Chamaecyparis obtusa Hinoki False Cypress dying?

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chris_h Waukegan, IL(Zone 5a) Aug 14, 2014

I think my Hinoki False Cypress has died. It started off with the usual browning of interior foliage which I have become used to, but then seemed to be getting gradually worse as summer went on. Just yesterday after being very busy with out of town guests for a few weeks I was startled to look out the window and see that it is almost totally brown. Only about 3 inches of tip foliage has any trace of green but even most of that is not the deep green it should be but rather seems to be fading fast. Do you think the brutal winter killed it? It has been in my yard for 10 years and is about 15-20 feet tall.

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Post #9917639
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Resin Northumberland, United Kingdom(Zone 9a) Aug 14, 2014

Certainly looks dead. Whether the winter, or maybe a root disease like Phytophthora, can't tell.

Resin

Post #9918078
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Aug 14, 2014

Chris - My 20+ yo Hinoki took a beating this past winter but still has some green on it and am waiting to prune out the dead stuff next spring. Yours looks pretty much gone. Could be just too much winter damage for it to recover. I was told that in our area, we should minimize wind exposure in the winter or provide some shelter. I'm opting for burlap this winter.

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chris_h Waukegan, IL(Zone 5a) Aug 14, 2014

Thanks for confirming my suspicion. I just couldn't bring myself to start cutting it down until I was sure it was as hopeless as it looks. I needed a "second opinion". So I guess it's time to get out the saw and no point in planting another one if our winters are going to be so weird and unpredictable. Well, now I get to choose something new for that spot.

Thank you again,

Christine

Post #9918375
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Aug 15, 2014

Christine - you could always get some advice on possible replacement from the Morton Arboretum. Even my 'Blue Girl' and 'Blue Boy' hollies lost 2/3 of their mass after 25 years so it was a brutal winter.

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