Where in the United States are you? That information might help narrow the number of insect species down from the some 8,000,000 that are identified today.

I am based in Durham, NC. Also attaching a top view of the same bug. They range in length anywhere from a couple of mms to up to 1 to 1.5 cm (or 1/16 of an inch to almost 1/2 inch or less). Thanks for checking!

crikey

roly poly..

and i am of the opinion that they diod not kill anything ...

they are everywhere .. can do some minor damage .... but not kill shrubs ...

IMHO ..... something else is going on ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Thanks Ken. Upon reading more about the roly poly I came upon this website:

http://www2.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef439.asp

Although they look much more black on this website they look like from the same family. Yhe website does say these guys feed on dead decaying matter so it may be the outcome of the dead plants.

Now on to what's really causing the plants to die. They were fine the last several years (at least the last two) so something must have onset this year. The chaste bloomed fine in the spring and was good until last month. Any tips on troubleshooting? Thanks.

How wet or dry is your soil?
If on the wet side, perhaps root rot.

Hmm... definitely not dry but it's not too wet either. We have received a decent amount of rain this summer, and I have watered the plants only during dry spells of about a week, for about a minute for each plant.

I dug up the hedge plant today and attaching some pics (bottom left and right are the two main stalks) - I did not visibly see anything other than more roly polys and an interesting creepy crawly (top right) - not sure what it is but i doubt it's the cause of the death.

Then I am thinking if it is competition? Which takes me to the top left photo (I know i should have used a different order for the photos ;-) Anyway - red arrow = rose, pink arrow = chaste, orange arrow = hedge that was removed (and another hedge right next to it) and blue = hydrangeas behind. Distance between the main stem of each is roughly 1.5 to 2 feet, hydrangeas might be 2-3 feet. The hydrangeas are growing like anything and there was a random weed plant growing next to it that I uprooted last weekend, so with these other guys growing so well (touch wood) is it really possible that some bugs are causing damage to select plants or could it be just survival of the fittest?

Thanks for reading.

will you forget about bugs...

bugs.. RARELY ... if ever.. kill things... its kinda contrary to their own lives...

certainly.. once in a blue moon.. which was last week.. a plague flies thru.. but you would be hearing about that on the news ....

your pix.. are like looking thru a telescope... not near enough

that first pic... those huge bushes look like they are within 2 feet of the house.. if that were my house.. they would have been pulled out long ago.. foundation plantings are planted to hide the foundation.. not ON the foundation .. and that would solve this issue.. lol ...

how .. over the years.. has the sun changed.. as babes.. were these in full sun.. and now in full shade???

i swear to God.. its not a bug issue... but i could be wrong ...

ken

You're not wrong, Ken. It's a case of blaming whoever happens to be on the premises when the crime is discovered. Like all those poor ants who get blamed for the damage done by aphids.

I agree that this is (a) environmental or (b) manmade. Too much or too little water, too much or too little sun, crowding, soil contamination...I once had a whole passel of shrubs die outside of my condo patio and it took me two years to convince management there had to be a leaky gas line under there -- and whaddya know. I was right.

Since a variety of different shrubs are dying, I would put my money on a soil issue and get a soil test done ASAP. See if there is a Clemson Extension Service in Durham. I'll bet there is. They can do the soil test for you.

Ken, you know bugs can kill things. Big things, like Emerald Ash Borers killing ash trees. But mostly, bugs are just innocent bystanders who get blamed, and the poor pill bug (roly poly) is always being singled out, when all he's doing is eating what's already dead. I've heard they occasionally do damage, but I've never seen it.

Heat but not light. Whatever these critturs are and I'm not sure either - they are not weevils but seem to be causing similar damage, you need a solution and fast. Drench the soil with a strong solution ( approximately 1:50) of wood vinegar (pyroligneous acid). It's an old remedy ( approx 1,000 years). It won't kill you or your plant but does kill 99% of this sort of crittur. Good luck. Ian.

Hello folks - thanks for shedding some light on this - if anything it makes me relieved to hear bugs may not be at play so I dont have to worry about stuff breeding etc lol.

I dont think Clemson does soil testing here, but I heard something local from someone at work which I will follow up on.

The sun has been the same every spring/ summer - no change there. We moved here 2 years ago during fall - they were growing fine then. Next summer I may not have watered them enough as I saw burn spots on the hydrangea leaves and some of them were big patches. Following fall I hired someone for some yard work and they said our hydrangeas/ rose etc. had grown a lot and needed trimming so they went ahead and trimmed everything to 2-3 feet. The spring after (this year) - these guys esp the hydrangeas have been growing like crazy with less flower output than last year. I have also been watering more regularly - although there are still some burn spots - not as bad as last summer. So that's about all the history I know about these guys ;-)

Btw - I m worried the pyroligneous acid will kill useful soil bacteria/ bugs as well. And doesn't it go against the theory that bugs are not at play here? Thanks.

Hiddenspring...a wee comment on your hydrangeas. . . If they (hired people) clipped 2 to 3 ft. off, they clipped this year's flower buds as well which accounts for less flowers this year but lots of foliage, right? Hopefully next year you'll get more flowers.

I have an Endless Summer hydrangea - a water hog as most of them are (hydra=water) but morning sun is ideal for mine.

Thanks for the tip Josephine. Maybe I will use this opportunity to ask when we should prune them this time around and by how much. They are overflowing outside the flower bed :-)

Also we planted some gardenias and loropetalums (3 gallon pots) last fall which have grown twice their size this season. Should we prune them or leave as is?

Hello HH....most flowering shrubs are ideally pruned after they finish flowering...I'm afraid I'm no expert in any particular field but as a gardener I like to offer suggestions if its something I am familiar with, particularly if I have been growing same plant/shrub. I also have to remember you are in zone 7..I'm in 5 ( lucky you! :-). )

I read that gardenias can be pruned by a third ...I'm trying to provide you with a link..if it doesn't work, please just google "pruning of gardenias" and you'll get good information, or some gardenia growers might pipe up also. I've been away...sorry for delay in replying to your question. :-)

I looked up loropetalums..what a gorgeous plant! I'm partial to dark leaved ones, no matter what the genus!

HH: I don't know what kind of hydrangea you have as there are several varieties...but I found a good site for you...google "pruning of hydrangea"...they give you instructions for various types. I think you'll find it very useful.

Enjoy your many lovely blooms...the weather has been great and another lovely week ahead. Happy gardening!
Jo.

Hoping to re-open this thread as I have a similar issue. It began with an evergreen ground carpet that we first assumed had simply succumbed to cold temps over the winter. But, I found when cleaning all the brown sections that the stems or limbs had been eaten off, teeth marks quite visible. And now, something has bitten off my clematis vines an inch or two above ground level. It started with one plant and I thought it a rabbit. I have a live trap and eliminated the rabbit as a culprit but the second plant had five stems coming forth as well as several regenerations from last year, all of which have now been chewed off. Any advice is gratefully welcome.

One more detail: the ground carpit limbs/stems were eaten off beneath the green layer of carpet so whatever it is has to be small enough to make its way around under that greenery.

hazel, damage like that is due to small critters nibbling on the stems. Voles, rabbits, pocket gophers - whatever you may have in your area that feeds on plant material. Voles and pocket gophers can construct underground or under mulch tunnels for access to their favorite food source in winter. And if you have one rabbit, chances are very good there are more :-)

btw, for future issues or questions, it is always advisable to start your own new thread rather than tacking on to the end of one that has been dormant for several years.

Voles, almost certainly