I have no idea exactly what your problem is but hope you get it figured out kentucky_rose... I suppose if its getting enough water & sun then either somethings going on with the roots or soil ph or something in soil has changed for some reason...

Jim, thanks. I just dug it up and browning at base. No crown gall, insects....soil was moist. Gone.

Wonder what it was? Crazy when things like that happen...

Does this forum not have a resident plant pathologist on call?

If not - why not?

Does the moderator know? Is there a moderator?

Rifis, great idea. I could take it to the County Extention office.

Was it own root or grafted?? Bees Knees can be winter tender. I lost mine a couple of years ago and never replaced it. That late spring freeze we had might have done it in.

Ken, it is own root and it came out good this spring, no major setbacks. It just started dying recently. I have used more Epsom salts than I normally do. Could that have caused the problem? The root was long and deep, but it seemed dry.

I'm wondering if it's spider mite damage...spider mite damage looks like copper/brown withered leaves to me. Did it start happening after the weather warmed? Are the leaves the worst at the bottom,better at the top? I assume your plant is well watered. Try removing the bad leaves , and spraying the plant with a hard stream of water every other day for a few times. (Don't be afraid to spray hard, get the undersides of leaves where the mites live and breed).

Yep looks very similar to a rose that I had given too much Epsom salts to as a foliar spray. I was doing weekly Epsom salts as a foliar spray with 1 tbsp to a gallon and spreading the gallon between 8 roses and the roses had tons of low nice growth and basal breaks, but the leaves started doing funky things so I stopped. I did spray a little late in the morning though. Did you give the Epsom salts as a drench or foliar spray?

Just curious do you have ants? Sometimes an ant infestation can cause soil to become hydrophobic. Just wondering since you had said the roots were dry. I'm also curious if Epsom salts repel water as well if given too much?

Va Joh, I would just sprinkle some on the ground, along the drip line, less than a tablespoon. Frequency was 1-2 weeks apart the last month or two. I will watch the other roses cause they got it, too. Your description of the "low nice growth and basal breaks" is what I was being rewarded with, then more Epsom salt. Too much of a good thing can be toxic, but I loved those basal breaks! Yes, it is ant season, too. Thanks.

Full shot of bush.

BenT,Yes, I do have spidermites. My Bees Knees is prone to them and I have sprayed with Floramite. I went and retrieved it from the trash and here are the photos that I just took. It looks like the stems are drying up from the root, with some canker.

Close-up shots of problem

I hope this helps in resolving the problem. Thanks!

It does kind of look as thou the cane were growing from winter killed areas.

I know whenever I dig up a rose that is looking poor. I usually find roots that look like those on your Bees Knees. In those cases I feel like well no wonder you looked that way. They don't look as thou they were feeding the rose very well do they.