I have had this small tree for years and this year it is not yet leafing out, the leaves are kind of ferny and delicate. I will be patient and hoping it will be ok.

Our sunburst locust tree which is over twenty feet tall has some branches this year that only have a few leaves at the end of branches that are staying very small while the rest of the tree has leafed out normally.

I am wondering if this unknown problem is connected to both trees. Does anyone have experience with either one or both?

I've had both plants but haven't seen the same problem on both. The Siberian pea shrub had problems with leafhoppers. One year it suddenly didn't survive winter. Ferny leaves sounds a bit like something might be eating bits out of it? That wouldn't be leafhoppers because they don't chew.

Honeylocusts are always late to leaf out so I assume you're seeing something other than the newest leaves not having expanded yet? We had a thread yesterday about honeylocust pod gall midge. Any chance it could be that?

If you could post pics it would help.

Will try to get pictures tomorrow it is quite windy here today.

My sunburst locust is just beginning to leaf out.

Sue, I meant to ask you on the other thread -- does that "honeylocust pod gall midge" affect other types of locust trees, then? (or maybe a sunburst locust actually IS a type of honeylocust?) Any idea what the range is of that insect?

Sunburst is a honeylocust. I'll have to look up the midge's range and post back. I've not seen the midge here.

Weedwhacker said:Any idea what the range is of that insect?

Just getting back to this, all I've found so far is that it is native to North America and originated in the east. I may have more info in one of my books, I'll post back if I find anything

http://oregonstate.edu/dept/nu...

I've been searching the internet without much luck as far as where it is actually found (or not found); maybe that means it is pretty much everywhere in N. America?

I gave up looking on the web and didn't find it in the first couple of my books I looked at but then Whitney Cranshaw's Garden Insects of North America said throughout North America in association with its host (honeylocust) or words to that effect. Perhaps that's why it's hard to find a range quoted, if it's potentially everywhere! This is the book that came up trumps. Awesome book, especially for the price.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/...

That looks like a great reference book, Sue -- thanks!

We finally realized what is wrong with our sunburst locust tree, it has a bad crack which is making a large portion of the tree die off. We are going to prune out the failing branches to see if we can save the healthy portion of the tree. We will trim back the healthy branches to hopefully eliminate more breakage from wind. This tree takes pruning well as we have pruned it many times with no problems.

Our weeping walker Siberian pea tree is dead and will be remove, unsure if we will find a replacement or plant something else in it's place.