Hi grny28, I am going to refer to The Ortho Problem Solver, seventh edition on this, because I am no expert on Petunias (zinnias are my "thing"). The book's coverage on Petunia problems starts on page 262 and continues onto page 264. It has articles on Gray Mold (everywhere in the US), Smog Damage (limited to relatively small coastal areas), Caterpillars, Cutworm Damage, and the last article on Crown and Root Rot (everywhere in the US) seems the most likely culprit. Crown and Root Rot is caused by Phytophthora (I don't think you can say that without spitting a little), a fungus that lives in the soil. It initially attacks the roots or stem at or just below the soil level. The dark dry decay of the lower stem tissue and roots reduces the flow of water to the leaves and flowers, causing the petunia to wilt and die. Crown and Root Rot is common in heavy poorly drained wet soils. The fungus (Phytophthora) is spread by contaminated soil, transplants, and tools. The solution is to remove and destroy infected plants and all the soil within 6 inches of their roots. How do you destroy soil? Well, I guess you could throw it into an incinerator, but I would just put it a plastic bag and send it to the landfill with the rest of the garbage. To prevent a recurrence of Crown and Root Rot, you should improve your soil drainage and drench it with a fungicide containing Captan. That's what the Ortho book says. Repeat the drench monthly during the growing season and let the soil dry out between waterings. I try to avoid problems of this sort with my zinnias by adding a lot of sand to my garden soil to create a sandy loam, and I add Perlite to my indoor growing medium to increase its drainage. "They were planted in larger containers along with other plants that are fine, What are the chances of a disease from so many different nurseries?" Many plants aren't susceptible to Phytophthora, and the problem is in your soil or growing medium, and not at the different nurseries. ZM (not associated with any product or vendor mentioned or linked)

If this was its first winter, then I suspect the culprit is cold damage. You are located in an area where Japanese maples are of borderline winter hardiness, you experienced what is the equivalent of a zone 4 winter this past season and Shishigashira is not considered to be as cold tolerant as some other JM's. Most authorities only list it to zone 6. I also have some concern about the planter box. In the last photo, it looks like the planter is resting on heavy duty landscape fabric and not in direct contact with the underlying soil. Is this why the tree was planted high? Not enough depth for the rootball? And no winter mulch? This definitely could have been a contributing factor. Need more details on the planter itself before suggesting whether replanting another tree makes sense.

Sara-Ann, I'm sorry to hear about your dead roses. I've had mass deaths like this as well and I know first hand that it isn't fun. I've even posted pictures in the past of what's lovingly known as black die back or just die back. I've also grown several of those varieties and many of those have been very hardy for me (the fact that you can get Sheila's Perfume to grow/live for you is testament to your skills). So here's what I've concluded about it: 1- Like many have said, healthy roots beget healthy plants. I have found that if my weeds get out of control and I go and pull weeds that I invariably get die back. Most of the time the die back has started before hand, possibly from losing root realestate to the weeds, but the pulling usually quickens the pace. 2- Most research will tell you that die-back is often fungal in nature. With that said, I've found that I have been able to save one cane out of four or five from die-back with a heavier use of a systemic antifungal like Banner Maxx. Once saved, it's a question of building up the root system enough to get the rose to snap back. 3- I've also found that if I use a heavy amount of granular fertilizer that I experience die-back as well. Fertilizers can range from the typical granular to alfalfa pellets placed too close to the stem. Again, this is a root issue. 4- I noted you said watering might have played an issue. Be careful, often we take a dried out pot and assume that more water is the path to recovery. This isn't always the case. Dried out pots usually equal less roots to take up water. In overwatering we end up water-logging the pot and drowning the rose. Keep it moist, but pay attention to not overwater. 5- Another mode of fungal spread that I read up on was insect damage. Often there are scraping insects that compromise the cell walls of your stems and allow for the introduction of certain fungal infections. In these instances, bug spray with an anti-fungal could help (note, I don't think this is the case for you, as you are in a low bug time of the year). I hope this helps. Know that our failures only make us better gardeners. Good Luck, Adrian.

in middle of entry, by the juice