Hmmm, the Bayer products are good? Last year I used the Bayer 3 in 1 granules once a month, which has the tebuconazole in it: http://www.bayeradvanced.com/rose-flower-care/products/all-in-one-rose-flower-care This year I didn't see that same product so I just picked up their 2 in 1 product instead - doesn't have the disease control: http://www.bayeradvanced.com/rose-flower-care/products/2-in-1-systemic-rose-flower-care Sounds like I should have looked harder for the 3 in 1. I will look for the products you've listed. I'm glad to hear that they should put out new leaves! For the hydrangea, I've been using a combination of two products, actually mixed together, as recommended by my local garden center: fertilome horticultural oil with a bonide fungicide. She said the idea is that the oil will help the fungicide to not wash off and that it has antifungal properties of its own as well. It seems like a lot to me, but I sprayed with Daconil last year up to every other day and it did virtually nothing. I'm hoping that after this year I can back off a little with so much spraying? I really appreciate your advice! This post was edited by sara82lee on Sat, May 24, 14 at 13:48

Ken, you really need to lose the "it doesn't matter what it is; who cares at this time of year" chatter. It is such bad advice in almost every instance, deciduous or not. dasch, I would like to see pictures, too, but I would suspect that your Ligustrum has the very common Cercospora leaf spot fungus, a real problem with evergreen Ligustrum in the south. It causes severe spotting, leaf fall, and even death of shrubs if left untreated. But it can be treated and plants can recover. First and foremost, a thorough clearing of all fallen leaves and mulch from around the plants is essential. Replace the mulch in the spring. If you have an irrigation system, adjust the timing so that it comes on in the pre-dawn hours and for heaven's sake cut it way back or even off for the winter. In the late winter/early spring, your shrubs should be cut back severely, even to the ground. As new growth occurs, a fungicidal program should commence. Timely applications of appropriate fungicides can keep your shrubs symptom free. Is your landscaper reasonably knowledgeable? There are many fungicidal treatments available to treat Cercospora, as seen HERE in the fact sheet from Clemson. Ligustrum can be completely disease free in the first place. It needs to be grown in a sunny location, pruned carefully upon occasion to allow for optimum air circulation, and overhead irrigation timed to avoid wet foliage all night long. I suspect that your landscaper hedges these shrubs to keep them to a decent size. A plant that is quite capable of reaching 15-20 feet tall doesn't take happily to shearing over a long period of time. Regarding the powdery mildew on the stems of your plant....I will have to see pictures to believe it. My wager is that it is a type of lichen, which starts out as white splotches in the bark. Lichen is an almost certain occurance on Ligustrum that have started to defoliate due to Cercosporum disease. Pictures, pictures please!

When it is cool and damp in the spring use Daconil. It helps not only control blackspot, but boytrytis which affects roses in cool damp conditions. As the season progresses and it gets warm, Daconil can harm plants when sprayed at temps over 77F. In warm weather I generally use Ortho Rose & Flower Disease Control f/k/a Funginex. Last year I used Immunox instead of the Ortho product just mentioned. Immunox worked great. In the spring it is important to clean up the leaves that blow in around the base of your plant or were from last season, and apply a nice layer of mulch. I am using cypress mulch. These two actions help prevent blackspot, and can help you reduce the frequency of spraying. I generally spray every 7-10 days but spread it out more in dry conditions.

give us a big city name .. frankly.. this is what roses look like in august..unless you start spraying in may.. and dont stop for the whole growing season ... fert is not a response to this problem in any manner ... but roses need fert for other reasons.. and at the proper times.. depending on where you are ... where are you ... i wonder how long that fence has been there ... and if that isnt part of the cause of the issue.. dead air ... its too bad it appears to be planted as close as it is to the fence ... in fall.. cut it back significantly .. spray down whats left with the appropriate spray ... clean up all fallen debris.. and in spring... start a regular spraying protocol for the rest of the year ... its the price you will pay for a pretty plant all season long.. and if you are going to do all that.. lol.. may as well mail order 50 more plants ... lol ... invest or divest as they say .... but at this point.. there is no making this one look better ... but it wont die from this ... so dont worry about that ... disease RESISTANCE is not disease proof... and even with resistant stock.. you would probably still have to spray ... its one of the reasons i ended up quitting roses.. in my MI ... i didnt want to be spraying every 4 to 6 weeks with kids around ... for both disease and bugs... etc ... ken