I'm told that this is a Boxelder tree. The side closest to the house looks sooo sick! The leaves fall daily, they look dried out, brown and orange. (I don't think these are its autumn colors...it looked like this in May!) There is new growth at the ends of the branches that is bright green and healthy looking. Don't know whether to spray for bugs, fungus, or what!! Can anyone help? Posting 2 pics, one to show how bare it's getting and the second is a leaf close-up.
Thank you, Laura
Second Boxelder photo...this is as close as my little camera will go! I would be grateful for any ideas, advise or suggestions!
Thanks, Laura
I'll bet you've had a lot of heat and drought this summer, right? My box elders do this every year as soon as the July and August heat and lack of rain hits. It does them no apparent harm.
You might want to consider replacing them with a better tree, though. Box elders are messy, self sow all over the place, have no pretty fall color and drop their leaves every summer.
Only reason why I haven't cut the ones in my yard down is because they're tough as nails and will survive our dry summers and rocky, alkaline mountain soil.
I would second Hart on replacing with a better tree, I once lived in a home surronded in 27 mature boxelders. They began to fall the second year and only by the grace of God was the house spared a direct hit... and the bugs (box elder beatles) would swarm to any warm exposure in the fall, thense to the basement; I can still smell their stink. Ken
