Indian hawthorns are disease prone and one sick they eventually die. Usually overwatering is the culprit. Know this from experience but it do hope somebody posts on a more positive note and your plants last a long time

Thank you. Yes, I have also read that once distress sets in, they typically do not recover. Maybe putting them in a planter is a better idea. That way if/when they die, they'll be easier to dispose of. Poo :(

In my experience with these plants in coastal S. Carolina, they do far better in a sunny location with good air circulation. Avoid overhead irrigation, if possible. They do prefer a slightly acid soil (whom ever told you otherwise was incorrect) but are pretty good natured about soil, as long as it drains well and is not overly moist.

Problems with leaf spot diseases often show up if Rapheolepis is located where it 'protected' from the direct sun, the soil stays moist.

I used it frequently in xeriscaping and where carefree maintenance was required. It served as a popular parking lot plant; can't get any more hostile than that.

Thank you rhizo. Maybe I've been babying it too much. I'll definitely stop watering from overhead. Sounds like cutting down on watering would help, too. I water them about twice a week when it's really hot and dry. Once a week when it's milder.

Once a week should b adequate in the heat of summer, and much less at other times.
Rhizo makes an excellent point about circulation, they do NOT like being crowded. If you notice
People who try to make hedgerows of IH, you will invariably see dead plants in the row, totally defeating the purpose.

Duly noted. And yes, that does seem to defeat the purpose. Plus, I am personally not the biggest fan of sheared, uniform hedges. I like to see the natural (yet also somewhat maintained) shape and growth of a plant. Of course, there are always some exceptions.

Thank you all for the info :)

I have them on the west side of my house in Mesquite and they are doing fine there. I added two new ones when we expanded the bed this spring and they too are fine. So it may not be your location.

It looks better now, but you get the idea.

We had no leaf spot or sunburn problems with 'Ballerina' in a northwest facing bed that gets full sun from about 10:00 am to 3:00 pm during the summer. Usually looked very nice, but were in a spot we started to limit to one deep supplemental watering a month. While they did survived on this through the dry heatwave of 2011, they suffered worse than most everything else in the bed, so were eventually replaced with autumn sage and flame acanthus. Would not have any reservations about using them around Dallas where they get at least a bit of late afternoon shade in the summer and weekly irrigation as needed. May also work well in other exposures, but this is all we are familiar with.