It goes by half a dozen names, hopefully you'll recognize the shrub I'm talking about. I bought three in the spring to plant in my front garden, to replace the ugly and overgrown boxwood that I had removed. They didn't do much (I didn't expect them to) for most of the summer. I seem to remember a couple putting out a couple of new shoots, but there was nothing dramatic happening at all. Then just within the last month or so, it seems that two of them are dying! They've all been cared for the same way, none of the other plants that I planted around the same time, and in proximity to these shrubs, are having issues, and as I mentioned, one of them seems to be doing fine. At first I thought they might be losing some of their leaves just because the season is beginning to change, but again, comparing it to the one that is the most healthy, that one isn't doing that. So I guess the other two really are dying. I'm upset, and very much out of my depth here. Could I have caused this? Are they really dying? And if so, what do I do? Here's a wide view of all three lined up. The one on the left, and the middle one, are the ones that appear to be dying. Look at this! How sad. This is the one on the far right. It's the only one that seems to be healthy and thriving.
No to both your questions. It's a very quiet and small subdivision. Folks walk their pets on-leash, and I've never seen a dog loose anywhere. And I've inspected the plants very closely and can't find a THING on them. What I didn't mention (and I don't know if it matters,) is the middle one started losing its leaves and turning brown first. I pinched off the brown bits thinking to conserve some of its energy, which is why it doesn't look as brown as the other one. If it will help, I can take a close up of the plants in case there's any chance I might have missed some minuscule bug or fungus just because I'm not particularly educated in plant care. Honestly I don't think I did, but if you think it will help, I'll be happy to.
I guess what I'm trying to determine is there any hope for those two shrubs that look so bad. Or should I just dig those two up and start over?
Since they aren't completely dead, I'd give them a chance. Maybe cut away the dead and dying stuff and see if it puts on new growth or not... or at least stop dying off.
Netty, how would I know if they do? I can't see any bugs of any kind on them, no creepy crawlies, no webby things, powdery stuff, nothing! And I still can't figure out how come two of them appear to be dying, where as the 3rd one is healthy as can be, putting out new shoots, seems completely fine!
Too wet? How often do you water? Also, are they in sun or shade? Looks like a shade-y area... don't these like some sun?
Cal, they're in part sun (afternoon sun) and according to the very thorough research I did, this plant thrives in the exact kind of sun/shade conditions in which I have them. And again, there is one that is doing very well. And mostly I don't water, because this is Tennessee and we get enough rainfall that watering is mostly unnecessary. I water my container plants most days that it doesn't rain, but not the garden. And when I need to, I have a soaker hose set up so that I don't drench any of the plants. I've just come in from outside where I've taken photos of everything on the bushes that looks anomalous in some way. There isn't much. There was definitely nothing moving, nothing crawling on them. I even borrowed Lee's glasses which are stronger than mine, for a very close look! A few of the leaves have these kinds of spots. See the little brown bumps at the base of each leaf stem? They don't move, they seem to be a part of the plant, I didn't really think they were anything, but figured I'd let you take a look just in case. I found a webby thing! On one plant only, the healthier one, and only on one tiny section. Here are a couple of different views....it's really difficult to photograph.
I think the bumps are leaf/branch nodes. My plants have the same bumps and are very healthy. P9060008 by tsebmj, on Flickr
John, you have the same plant? Yeah, I figured those bumps were just part of the plant. They've both gotten worse since I took the pictures. One is definitely done for....even the stalks are turning crispy. The other one seems to have halted its decline, but I'm not sure if will survive the winter in its weakened state. I talked to the store I bought them from. They said if I bring the dead ones back, I can get a refund, or a store credit. Now I just need to find the receipt. Unfortunately Lee was with me when we were shopping for these, so he's the one who paid and who got the receipt handed to him. The upside is that he never throws anything away. So I know he has it. But the downside is that he never throws anything away. So the amount of crap I'm going to have to wade through to find it is monumental.
Ronni, I've seen plants look like that before. Did a quick google search and found this http://www.ct.gov/caes/lib/caes/doc...lems_of_rhododendron_and_azalea_03-11-11r.pdf. Fungal problems can affect a variety of plants. But I think that fungal problem is only part of it. The leaves in one picture are droopy and looking like they aren't getting water. I lost a rhodie to some sort of root nematode/bug that had similar signs before kicking the bucket. I'll see if I can find out what it was. In either case you might want to take care before planting another plant in the same location. it might not hurt to take some precautions so it doesn't spread to the other plants. Here is another site with the common problems that I found http://www.gardenguides.com/98868-disease-pieris-japonica.html maybe more research on the nematodes from what I gather on this site.
Hey Jewell, thanks so much for the links! I don't have a lot of time this morning to study them as thoroughly as I want to, but went to both sites just to get an idea of what's there. Very informative and I'll be devouring them tonight, when I have more time. Yeah, I know what you mean about the droopy leaves, but it got the same amount of water as the healthy plant which did fine. That's part of what's so confusing...one of the shrubs remains completely unaffected and is growing well. You make a good point about taking care before planting another plant in that same location. Yes, of course you're right.
