i dont have this culitvar ... but i had one die back to the ground a couple years in a row.. before it really got going ... why did they look good for only part of the summer???? .. perhaps your watering wasnt the best it could be ... ken

Morz8 is right on with his recommendations. I will expand the description a little: Prolonged drought weakens plants and often results in the appearance of fungal cankers on the branches of older azaleas. Look for branches that wilt in hot, dry weather in late summer and be sure to water azaleas if drought drags on more than a few weeks. Prune out the affected branches to stop the spread of fungal canker diseases. Azalea Dieback is caused by the fungus Phomopsis rhododendri. Typically, dying branches (stem dieback) begin to appear on an otherwise healthy plant. The leaves die and can remain attached to the plant until late summer. Usually a single branch on an established plant is affected. Scraping away the bark with a knife reveals discolored wood under the bark that appears chocolate brown. Dieback is difficult to control on azaleas in the landscape. The azalea varieties that are the least susceptible include: 'Delaware Valley White,' 'Hershey Red,' 'Pink Gumpo' and 'Snow.' Reduce stress to the plants by planting in partial shade and watering during dry periods. Avoid wounding the plant. Prune infected branches well below all discolored wood and dispose of dead plant material. Clean pruning tools between cuts with a dilute solution of household bleach (1 part bleach to 9 parts water). Borers are easy to diagnose. The dead branch is hollow near where it meets the live branch. Bark split is easy to see if you look in the right place. It is usually near where the plant comes out of the ground and usually affects one the entire plant or an entire branch from the ground up. A fifth cause is the normal natural trimming a plant does of interior branches that don't receive enough light.

They will probably dry out and snap off. Once it is obvious which tips are dead a proper sharp pruning cut has to be 1% better. i can't imagine doing that for a grown tree though. Think of the time involved! i have a paperbark maple that suffers a bit every year. As much as I like it, I can't see that tree having a long life. Honestly same with this Acer palmatum purple ghost. We'll see if a more protected area helps it out. Otherwise I am going tontell them its a zone 7 tree lol. they look great in the botanical garden though 20 miles from my house. must be a different microclimate in the city lol.

Jeannie, check around the base of the plant. Look at the stems where they enter the soil and look for minute damage. Maybe shine a flashlight down under the plant at the base of the stems for a good close look. Sometimes chewing insects will feed right at the soil line, often at night and we don't notice them or the damage until the plant begins to react. If something has chewed around the base of the stem, the stem can't take up moisture, quickly wilts and dies. The brown stem looks like it also has a bit of powdery mildew or some type of fungus growth. This might be because the stem was under stress already and weakened, allowing this to quickly take hold or it may have taken hold after the stem died. This is just a guess but for a stem to die this quickly, while other parts of the plant look healthy, this is what I'd look for. If you can't see anything unusual, try sprinkling a bit of white flour on the soil around the plant right next to the stems and see if that allows you to spot anything suspicious the next morning. :-) Good luck. Mary