Death by drowning

This aged conifer, ironically in our pool park, has drowned, not in the pool, but just where it stands.

This exceptional park, made especially wonderful by a planting of a bank of Rhododendrons to commemorate all locals that died during WWI, now almost 100 years later is the most wonderful memorial to them. I've blipped them before here. An unbroken bank of huge Rhododendrons, suddenly two have died, along with this conifer immediately behind them. Our local expert believes that, in an area of high ground water, with the high rainfall of the last two years, the water table has risen so high, that the feeder roots for the plants are now submerged and the plants are drowning. This is bad news, as there is nothing to be done to stop it.

Other plants are starting to yellow and drop foliage.

For such a significant and historic planting it is very worrying.