Marianne's Response

What is killing my wine and roses bushes?

Hi Marriane, I saw you on YouTube with a sick ivy topiary, and I am hoping you can help be find out why my wine and roses bushes are dying? It’s like they are drying branch by brach, but they are getting a lot of water and I added fertilizer. Appreciate your help.

Posted by Cheryl CimilucaMi on May 29, 2024

Marianne's Response

Thanks for watching me on You Tube and I think I can help. I am going to assume when you say "wine and rose bushes" you mean a weigela shrub called wine and roses. This is a shrub that loses it leaves in the winter and then comes back to life in the spring. If the image you sent is of the new foliage that sprouted this spring than I suspect a fungal or bacteria infection. This usually happens if the shrub is getting too much water and has poor drainage. If the shrub is getting a lot of water than I suspect it is drowning. Most shrubs do not need additional water in the spring when the ground is still full of winter moisture.  I suggest you snip off all the dead and dying branches and then dig the shrub from the ground. Are the roots sitting in a damp spot? When you remove the plant from the planting hole do you see that roots are brown and rotting? If so, your only hope is to replant in a new location that gets good drainage. You might even want to pot it up into potting soil as the drainage will be better. No need to fertilize a plant that is struggling. Too much fertilizer can actually harm a plant by burning the foliage. If you do lose all your weigela in this area do not replant with more of the same type of shrub.  Even if poor drainage is not the problem, the leaf damage could be anthracnose. This is a blight that cannot be cured so switching to a different type of shrub is the practical thing to do. If you send your planting zone info and how much sun the area receives and how much room you have I would be happy to recommend some alternative plants that would be more disease resistant. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti