Beginner Gardening: willow birch tree HELP!!!, 1 by bevoreno

bevoreno wrote:
this tree is actually a weeping birch.... someone suggested that i have mulch too close to the tree, and to dig around it... here's a pic... and we have had crazy weather this season... lots of rain (which I thought it would be good), but I also had a lilac that didn't make it this year, same thing happened as far as the leaves just turning yellow out of no where???? does anybody know if Play-doh is toxic to plants??? I've been hosing it off the deck into the dirt around my lilac ( not near my tree) and that's the only thing that was different about this year...