Conifer killer

Here's an extract from an article in the Amateur Gardening Magazine about a new disease called Phytophthora lateralis a fungus like pathogen that kills Lawsonii cypress trees.

"The disease which causes dieback and premature death has devastated Lawsonii cypress trees in the American states of California and Oregon. It was also identified in Scotland for the first time in 2010 with new outbreaks reported in Northern Ireland and Devon last year. France and Holland have also recently confirmed the disease. It is one of several destructive plant pathogens that have entered the UK in recent years, many of which have been associated with the international trade in live plants. Yorkshire Water, which owns some of the land containing infected trees , said it was working to contain the disease and stop it from spreading.

So if your evergreen becomes an everbrown you know why.

 

Ziggy and I have the whole UK stocks of it:D

 

Unfortunately, it doesn't make the trees fall down. It only turns the green bits to brown. So they'll have brown trees blocking out the light instead of green ones.

It was about four years ago that this disease, or something very similar, started affecting Lawsonii in the south of England. There are a number of brown Leylandii hedges around here. I asked one of the people in the village why he hadn't done something about his brown hedge and he said it was too expensive to have it taken out. I think he is hoping that his neighbour will offer to pay half.