This thing was strangled by grapevines. I mean demolished. It is trying to make a comeback after I liberated it, but its fate is yet unknown.

The bonus question is this. Once I identify it, how can I help it come back?

It has a bluish white mold (or fungus) on many of the branches (including the main ones that come up from the ground which I can't cut off without cutting down the whole thing. You can see it in the pictures). And a lot of them have no leaves although don't look completely dead. Although I think it is doing better than it was last year nonetheless, I'd like to try to give it some help.

Thanks for any tips!

The "mold or fungus" that I see in the photo looks more like lichen. It won't hurt anything.

As for the tree/shrub, I can't help. Does it have thorns? If it wasn't in the NE I would have suggested a citrus.

KellyFW said:The "mold or fungus" that I see in the photo looks more like lichen. It won't hurt anything.

As for the tree/shrub, I can't help. Does it have thorns? If it wasn't in the NE I would have suggested a citrus.

Thank you. No thorns, no fruit. Just flowers when healthy.

My sister identifies it as a Mountain Laurel, and she is about 80% accurate on these things. But there's still that 20% darnit!

Could it be a magnolia?

I agree with Mountain Laurel - Kalmia latifolia - but PlantlyChallenged is leaving us informationally challenged.

Give us more than one picture! Step back and show the whole plant, and then take interminable closeup images of all the plant's parts - including the growth you didn't recognize as lichen.

One view often isn't enough, and certainly won't aid in offering quality advice on cultural treatments.