I have a dogwood tree that is approximately 20 years old. The tree has green mold on bark and branchs. The bark is thick and scale like. The leaves are wilty and have a bit of a rust color to them in some spots i have tried the soap and water teatment and trimming away any dead leaves and branches. The same thing is happening with the lilac bush but it doesn't have scaley bark or the thickening of the bark like the dogwood. Both of these plants are near he driveway. I was wondering if being where the tree is planted and the problem it is having make it have a stunted growth pattern.
Answers:
Dogwoods and lilacs are succeptible to a fungal disease called powdery mildew. Basically what happens is that if you have a cool nights with poor air circulation this fungus pops up and causes an ashy haze on the leaves. Generally it's not fatal, but it does stress out the tree make the tree look terrible. I work for the a city forestry department and what we do is trim around the tree to get better air circulation. You can use a fungicide, but the better fix is to either improve the environment or replace it with a resistant cultivar.
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