Our tree seems to be dying. Please help

Hi,

Firstly, I want to confess that I know next to nothing about gardening.

With that out of the way...

When we bought our house, it came with this beautiful tree that blossoms blue/purple in the summer. I think it may be a "Ceanothus" tree but I'm not sure (I have attached lots of photos however).

Every year, the whole tree would blossom but this year, there are several patches that arent blossoming and look dry like theybare dying. I noticed that there is some sort of white flaky stuff on the branvhes though I'm not sure if this is an issue.

Is there anything I can do to help/heal the tree? I have attached photos with multiple angles and hope this is enough for someone to hel p.

Thanks

 

Looks like a Ceanothus, they often do just die when they reach a certain age.
Yours looks to be fairly old, I dont really think there is much you can do to help it as they dont like hard pruning.

 

I see. That's such a shame :(

 

Just a thought, but not knowing your location did you get the really bad freeze in December 2022.
It certainly knocked mine back and they hardly flowered last year, they have made a bit of a comeback this year but not as good as previous years.
You could start by removing any obviously dead wood and see what it looks like regarding shape.
You could then very lightly trim the green growth but don't go back into brown wood.

 

I'd agree that it may just be a goner as they are quite short lived. There probably isn't a lot you can do, other than what @pete has said.

The 'white/grey stuff' is lichen and completely harmless - in fact, it can be a sign of clean air. You'll often see it on dead wood though.

 

I would say a ceanothus and it is a very ancient one looking at the size so it may just have reached the end of its natural life. I would remove any dead wood, the grey crust is a lichen as far as I can see and an indication of clean air. Trees are covered with it down here in Cornwall and do not harm them so nothing to worry about. You may have another year or two left with your shrub but it is probably time to say goodbye.

 

I agree with the others, Ceanothus don't have long lives compared to most other trees and shrubs, and the lichen is just an opportunist, not a killer. Probably time to think about removing it and planting a new one, or something else instead.

 

I'm in Newcastle upon tyne and yes we did get quite a freeze. I'll try to prune off all the dead branches (the smaller/thin ones).

Thanks

 

Thanks.

 

Thank you all for the replies. Looks like we need to plant a new one.

 

I think that would be the best option, there are a fair few varieties to choose from.

 

Plenty of other trees too if you fancy something different @JamesW

 

Exactly the same thing has happened to my Ceanothus in Norfolk, which is quite old and has been smothered with flowers every year. I put it down to the weather and old age. I'll leave it this year and see what happens next year.

As @fairygirl says, the lichen is harmless and likes to grow where the air is clean.