Are you talking about the lichens growing on them, or the wounds? Are the wounds on the East side of the trees? Do you get ground freeze in the winter? Putting general location in your profile would help here! Trees in cold climates are prone to sun scald in late winter where the sun warms the trees, gets the sap flowing, then sudden return to freezing weather traps the sap in the trunk, splitting the cambium. First wound looks like trauma caused by tree being hit with something.
Lg I live in central Al. And the trees did not go dormant before the first freeze last year.
Dh probably hit the trunk with the mower and weed eater.
Some of the branches are soft and the rest are dying fast.
The bottom of one tree is pretty bad but the upper of the other is cracked very bad. I did not see these cracks a couple weeks ago. So not sure what's happened.
Sharron, there is certainly no reason not to down size as we get older. Sooner or later, I will also have to do so, and when I do, flower beds will be the first to either go, or be repurposed. Perhaps i will down size the veggie garden, and repurpose flower beds to grow edible ornamentals. Have you considered doing deep mulch in both flower and veggie gardens, and even moving your beloved iris into the garden? Ruth Stout often grew iris right in with her potatoes in a deep hay mulch.