Defoliated Trees and Shrubs

[JaneG]

After a 2-week battle with Japanese beetles, I finally had the professionals come in and spray my trees/shrubs. The beetles are now gone, but the devastation was already done.

I only have one rose and it's a big hardy one. I cut back the damaged parts (most of the plant) and it seems to be recovering.

My question is what about the trees? I have 2 flowering crab, a purple plum and a good-sized birch that have lost well more than half their leaves. Without their leaves they can't "breathe". Is there anything I can do now to help them make it through the rest of this year so they will be strong enough to come back next year? I really don't want to lose the birch.

Should I give them extra water? Should I fertilize, or perhaps NOT fertilize? Or do I just cross my fingers and wait?

(Why oh why can't those darn jap beetles feast on the silver maples? There's plenty of them and I wouldn't mind losing one or two!!)

[Tigger]

This is the worst year i can remember for the Japanese beetles around here as well. Lots of the purple plums have been decimated. As much as I love canna lilies, they're hardly worth it when the blossoms are so attractive to being devoured.

Should we import some japanese bird that eats japanese beetles? (just kidding. maybe we could train the starlings that are already here.)