tree and blowing the pedals into the wind.

This year, I noticed a large branch that died. Not a problem, I thought; we'll just cut it off. When I inspected the tree yesterday, I noticed that leaves on several nearby branches were dying. I asked our lawn care person about the tree, and he noted an area of rot in the trunk. I had hoped that I would find some sort of cure on the Web, but all the information that I can find states that Japanese cherry trees are sensitive and that they will not survive the rot. I may send out one more e-mail to the local celebrity gardning guru, Walter Reeves, to see if he has any last suggestions. I probably should call an arborist, but my husband is reluctant to spend the money since we both suspect the tree's days are numbered.

I guess next week, I'll call someone to take down the tree. I'll miss the pink flowers next spring.