Prunus cerasifera (Cherry plum) dying leaves

Hi all. First post on here as I’m hoping someone might be able to offer advice. I’ve got 2 large Cherry Plum trees in my garden (I think!), both next to each other and both about 10m tall, so quite old. Both have quite a lot of ivy over the trunks but the branches are free. I’ve read ivy shouldn’t cause a problem as it is.

This year the blossom was rather restricted. Now lots of the leaves are going dry and brown. Looking very sorry for themselves. What could be the issue? What are the solutions?

 

Thanks for the reply. Water, or lack of, is a possibility. The trees are against a fence, next to a neighbours out building and are fairly sheltered. As a start I shall give the ground a drenching over several days to see if it helps any. Can’t hurt although I’d expect the roots of such established trees to be pretty deep.

 

My thoughts too, viz., drying out.
Pilsburypie, water well for a few days then apply as thick a mulch as possible
On my light sandy loam I find mulching thickly, even my lawns, helps conserve an awful lot of water.