Timing would suggest cold damage. Zone 6 is on the edge for fall planting. Pieris, like other heath family plants are also susceptible to phytophthora root rot. Part of the top turning brown is a typical early result of an infestation.

Yes the upper leaves did look like new growth. Well they were a lighter green, and assumed they were new growth. The brown leaves like I said have not fallen off the bush. Thanks for the reply. I guess I will just leave it alone and see what happens??? I dont have anything else in the area other then reseeding annuals.....

Indeed, fall planting is not the best time of the year for Pierises in z6.
You could help it to survive its first winter by heavily mulching around the base and spraying by Wilt-Pruf.

Do you happen to know what cultivar it is?
Some cultivars have brown-ish or bronzy stage for the new growth which could be the case, though new growth appeared at this time of the year still have no chance to survive winter.
Eventhough, such immediate reaction to first cold snap (what, mid-20's for couple of days?) is kind of puzzling.
Leaves on ericaceous plants don't die overnight.

mmmm so now I think I know why they had it marked down???? Wrong time of year to be planting it..... Well its called white cascade. Its supposed to have longer white flowers then whats usual for the species. Well so I was told. The cold snap was in the mid-teens for a couple of days. bboy mentioning root rot has me worried. I really like how this shrub is shaped, and would love to keep it.....

Forget the wilt pruf... Mulch it 3" heavy, then call it done. And any other of the browned top that the stems have died also on, cut off just below this distinguishable place on each stem.

You got hit with a cold snap that damaged any non-hardened off growth.

Dax

I got some advice from the owner of Stringer Nursery in Tulsa, yesterday when I wanted to purchase some of their active dry peat moss for a bed I want to make for transplanting my dormant Japanese Stewatia tree.

The Owner told me that the current advice for planting Rododendrons, Camellias, and Japanese Stewartia trees is to mix shredded pine mulch into the top six inches of slightly sandy clay soil. Even though the Rodos, Cames, and J. Stewatias are acid loving plants like Azaleas, which need the wetter peat moss beds, they need a better draining acidic bed of pine mulch mixed into the virgin soil.

Wonder if such advice is also true with you pieris japonica?

What kind of soil is in your P. Japonica's bed?

I hope you are right dax. Then there is a chance to save it. As far as the soil its growing in a sandy loam with alot of natural leaf mold mixed in. But I could try the pine needles. I have plenty of pines around here.......

Depends on what, exactly the problem is with your shrub.

When amending special areas make them big enough to provide a full root run for the type of plant. Do not plant in small pockets, patches or strips of amended soil with unamended soil close by. The surrounding, unamended soil may weep water into the amended zone during wet conditions and wick it away during dry.

Amending for permanent plantings (trees and shrubs) has the additional problem of the amendments decomposing before the life of the planting is over. Installing more suitable soil on top of the existing soil, as a mound, berm or raised bed avoids the textural problems of an existing soil that is too heavy (clay-like) or coarse and dry (sandy).

Where digging in peat to acidify a soil and cause trace elements to be released it may be more to the point to treat the soil chemically. This will not help with drainage problems or lack of aeration, of course.

Acidifying your native soil with peat moss or bark is a waste of both your time and your money. You will never make your native soil noticeably more acidic long enough to please a shrub or tree without using significant quantities of chemicals such as sulphur and, for quick hit, sulphuric acid. Alkaline soil has remained alkaline despite hundreds and probably many thousands of years of rainfall (rain is acidic), nothing you do with a bit of peat is going to change that. If you add enough peat to keep the soil acid for a number of years, you will create a soil that compacts, remains either too dry or too wet, and eventually collapses. Peat is not suitable as a major component of a garden soil unless you are creating a bog garden. Plan on providing regular mulches of bark, ideally shredded or partially composted, or other composted material, every year or even every six months. This will create a constant supply of nutrients that would otherwise become unavailable to the plant in alkaline conditions.

