We recently bought a place that has a dogwood in the back yard, but it does not look quite right; a little bit Jekyll and Hyde. Roughly half of the branches produce leaves that are yellow or even burnt looking with limited flower, while the other half have lush green leaves and abundant flowers.
The prior owner was very good with plants, immaculate gardens, so I initially wondered if he had grafted two different things together. As we have watched it bloom this season, I am now more convinced the tree is not fully healthy. What do the experts think?
If relevant, we are in Vancouver - west coast, a bit of a milder/cooler/wetter climate. The tree is on the north-east side of the house, but it is far enough away that it gets regular sun, mostly in the early part of the day. It is in the middle of a grass area, but has a lot of evergreens on the property roughly 30 feet away. There is a mole in the yard, but there are no mounds immediately near the tree.
Could this be a nutrient issue? Soil acidity from the evergreens? A pest at work? A fungus or something being fought off? There are other dogwoods on neighbors' properties that seem to be fully healthy. The internet gives a variety of possibilities, but I wonder if an expert can look at this and say straight away what the problem is?
Thank you!