Tree diseases - very worrying

In the 20 years, the Red Palm Weevil has swept from S.E. Asia through the Mediterranean and whole areas have been denuded of their palm trees.   The long branches collapse like a pancake, a sure sign that the weevil has infested the tree and munching away to its heart's content.   All over Spain and Portugal it's the same story - see below for our experience.

So it was doubly sad to read that other imported tree pests are rampant in the UK.   Here's an extract from The Guardian's article....


A young horse chestnut tree in a west London garden was bleeding a rust-coloured liquid down its bark last week. As it dried, it left a black, tar-like stain several feet long. Two streets away, another horse chestnut had prematurely shed its leaves in July. A fungal pathogen known as bleeding canker was killing the first tree from the inside, while the horse chestnut leaf miner moth was destroying the second. Neither tree will survive the winter.
Meanwhile, in Plymouth last week, parts of a mature cypress hedge were turning a lighter olive-grey than similar trees around it. It was a sure but ominous sign that a fungus-like pathogen known as Phytophthora lateralis was attacking its roots and working its way up the inner bark. The disease has left a swath of destruction in the western states of the US and Canada, but its arrival in England for the first time has struck fear in gardeners' hearts.
In scenes reminiscent of foot and mouth disease 10 years ago, the trees were quickly felled, and their roots burnt because the infection can spread through soil.
Plant pathogens are on the rise globally and Britain is susceptible because of our increasingly warm, wet winters and the globalisation of trade, which has enabled us to fuel our love of gardens by importing millions of exotic plants, many of which can arrive diseased.

SPECIES AT RISK

HORSE CHESTNUT At risk from both the 'alien' leaf miner moth, which causes them to shed their leaves early, and the fatal bleeding canker disease.
CYPRESS/YEW The deadly Phytophthora lateralis pathogen attacks both the trunk and roots, withering the evergreen host's leaves and resulting in death.
OAK Acute oak decline causes the tree to suffer stem bleeding from cracks in the bark. Has resulted in the deaths of oaks throughout the Midlands and south.
LARCH A fungus-like pathogen, Phytophthora ramorum, causes extensive damage. Recently found on larch and conifer species across the north-west and Scotland.
PLANE Recent cases in north London confirm the arrival of deadly fungus, Ceratocystis platani, which attacks and weakens plane tree trunks and branches.



So take care if you're tempted to import from another country.  I don't know if buying from a reputable source can prevent the spread,  as stock may be sold unknowing that disease is present until it's too late. 

Sundial mosaic instead of Palm tree.

And here's the finished area, with fresh gravel and the sundial pot.   We're beginning to feel the advantage of not having two large palms to worry about maintaining several times of year - a lot of work, especially in disposing of the fronds. 

Red palm weevil saga

And another one bit the dust.    We had 2 young Spanish guys working all day yesterday with an axe and chain saw to remove the remaining palm at the front of the house.   Cor, did it stink!  I had to drench the area in Jeyes Fluid.   We have bought fresh gravel today but the area needs a serious clean-up.   We have another of D's wonderful pots with a sundial on top to bring over to this space. 

On a happier note, look at this amazing bourganvillea in our one and only English neighbour in the area.   This two-colour plant is very unusual.  When they planted it 8 years ago it was totally magenta.   Does anyone know how this bourganvillea can suddenly produce another colour?

Look - no palm

You can see the damage that's been done by the Red Palm Beetle in the first picture - and in the distance how we have transformed the area since taking down the other diseased palm.  

D's salamander pot is in pride of place in this gravelled area.   More pots, probably with herbs to add to our collection of thyme, chives, parsley and sage, willl be added. 

We have a strong Levante blowing at the moment and it's even more apparent that the damage to the remaining front palm is extensive.   The leaves usually bend with the wind, but these have no purchase any longer.  It will have to be radically cut back and shaved, the innards examined for beetles and grubs and, eventually, the whole lot taken down.   D has drilled holes around the trunk and injected an insecticide and poured gallons of the stuff from the top of the tree.   Hopefully, this will have destroyed the beetles etc. preventing further contamination in the area.