I also had wondered about the white spots appearing on the stems, they weren't there in the first photos. Are they lenticels or something else?
It looks like something bursting from under the skin. If my plant ever grows again I will take a good look at the stems.
What I find strange, is how did anything get planted in that spot? There's wire mesh around the trunk in a circle, but half of it has been cut off. The larger plant is in the wire free side, with a smaller one next to the tree stub. It looks like someone planted them there this year.
http://garden.org/pics/2016-05...
In August 2015 there was nothing other than the stump!
