3rd November 2014

Weather: Rainy & wet
Team: Formal

I worked with Billy again this week, we had to cut down a mature Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna in the corner of the Conifer Lawn where the path snakes past Weatherhill Cottage and down to Alpine and to Seven Acres (Photo 1).

Photo 1: Positioning of the affected Sarcococca. 

Photo 2: Cutting down and bagging up the affected Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna

It was identified later by pathology that it might have a form of Phytophthora that could possibly be Phytophthora terminalis that was first detected in the Netherlands on Pachysandra terminalis and on Sarcococca in the UK or it could be the Phytophthora occultans that has been detected on Buxus or even its own strain, but the research hasn't been done yet to identify if this is the case. As we had to wait for the special Phytophthora trailer to discard the plant (I have yet to check what they do with it), we bagged up what we cut down (Photo 2). Then we worked at digging the roots out once we could see them better, which were difficult to get out as they were entangled with roots of Cotoneaster x suecicus 'Coral Beauty' that had layered itself in between and seemed to be pinning them into the ground.

Photo 3 shows how the Phytophthora affects the plant from right to left - healthy green and then strands of the shrub starts wilting and browning like it has blight, eventually the leaves fall off and a white fungal growth takes over the branches. I am not sure if the latter is the visible sign of Phytophthora itself or if another fungal disease takes the opportunity to come in and consume the shrub, also at this stage where the disease has not taken effect of the shrub yet, the white fungal disease is found at the base of the shrub rather than the top.

Photo 3: Effects of the Phytophthora

The trailer that the diseased refuse is taken away with (Photo 4) is labelled P. ramoran for Phytophthora ramoran the main deadly Phytophthora affecting plants in gardens.

Photo 4: Trailer marked P. ramorum for taking away high risk diseased matter.

In the afternoon I had my mid-term appraisal and our monthly session of clearing up Hanbury Court, the trainees do this as part of their living contract to keep it tidy and maintained (Photo 6).

Photo 6: Hanbury Court tidy up