Tree following: a new baby lilac?

A month on, and my downed lilac is turning into quite a bush.

If you dropped by last month, you'll know that some of the young shoots had turned black at the end and one of the shoots had wilted. I'm grateful for the helpful observation from Tim Havenith of Notes of Nature.

On the stem that has died back, did you notice if it had wilted first? If so, it might indicate a fungal infection blocking the vascular elements. In which case you should cut the wilted stems off and either burn them or put them in the green bin if you have one. Fingers crossed it'll be ok.

Well, the stems didn't seem to have wilted before turning black, so I breathed a sigh of relief at that, but kept a close eye in case of developments.

New shoots have been growing fresh and strong.

Some of the leaves on the older shoots appear to be suffering some sort of virus attack, but it's not widespread.

The browning edges are causing me some concern, though. Again, these are on the tallest shoot. On the other hand, I know I've been taken by surprise by this lilac before, when I've wondered why leaves are looking manky and realised that it's merely the onset of autumn. Bit early, I know, but everything seems to be several weeks advanced this year.  On the other hand, these do look rather wilted too. Perhaps Tim's right about a vascular problem?

Finally, what of the babies - the cuttings I took last month?  Well, the smaller one sat there and did nothing and began to look sorry for itself. That's gone, I'm afraid. But the other shows distinct signs of possible success, with a new leaf beginning to unfurl.

This is part of Lucy's Tree Following meme at Loose and Leafy. Why not pop over and see what's happening to trees around the world?

Comments

[Caroline]

I hope your remaining sapling flourishes. It's good to see the new growth in the photo, but I'm sorry about the setbacks.

[Lucy Corrander]

Are there larvae in the curled edges of the leaves? It's quite a dramatic story this one. Glad you have a replacement on the go. But if the old lilac has a virus will this be passed on to the new when you come to plant it out?

[Janet/Plantaliscious]

I agree with Lucy, this has all the makings of a will-she-won't-she tension-ridden saga! Love the healthy mini plant though, long may it continue.

[Helen]

Lucy, I've looked and there aren't any larvae. I wish there were, because then there'd be an obvious reason for the crispy edges. There are some very small holes, but I think this might just be a result of the browning.

Thank you, Caroline and Janet. Fingers crossed for next month's instalment.