Climbers are slow to establish, and may not perform really well for 4 or 5 years after planting. This is true even in my mild zone 9. I would be patient and make sure the plant is well-watered in this hot summer.

Looks like summer root rot to me; a serious risk to rhododendrons in DC and environs. They can survive some kinds of rot, although more often than not the situation is hopeless. I have my own mitigation approach but it's highly specialized and I'd rather someone like Rhodyman chime in. FWIW I know a professional landscaper who refuses to plant rhododendrons in the DC area even if his clients request them. That's a landscaper's approach - someone like Don Hyatt would obviously disagree. For now just leave it alone and hope we start having more typical fall weather of highs in the mid 70s and lows in the mid 50s with little rainfall. If there's a downspout or leaky gutter near it, fix it - make sure it's not getting water from any extraneous sources.

do not believe that it is a goner yet, as long as it is not a shriveled brown stick it has a chance of survival, @ one point 2 of my habaneros were nothing more than 6" green sticks, all the leaves had fallen off and the tops were starting to wilt( problem w/ impropper drainage and too much rain, I replanted them in free draining soil in buckets w/ many drainage holes in the bottom and now they are out performing any of my other habs, as they say it aint over til the fat lady sings, and Im telling you that w/ the right soil and some tlc, there may be no arias (operatic solos) in your future. dig up the plant you think is a goner, put it in a nice free draining soil in a 3-5 pot or bucket, water lightly, and in a week and a half or so hit it w/ some low grade fertilizer, thanks to smoke and others like greenman, I have found that using a mix of bark, simple potting soil, and either pumice, turface, large chunk vermiculite or perlite, drains very freely, and keep them happy, also fish emulsion and seaweed extract, work great in combination to provide a nice balance of nutrients, and if u make it to the flowering stage, when ur peppers set, a nice calcium and magnesium supplement, will help u get nice big pods, that ripen at a good rate, now u may take this advice however u choose, but being that I am in western nc and you are in east tennesee we have nearly identical climates and growing conditions, so what works for me should work for you, best of luck to you coy, paul

Hi, I had the same problem and yes it will spread to the whole plant and all your tomatoes. It's a Fungus, and it will kill you plants very fast. Thanks to Sharon Love Joy's book Trowel & Error, I found a recipe for diluted milk that saved my plants. I used a 3:1 solution(3 parts water, 1 part milk). First I trimmed off all the affected leaves/branches ( this will make your tomatoes look like scarecrows, but it's the only way)-Dont compost the diseased foliage. Then spray with diluted milk for several days. I do it in the shade but early enough that the plants have time to dry before evening coolness sets in. My plants are saved! I cant believe it worked! BTW I live in coastal (June Gloom) CA, in case you were wondering about the plants locale. Hope it works for you, Ziggy