i thought it was due to having my roof spayed for moss, but that was 18mths ago, and the 3 plants are still suffering this problem of brown dead patches on leaves. flowers seem to be ok. i will add photos
Are those rhododendrons? Here is some info that should help:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/rhododendron/brown-rhododendron-leaves.htm
re virtually non-existent. What could have done this? Some leaves have survived on some areas of the plants. I am not sure whether to try and cut back further to encourage new growth or whether this will weaken the plant further. There didn’t seem to be any growth at all from early Spring until these tiny bits of leaves appeared.
The last photo looks like rose rosette disease, which is incurable. That may be what the other roses suffer from. Here is more:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/roses/rose-rosette-disease.htm
I can't tell which is the rhododendron, but here are common problems with it:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/rhododendron/issues-with-rhododendrons.htm
There is also a disease similar to rose rosette that affects many ornamentals. It is called aster yellows.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/disease/aster-yellows-disease.htm
I have one Rhdodendron that has brownish tips on the leaves and looks like something is eating some leaves. It blooms in the spring but does not look healthy after blooming.
Once established in soil with no nutrient deficiencies, rhododendrons usually can obtain sufficient nutrients for growth and flowering from the organic matter added to the planting hole and from the decaying 3-4" of mulch on the soil surface. A fertilizer ratio of around 6-2-1 applied at 2 pounds per 100 square feet to the soil surface is usually adequate. Holly-tone and cottonseed meal are also good fertilizers. But do not fertilize during hot summers or when the application date is less than three months before your average date of first frost. For Selah, the average date of first frost falls around the 1st-2nd week of October so stop fertilizing around the 1st-2nd week of July. Fertilizing after late June in a northern climate promotes tender growth in the fall, which doesn't harden off before the first frosts of winter. Continue researching why it "does not look healthy": not enough water; too much water; too much direct sunlight, etc.
There’s 10 years I moved to my house, and two huge evergreen rhododendrons (that are becoming a pain to to trim) siding the front door only produced 1 flower each, in May of 2017 as the photo shows, weirdly at the same time and in the same position in the round, 7-8 feet tall plants. What are they missing? Something in the soil, lack of sunlight? They seem to be thriving as is, they grow too fast already. The whole front yard is shaded by large trees, there’s very little sun getting through in the afternoon.
All rhododendrons and azaleas will grow well in light shade. Most rhododendrons including the Carolina rhododendron will bloom more abundantly in full sun if the soil is kept moist, but sunscald and winter desiccation problems may cause foliage and bud problems. More sun stimulates flowering and but may trigger lace bug infestations. In hot climates or in windy places partial shade is usually mandatory. Also, full sunlight tends to bleach the flowers. In cold climates, most rhododendrons do better on the north side of a building or on a northwest slope where they receive summer sun but protection from the winter sun. All rhododendrons and azaleas need some sun for best flowering but in general require partial shade. These requirements vary between varieties and also vary in different climatic zones. Re blooming… this could be a failure to set flower buds or failure to open the flower buds. Failure to set flower buds may be a sign of too much health and vigor in a plant. One solution my be to prune the roots by cutting around the plant with a spade or moving the plant. This will check foliage growth and encourage production of flower buds. Application of nitrogen rich fertilizers is the main cause of vigor which suppresses flower bud production. Deadheading flowers as soon as they wilt can promote flower bud production. Too much shade, a cool wet summer, or inadequate phosphorus or potassium in the soil may also suppress flower bud production. There are a number of other reasons for a lack of flowers. The effect of each variable depends upon the variety of the plant: pruning after they produced flower buds a few weeks after they stop opening blooms in spring; some rhododendrons that come from the seed of a hybrid plant will look good but will never produce flowers or will produce very poor flowers; cold weather killed the buds (the buds turn brown); some rhododendrons need full sun to bloom and others can take fairly dense shade; more shade produces tall spindly foliage and less flowers. You can usually tell when the plant has ever bloomed. A rhododendron that has bloomed will have the seed pods on it unless it has been dead-headed. If dead-headed too late after blooming, new flower buds can be damaged.
Rhododendron is in front of house facing east. It has decorative rocks around base with a thick plastic under that and soil under that. We had a few extremely hot days which turned many leaves brown . It has some new growth but the new green leaves are also wilting.
Besides giving it supplemental water during those times and pruning out dead growth, there is not much to be done. Caring for it as usual is the best way forward.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/rhododendron/brown-rhododendron-leaves.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/rhododendron
I've noticed the two bushes in the front garden still have the heads on them. Should they be dead-headed? We've never done in past, and they have flowered OK in late Spring
They tend to do better when you deadhead them. Usually, maintenance pruning will help the overall vigor of the shrub. This is done during dormancy. Just remove all of the dead flower clusters and dead growth overall.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/rhododendron/pruning-rhododendrons.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/rhododendron/rhododendron-care.htm