Bark, any species, has been recommended for all ericaceous plants both for improving soil structure and for innoculating beneficial fungi against the phytopthera that causes root rots, but don't consider it a cure-all for poor drainage. Bark is a good soil component for ericaceous plants in containers but plan to replace or refresh the soil every few years since all organic components of the soil will break down. Almost all container soils will be based on peat but you should of course select one intended for ericaceous plants since non-ericaceous potting soils have added limestone to make the pH near neutral.

In one Oklahoma study peat dug into a soil had disappeared completely only a year later. The formation of peat is the result of cold, airless, wet, acidic conditions. A dryish, alkaline soil in a hot climate is about the opposite of suitable conditions for peat.

Rhododendrons have been observed growing natively on limestone formations in western China. It's expected the moist mat of moss, roots and organic debris on top of the limestone is heavily leached by copious summer rainfall.

I agree with the study Bboy mentioned. That is the very reason why in OK, new peat beds built for azaleas need to be refreshed, with an added layer of pine bark that is topped with fresh peat and then top-mulched with pine bark, each spring. Of course Rhodendrons might need better drainage than such raised beds will provide.

Two days ago, I moved my dormant Japanese Stewartia to an area which is fairly sandy on top of a heavy clay hardpan base only about 18 inches down. The about 6 inch thick layer of builder's sand is on top of the clay, and there was about 5 inches of fairly good loamy soil on top of the sand. Since the top soil contained such a low percentage of clay, I simply removed the grass, and mixed pine bark mulch in the top 5 to 6 inches of soil. after transplanting the tree, high, in this new bed, I covered it again with pine bark mulch.
This bed I created is almost 6 feet by 6 feet in area. Hopefully the roots of that tree will finally get the chance to establish well.

Since the virgin soil of the area is slightly acidic rather than alkaline, I am hopeing that maintaining the acidi level needed, can be expected by properly bark mulching each spring, and if need be, also in the fall.

Pieris japonica need; moist, organic, cool, well drained, acidic soil in planting bed and prefers partial shade but adjusts to full sun in some areas.

Needs to be postioned away from harsh winter winds.

Is your shrub provided with all these above listed elements in it's planting area? If so, consider the following:

Leaves which turn brown but do not fall usually indicate root stress from poorly draining soils; or if the stems also seem damaged, young growth that dies from temps which dropped below freezing before that vigorous new growth has had the chance to harden off.

I think hes planted in the right conditions. The soil is sandy loam. We are the first to live on our property. Well we think anyways. We has to clear woods to put or house in. When I raked for the first time (which was last year) I know we raked a good 4 inches of leaves up. There was alot of leaf mold underneath which I did my best to rake into the soil with a metal rake. Havent completed all of it yet. Just the areas I have planted. I have an endless amount of pine needles I can obtain cause there are many loblolly pines growing on this property. But I am starting to think it is cold damamge. I have been observing the plant daily, and see no other signs of stress. The leaves still havent fallen off. Should I just cut them off???? Oh I forgot to mention that yes he is growing in partial shade, and he has wind protection cause I planted him next to a crude rock retaining wall we built. Right now he has a nice layer of oak leaves around him, but I can add pine needles if its needed. Thanks.....

Yes your soil does seem to have a good layer of organic humus.

Most everything you described suggests that the soil does drain well; until, you mentioned that the shrub is planted along a crude rock retaining wall. What happens to the runoff which comes off the top of the ledge on the other side of your retaining wall? Also how much water which filtrates down through the sandy loam soil, which rises up behind your retaining wall, flows through the crude rock retaining wall and onto your P J's planting bed?

Even if your soil drains well, an excessive duration of runoff or filtered through water would stress your shrub.

Could have come with root rot from the nursery, which then manifested itself at your place. Part of the top dying and then hanging there is classic root rot. There are also water molds (Phytophthora etc.) that rot the stems. And recently important P. ramorum (sudden oak death) may attack the leaves directly.

I planted one in the afternoon hot sun and I didn't show signs of major distress until the second year, I totally expected to see the sun stress but I didn't have the right spot when planted. Now, it is on the East wall of my home with Mid Morning until 1:00 sun. I married it off to a pieris japonica Valentine he will be very happy this spring when she put out all those dainty hot pink blooms. I am sure they will be mating, I will be watching them on my web cam.