Problem shrub on NE corner of our lot. A viburnum? Came with the house & has been ok for about 8 years. Some branches went bare last summer after pruning. Great this year until about a month ago -- areas of leaves turning red, then dry & brown. Could it be verticillium wilt? Get rid of the shrub? OK to plant a different kind of shrub in the same spot? Thanks!
Daves garden is having problems with pictures, but see if you can post some more.
Close up of healthy leaves, then some just starting to look poor, and some closer to dead. Also, get pictures of the branches that are dying, especially the junction between healthy and sick.
Trying to add photos.
Are the branches breaking after they die back?
Or is something breaking the branches?
They're not breaking. I pruned some branches that looked dead/diseased.
Well, there are a few possibilities.
1) A bug is chewing or tunneling its way around the branch. Beyond the damaged area the branch dies. If you cut it where the damage is happening you might actually see the damage, perhaps right under the bark.
2) A plant disease that tends to attack just a few branches at a time. Often there will be a sunken area on the branch where the disease entered the plant. Sometimes the disease will turn the wood brown or some other color. Most healthy young wood is creamy white. Cut into a healthy branch to confirm this, then cut into the diseased branch. A clean cut with sharp pruning shears is best. Part of the wood might be tan or other color, or the whole cross section might be colored.
Either way you will want to identify the location where the damaged branches start, and below this point is healthy wood.
Thanks!
