I have lost 4 smaller azaleas this summer... my husband and I argued about whether it was lack of rain/heat or something else! I have 3 large azaleas and I am DETERMINED not to lose these. What is this??? They suddenly have blackish spots all over them, look a little droopy, and have "burnt" looking edges. They get alot of sun during the day. (The others I lost got fullfullfull sun.) Note: I also have been losing clumps of Aztec grass which are near the azaleas.

More about Lace Bugs: They are a problem on some varieties when they are planted in the sun. Spraying is seldom a satisfactory solution. Moving the plants into the shade is the best solution. There are other plants that will do well in the sun without the Lace Bug problem. Whitish specks on the upper surface of leaves and dark spots varnish-like on the bottom are symptoms of Rhododendron Lace Bugs, Stephanitis rhododendri, and Azalea Lace Bugs, Stephanitis pyrioides, small insects with transparent wings on under-surface of leaves. This insect hatches early in spring as the new foliage begins to mature and its numbers may build to damaging levels with successive generations. Lace bugs reach their peak in late summer and do their worst in sunny, exposed sites. Spiders are important predators of lace bugs and since they shy away from sunny, hot places, plant your azaleas where there is some shade. Insecticidal soap, horticultural oil, or a systemic insecticide may spare your azaleas the damage if applied in spring when the first hatchlings are noticed. Care must be taken to spray the lower surfaces of the leaves where the lace bugs live. Moving a plant to an area with more shade may alleviate the problem. Lace bugs are more prevalent on certain varieties. The following azalea cultivars have resistance to azalea lace bug: ôDawn,ô ôPink Star,ô ôEreka,ô ôCavalier,ô ôPink Fancy,ô ôDram,ô ôSeigei,ô ôMacrantha,ô ôSalmon Pink,ô ôElsie Lee,ô ôRed Wing,ô Sunglowô and ôMarilee.ô

The cardboard didn't help with maintaining a moist root area, but isn't totally responsible gor what happened, either. It's very tempting to put down something like cardboard, newspapers or landscape fabric to suppress weeds, but they really do more harm then good. Weeds grow through them and root into them and become harder to deal with in the long run. It would be best to remove the cardboard, bite the proverbial bullet and pull the weeds by hand. Once the area is reasonably weed free, it's not that big a chore to keep it that way. Declined really is a better description than died. The branches showing the most extreme drooping will not revive, but the stems themselves should be fine. Cut them back to an area showing green cambium and they should put forth new growth. There is still ample time for lots of regrowth before fall. There are some root diseases which can cause this kind of rapid collapse, but I am reasonably confident that you will find very dry root balls. Should they prove to be nicely moist, you are then dealing with a more serious condition for which there is really no cure. Fingers crossed.

You didn't water it enough or something else has resulted in the top not getting enough water. Dig it back up and look at the roots, see if you can see any indications like the potting medium being all dried out. And then re-plant either in an entire bed of organic soil either in the ground or on top of it. Or plant it in a tub of suitable acidic potting medium. Do not put it back into a small pocket only 2-3 times wider than the plant of organic soil surrounded by adobe (or whatever) - this doesn't work.