Pest battle with Cherry Blossom — and how I won

I had a serious problem with root encroachment near drains or house foundations on my Cherry Blossom earlier this year. Caught it late and had to work hard to bring the plant back. The experience was frustrating but educational.

Now that it's healthy again I can fully appreciate canopy habitat for birds, insects, and wildlife, which is remarkable. I've repositioned it in a small garden with a compact or columnar variety chosen for scale and improved my attention to formative pruning in the first five years to build a clear leader. blossom or leaf burst in spring creating dramatic transformation was the proof that the plant had fully recovered — genuinely beautiful. Moral of the story: inspect regularly and catch problems early.