Pink and orange, you can’t miss them right now.  The neighborhoods are filled with Kwanzan Flowering Cherry Trees, bursting with blossoms.  The flowers are a pure pink and the new leaves emerge bronzy-orange colored,  making this an eye-catching color combination.  Kwanzan blooms after Mt. Fuji, whose leaves are starting to take over the lovely white flowers.  Unfortunately, Kwanzan is susceptible to fungal diseases, such as brown rot, causing leaves to brown and hang on the tree.  Brown rot attacks the blooms in a wet spring, and the flowers later infect the leaves and twigs.  The indicator are the brown dead leaves which hang on the tree all summer and winter.  I’ve seen them in my neighborhood, and when half the tree is covered in dead leaves, it’s a sad sight.  Management of this problem includes good leaf clean-up, pruning out infected twigs and leaves mid-summer and fall, avoidance of overhead watering, improving air circulation and planting in full sun.  Also, stressed trees are more susceptible to disease.  This could be from loss of roots, girdling roots, drought, excessive pruning and hot temperatures.  So take it easy on those trees and keep them stress free!