Q.dwarf pines dying
In the front of our home in madison wisconsin we have 16 dwarf pines. it seems that three have died. the needles begin to turn brown on part of the bush and begins to spread to the entire bush. then it spreads to the other pine bush one at a time. we are puzzled as to what is causing this to happen. we have already lost 5 pine bushes and the remaining bushes are showing signs of dying. What is the problem??

Certified GKH Gardening Expert
This could be a few things, actually. If the trees are young, then it could be cold damage. This is quite common. It is even more likely that the soil has a bacterial or fungal infection. If it is one that is able to be cured, then applying wettable sulfur to each will help solve the problem. If it is something that is incurable, however, then it would be best to not plant the same kind of tree in its place as it dies.