Last fall I took a closer look at the white spots on one of the trees out front. The problem turned out to be worse than I thought: nasty critters called ‘scale’.

Given that:

1. Everything I read suggested these bugs are difficult to eradicate.
2. I hate using chemicals, and the ones used to kill these guys are tricky to apply.
3. The nursery folks I asked for advice made the chances of total eradication seem dismal.
4. My severe pruning last October seems to have killed the tree (or at least made it very unhappy), and
5. I thought of something better to plant there.

I decided to get rid of the whole tree. Today.