I live in Pinckney, Michigan and we all know what a tough winter we had. I noticed a lot of the flowering trees, i.e. forsythias, did not have much color to them this spring. I am concerned about my weeping cherry and wondering if it has a chance to come back. Should I prune what is dead looking? It did not flower at all and has a few leaves, so I am hopeful.
I would wait awhile, give it time to launch as many leaves as possible. Then you can go ahead and prune, especially cutting out the dead material. Start at the tips of the branches, bending them to see if they are pliable, or crispy. Crispy means dead, so cut back to where the live tissue starts. This article has information on pruning: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/weeping-cherry/pruning-weeping-cherry.htm
I bought a weeping cherry tree last summer. I see that my neighbors have weights on their limbs. My tree is growing straight up. Do I need to put weights on the limbs to make them grow down? If not, what do I need to do?
You shouldn't need to, as this is the normal growth habit of the tree. It could be that your tree is grafted and may be in need of pruning to get it to start 'weeping' downward. This article should help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/weeping-cherry/pruning-weeping-cherry.htm
My weeping cherry is 3 yrs. old. It bloomed beautifully the last 2 yrs. but this year it didn't bloom at all and there are only sparse leaves on 1/2 the tree. We live in northern Ohio, just south of Cleveland and had a terrible winter w/ wind chills -40 at times. The branches on the 1/2 of the tree w/o leaves are still viable ( not dry or brittle) but the buds are not developing. Is this frost/freeze damage? What, if anything, can I do to save the tree?
Yes, in all probability, your tree is suffering from winter damage. A late freeze could have killed the buds on the less protected part of the tree. TLC and some pruning should help your tree recover, although sometimes it takes 2 or 3 years to get back where it was before the freeze. Here are a couple of articles on care and pruning: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/weeping-cherry/weeping-cherry-growing-tips.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/weeping-cherry/pruning-weeping-cherry.htm
My partner just took me to task because I bought a weeping cherry and he says it's messy, bug prone and, in general, a bad choice. Is he correct? And should I just 86 the tree and find a weeping willow?
To begin, here's an article on weeping cherry: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/babys-breath/growing-babys-breath-flowers.htm
I don't think they are particularly messy (except when they drop petals,) or insect prone, but your partner may have had a bad experience with one -- there are many different varieties. You would want to make sure the cultivar you have is suited to your site in terms of mature size and hardiness.
However, in the interest of domestic tranquility, there are lots of other ornamental small trees that you could use. I suggest you consult with the local Extension Service -- they can advise you on both the weeping cherry, and on other possible trees. This link will help you locate the nearest E.S. office: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/extension-search/
After planting my Cheal's weeping cherry, the branches are touching the floor.
Sound like it' time to prune. This article will walk you through it: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/weeping-cherry/pruning-weeping-cherry.htm
Don't know what happened. Branches are growing up and the tree now has cherries.
Your weeping cherry was probably grafted onto a stronger rootstock. This is what is producing the upright branches, and also the cherries. It's possible that cold weather damaged the more delicate weeping cherry. You can prune out the fruiting branches, as explained in this article: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/weeping-cherry/pruning-weeping-cherry.htm
Hopefully, some of the weeping cherry is still viable.
I recently repotted my weeping cherry tree seedling. It's only a foot tall, and I thought it was dying, so repotted it in hopes that that would help. Well, it did and now it has blossoms on the branches. Is this normal?
Plants that are under extreme stress will often react with producing flowers -- sort of a "hail mary," from the plant's point of view. Also, your tree is a toddler, and young plants often do things older ones wouldn't. So, not too unusual. I hope you'll be able to correct the conditions that led to the tree's losing all its leaves -- most likely, not enough water. Here are 2 articles that should be useful, one on weeping cherry, and one on growing trees in containers.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/weeping-cherry/weeping-cherry-growing-tips.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/containers/how-to-grow-container-trees.htm