# Shrub identification and help



## Wilbursan (Jul 30, 2017)

I've got some shrubs around my house put there by the builder and I have no idea what they are. There are three and the one in the middle is dying. Below are the pictures. The first one is a healthy plant and the next two are the one that's sick. I noticed it wasn't as full as the other last winter but it's much worse this fall. Any help is appreciated.


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

@Wilbursan Does it get berries on it?


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## N LA Hacker (Aug 17, 2018)

Looks to be an indian hawthorn.


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## Wilbursan (Jul 30, 2017)

pennstater2005 said:


> @Wilbursan Does it get berries on it?


Nope, no berries. But it's maybe 5 years old.


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## Wilbursan (Jul 30, 2017)

N LA Hacker said:


> Looks to be an indian hawthorn.


I've never seen flowers on it either. How long before they show up?


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## Ecks from Tex (Apr 26, 2018)

Indian Hawthorne

Some get berries/flowers some don't. All are supposed to, but their blooms are so minimal that they sometimes can go unnoticed. The blooms should occur sometime mid-spring.

Once they get it in their mind they're going to die, not much will stop that train from leaving the station. I have rows of these things and can't stand them for the most part. I have had success applying growth regulator to them though, it has actually resulted in a healthier plant.

Yours needs pruning badly. I pruned one in similar condition, fertilized, and applied growth regulator and it seems to have at least not gotten worse. That being said, I would just pull that sick one out and plant either another hawthorne or something else that doesn't suck.


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## Ecks from Tex (Apr 26, 2018)

Also, just FYI but the way you pruned that sick hawthorne is a no-no. It could be contributing to disease and the overall poor health of the plant.

Follow a couple guidlines: prune the dead branches at the main truck first. prune the branches that intersect and rub second. then prune at the splits to cut the shrub to form, but always prune where there is leaf growth. You can get away with using a hedger like you did in the picture when you are only trimming off new growth, but not when you are cutting back the woody legs. If you are having trouble keeping up with the pruning, the smarter way to approach it rather than butchering with a hedger two times a year is to apply growth regulator. Cutless or Atrimmec are my choices.


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## erad213 (May 11, 2018)

I also have some indian hawthorns. I did hear that if you used a hedge trimmer it would be more prone to disease as well. Unfortunately, when we moved in, they were there, and they have been WAY over grown, and blocking a walkway to our house. My wife and I finally looked at them this past weekend and cut back a solid foot or so of growth and there is still plenty of foliage left on the shrubs They are a tidy 3.5ft tall plant now instead of 5ft or so. I did add compost, a little fert, and watered well. I hope they will be fine, they look drastically better. It would have taken me days to cut back with pruners. I have a friend in landscaping that said don't even prune just pull out and get rid of... that will be my next step if they don't survive.


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## Ecks from Tex (Apr 26, 2018)

erad213 said:


> I also have some indian hawthorns. I did hear that if you used a hedge trimmer it would be more prone to disease as well. Unfortunately, when we moved in, they were there, and they have been WAY over grown, and blocking a walkway to our house. My wife and I finally looked at them this past weekend and cut back a solid foot or so of growth and there is still plenty of foliage left on the shrubs They are a tidy 3.5ft tall plant now instead of 5ft or so. I did add compost, a little fert, and watered well. I hope they will be fine, they look drastically better. It would have taken me days to cut back with pruners. I have a friend in landscaping that said don't even prune just pull out and get rid of... that will be my next step if they don't survive.


That's what I say too. Pull them out and if you really like the shrub just plant a new one and start fresh. I don't like them at all so I plant something else each time I pull one.


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## Wilbursan (Jul 30, 2017)

I don't actually own a hedge trimmer. I did that with some large hand clippers. They grew about 3 feet during the month of August alone for some reason and they had to be cut. I'm kind of suspecting that draught may have something to do with this. The other plants get hit by the sprinkler pretty good but this one only gets a little. I've watered and fertilized it so I'll see what happens. I'd rather it survived than replace it because I don't really give a hoot about shrubs except that they are there. If it dies though I'll find something else.


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## nclawnguy (Jun 27, 2017)

@Wilbursan 
Ternstroemia Gymnanthera
Common Name - Japanese Cleyera


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