Christy: Is the nonperforming cherry tree by any chance a sweet cherry on a full-dwarfing rootstock such as Gisela 5? Weather may have played a role here, but it is much more likely that you have had a failure at the graft, which is common on dwarfing cherry rootstocks. I have lost several cherries on these dwarfing rootstocks, and won't be planting any more. There is not much of a distinction between dead and dying, and it sounds as if your cherry tree is dying. What leads you to believe the tree is still alive? A little green in the cambium layer? If the tree is not leafed out on May 18, that will soon go away and turn to brown. What was the source of this tree, and what, indeed, is the rootstock? As for your plums, it sounds as if the one in the container is not very happy, and may be checking out as well. If the one in the ground is doing well, the obvious solution is to plant them in the ground. Again, any tree, container or in-ground, that has not leafed out by May 18 in New Jersey is on its way out. There is really nothing you can do but watch and wait. I hope I am wrong and that your trees spring to life, but I am afraid I am not. Again, where did you get these trees? I am not sure what is meant by a "dwarf" plum. Plum rootstocks should all be pretty much the same. You may have planted trees that are inappropriate for your location, and that is why their source is of interest. You may be hearing from others who will tell you to be patient, that the trees will leaf out, etc. etc. It's always nice to hear some encouraging words, but I'm afraid I can't offer any. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

StressBaby... I'm not so sure about tha causes of citrus leaf drop. I have 5 or 6 citrus, a couple of mandarin oranges, a couple of grapefruit and a couple of I-forget-what-i-planteds. The oranges tended to get infested with spidermites over the winter so a few years ago a decided to toss them in the garage for the winter as i just didn't want the mites spreading to other plants. My garage walls are insulated and i do have insulated doors, but there is no addotional heat. All heat is from the windows (I have 3 large south facing windows), what must leak out from the house (insulated 2x6 contruction) and whatever heat comes from the engines. I am in zone 5, massachusetts. I do occasionally get ice on the floor if the outside temps stay below zero for a few days. That first year, i did get the leaf drop you describe. I really thought i had lost them all. One lost about 90% of it's branches, the rest lost most of their leaves. But come Spring, they cam back to life and recovered fully. The following year, i decided to take better care of them since they deserved a bit of credit. I made sure i stuck to a weekly watering plan and that was enough to prevent almost ANY leaf drop. I did get a bit of freeze damage on one tree closet to the doors. This was closer to the springtime when they had started sending out new growth. SO i have now overwintered the in the unheated garage for 3 winters. Temps have been as low as -19F at night outside, and i hardly get the leaf drop. I am of the mind that it was completely due to my neglect that first winter and the lack of water. This winter i plan to put a themometer in the garage so i have an idea of what the temps actually are, but i am pretty much amazed they do so well. Poppa

hi,cottage cheese, When I was planting backyard trees in NJ I went with 16' centers - I think air circulation is extremely important in humid climates. Also you will need plenty of room to access the trees for pruning, spraying, etc. good luck, ~emmers

Vaporvac, ac91z6 - I have both Florentina and Princess Alex de Lux, and I highly recommend them both. Florentina I've had for about 4 years and it's an enthusiastic bloomer all season with entirely cane hardy survival in an average zone 5 spot. The blooms are very full and dark red and it's among my favorite climbers these days. PadL is newer, since she just went in last spring, but I can already tell she's a typically enthusiastic Kordes rose. She's putting out canes in every direction trying to elbow wimpy neighbors out of the way, and I've seen clusters of those thickly petaled blooms off and on all season. She hasn't gotten to her third season yet so her repeat isn't all that frequent, but I don't expect that in a rose's second year. I think she had some but not all surviving cane over the winter, which is typical of most of my roses. Both were from Palatine for me, and both have done extremely well. Cynthia