Since you don't plan on doing anything to stop the progress of disease in your plants, then I think that you should rip 'em out and replace with something that will thrive in that specific location. I really don't think that humid conditions are a problem for this plant, per se. But if you live in area that sees a lot of cloud cover OR if they are not located in the full sun, leaf spot diseases are likely. Overhead irrigation can be a factor, too. I think of Rapheolepis as being practically problem free....as long as it's planted in the right place, lol. Then all bets are off.

Boy, is that Entomosporium leaf spot. That is a tough disease to control. I would yank them and plant something resistant, but that is just me. It can't hurt to cut them back, but I do know back in the Photinia day, the experts were telling us in the industry to dip our pruning shears in 10% bleach water between each cut or we would just spread it as we cut. I honestly, personally, wouldn't waste money and time on fungicides, use that money toward replacement plants and buy something resistant to plant in this area as spores could be present in the soil. If you do try to treat it, most experts recommend alternating between a contact fungicide and a systemic one. If try and cut them back or to control the leaf spot, I'd love to hear how they fair. Good luck!

The spot I would put the plant would be in pretty hot sun almost all day, and the soil is not heavy. It doesn't drain perfectly, but it doesn't retain moisture for very long. I can always add better soil. I am also open to any other suggestions for a shrub for this spot. I just need one that loves full sun, can take drought, stays fairly small (as I've already mentioned), and blooms in spring. Almost everything there now blooms in summer-fall. I would really like it to be evergreen so the area isn't so bare in the winter (but I suppose it doesn't have to be). I have a lot of perennials in that spot, so there's not much there in the winter. Thanks again for your advice.

Glen, I'm curious about how these plants were 'packaged when you bought them. They were containerized plants, weren't they? If they were balled and burlapped plants, I'd be a little concerned that the abnormally early start to hot weather might have hurt B&B plants that were planted in April. Also, did you check the undersides of the leaves to see if any sort of insect is eating on the leaves? The only issues I've had with Indian Hawthorne has been: (1) entomosporium leaf spot, which does not look like the browning you're seeing on your plants, and (2) occasional freeze damage (from a much colder than usual cold spell) that does leave foliage that looks like your plants. However, I'm fairly sure you aren't seeing freeze damage since the last freeze for most of us was in March, and for many of us it was in very early March. The fact that the plants started losing their luster and started getting brown leaves about a month after being transplanted does mean it could be transplant shock, which can show up in some trees and shrubs up to a year after they were transplanted. Has the browning continued since you first noticed it....like, is it progressing into more parts of the plant, or has it stayed exactly the same since you first noticed it? Also, have you used a trowel to dig down about six inches to check the soil moisture down deep? You said that the ones that had started to flower now have dried flower buds. Does that mean every flower bud dries up or just the ones on the same twigs as the browned leaves? Usually on this sort of thing, my gut instinct is right....but on your plants I have two different gut feelings--one is that they got too dry at some point and the damage appeared, but the stronger one is that it is a disease. However, I've never seen a disease do this to Indian Hawthornes. Hopefully, someone who has seen this on their plants will have an answer for you. If they were mine, I'd take some photos to the nursery where I purchased them and ask for their advice. Since they would know exactly what variety they sold you and what diseases or other issues might be common to it, they'd likely be your best source of advice in this case. If the browning doesn't progress and you start seeing new growth coming out that seems healthy, then I'd assume it was transplant shock. If you don't see new growth after a bit, then I'd consider that a worrisome sign in light of the browning foliage. Finally, with most plants, if you can irrigate with soaker hoses, drip irrigation lines or a hand-held hose that puts the water on the ground and into the soil instead of on the foliage, you can prevent a lot of the diseases that are encouraged by wet foliage. In the parts of Oklahoma that normally have wet, humid springs and summers, water on foliage just adds to the tendency for fungal and bacterial diseases to attack plants. I don't know if that is as much of an issue in western OK where the humidity often...