Leaves shriveling on my dogwood... help!

I'm in the mid-Atlantic zone, 6B/7A. This is a lovely dogwood with leaves that are starting to shrivel up. It's an otherwise healthy-looking tree. We've had an unusually wet May and June and this dogwood sits in a bit of a depression where water pools; for this reason I've assumed that it's gotten plenty of water.

However, as you can see in the photos, the leaves are shriveling up. What is this? It hasn't been that hot -- we've gotten up into the last week or so but no hot summer humidity yet. What can I do to help my tree?

betsy_VA

It's probably Anthracnose - common on Cornus Florida. Just Google Dogwood tree diseases. You will get more than you ever wanted to know. Powdery Mildew is also very common. I don't do anything where I live, but there are spraying regimens if you are dedicated. It just looks nasty.

I've got terrible powdery mildew on my Cornus florida "Cherokee Chief". It's about as bad as its ever been. The tree is 20 years old. While it looks awful, it will be OK. It's too big for me to spray and a spray isn't really necessary other than for appearances sake. My deciduous azaleas are taking it on the chin too with the same thing. I have treated those. A bad case of powdery mildew on deciduous azaleas can defoliate.

Thank you -- it looks like anthracnose. From my Googling it appears that the "spot anthracnose" is less lethal to the three than the full "dogwood anthracnose" -- I don't know which severity I have. From what I can see, only about a quarter to a third of the branches appear to have the infection. UGA kinda implies that you just leave it until it subsides or the tree dies. Anyone have any better ideas?

And thanks again!

I have many Dogwoods, and it has been my experience that few of the trees die. Do keep it watered properly, and if possible, remove the infected leaves from the soil when they drop. Do not use the leaves in the compost pile or for leaf mulch. Diseases are just a part of gardening - often they just affect the looks. We have the problem with Powdery Mildew and Anthracnose often in our heat, humidity and sporadic rains. I wish you well.
rj

I only have this addition to the recommendations above:

Take samples of your diseased foliage/branches to your county's Cooperative Extension Service, and have the problem diagnosed accurately. Many of these fungal diseases look much alike in a photograph. The Extension Service will have a detailed form for you to include with your sample, so that they have accurate data besides the lab testing of the plant parts.

As stated above, some problems are merely aesthetic nuisances; others are deadly. Some can be properly treated; others are terminal and treatments are a waste. Behavior of these diseases can be significantly different from site to site and region to region where dogwoods can grow.

You should get an identification that is positive, so that you can make a reasonable judgement on a course of action. Good trees are a worthwhile investment.

Thanks for the advice. This tree is an important one to us, as it's grown around the house and is part of our home's character. I'll get the problem diagnosed properly.

anthracnose

I found a local Master Gardener who concurs that it's anthracnose. He's giving the tree 3 years more before it will need to be removed. It's too bad -- it's a lovely tree that shades the house. We'll need to replace it, probably with a kousa.