:-) Ken By the time you posted your pruning rant, I had already pruned it out! I wasn't avoiding doing so, but rather wanted to understand it first. From what I could tell online, root rot could show up on certain areas of the plant and then eventually spread to the whole plant. The same thing could also happen with other diseases/pests. But, as it turns out, I think it may merely be drought. While our winter was exceptionally mild, we still had plenty of below freezing temps, without the usual snow cover, and I live in an area which sees high winds. I read the plant will become dessicated but since the ground is frozen, it won't be able to draw water. In such a situation it is common for the plant to sacrifice one branch to save the rest of the plant. Upon further inspection, this was all coming from one main branch. I inspected for any sign of bugs, and there were none on the outside, or under the bark when I scraped it back. I also didn't see any of the darkening of the wood tissue near the soil line which would suggest root rot. My only fear now is that I pruned so close to the ground that it will not send out shoots in that area. But better a lopsided plant than a totally dead plant. wieslaw - thanks for the advice about applying the nematodes. I will try that. I don't think that problem is too severe, but I would like to keep it from getting too severe. My first worry now always seems to be "fungus" because we've had some big problems. A few years back we laid some new sod and there was SOMETHING in it... either a fungus or a grub (although we saw no grubs/bugs) and one roll started dying at a corner and it spread throughout the entire lawn (close to an acre) very rapidly. We lost everything. Then this past fall we were growing grass from seed in a relatively small area. I laid down bags of top soil and seeded... it came up quickly, lush and green. It then rapidly was overtaken by some sort of fungus and all died (but the death did not spread beyond the boundaries of the new soil, so it was something in the soil.)

This kind of die-back is typically seen during a dry winter. It seems to be winter drought damage. Plants even need to be watered during winter if the ground thaws out and is very dry. A very dry winter with cold winds and winter sun can cause this die-back. It can also happen during summer drought. Another problem is fertilizing during the summer or fall. This causes new growth to go into winter without hardening off. Never fertilize after June. I recommend, if you fertilize at all, do it around bloom time with a good product like HollyTone and at only half the rate on the package. Also, only once a year.

Nematodes work very well, provided you select the appropriate species and apply them at the right time. Actually, now into September/early October is the best time to utilize beneficial nematodes for larval control. It is the proper time in the life cycle of the weevils as well as affording the ideal soil temperatures for the nematodes to flourish. Applying in late spring or early summer, the soil temperature is too cold or the larvae not present in the proper instar stage. Water the soil well before application and drench the root zone of any suspected host plants. Control of root weevils is always going to a be a two-pronged attack. You must capture/trap/kill the adults as well as treat for the larvae. Doing one without the other is a waste of time and often money (nematodes are not cheap). And it is not a one time shot method. You must repeat the process for several seasons to get effective control and then periodically thereafter. Root weevils will always be a fact of PNW gardening life. But in the vast majority of cases, the bulk of their damage and effect on plants is only cosmetic.

Down south here in the San Francisco Bay Area, I find that of the plants mentioned so far, only Heuchera are really susceptable to the grubs. It seems that they are much more prone in clay loam soils than in sandier soils, and I suspect that the Heucheras are somewhat stressed by my growing conditions, and would also prefer sandier, faster draining soils. The other problem plant types for me with weevils are Aeoniums and especially Echeverias. It pains me to catch them too late, when the weevils are alreay so far up the stems of these succulents, that there is no saving the plant. Again, it seems mainly linked to my stressing the plant by too much/too little water and a soil mix in long term containers that have not been refreshed often enough. So I would suspect that weevils further north are also a sign of not enough attention to what your plants prefer for healthiest growth. Not a lecture, just a personal observation. This is really emphasized for me when I talk to other gardeners locally with the same plants, and they never are troubled with weevils... Could it be just deserts for living in Berkeley?