@Heruga, I am not doubting you but what you describe is almost impossible to accept. Diseases just do not work in that manner, devastating an entire garden without differentiation. Rather, if drainage is adequate, it sounds more like some sort of soil contamination.

Don't throw in the towel yet :-) There must be some consulting horticulturists in your area. Perhaps your local extension office or master gardeners could provide referrals. Hire one with great credentials for a couple of hours for a professional, onsite evaluation. Get to the bottom of the issue before you make any radical decisions.

I am on a very tight budget, I don’t know if I can afford hundreds for an evaluation visit. I’ll see if my aquaintance nursery owner or former horticulture professor can come out..

But you say it can be soil contamination that can still occur in well drained areas. So then that would mean those diseases can still spread without waterlogging conditions but I thought you said before they have to meet certain conditions which I assume excessive wetness, to infect plants?

If it is soil contamination, it is not necessarily a disease. Those two are not necessarily interchangeable. It could be something like heavy metals or petroleum residue. Or even persistent herbicides, although they also are more specific in their target organisms.

A couple hundred bucks is IMO a very modest investment to make in the long-term health and success of your garden. And the solution could be quite simple. But you will never know unless you have the situation professionally evaluated.

I'd be reluctant to attribute all of this to a disease. Even very virulent pathogens with a huge host range like verticillium or armillaria are highly unlikely to decimate an entire garden. I have never seen it in 25 years of practice. Only a massive misapplication of herbicide has produced anything like you describe.

Do you know what the site was before your house was built?

Ok, I thought you meant disease contamination. I do notice the soil in that spot is reddish and I’ve found glass and cans in it before.

I applied pre emergent in my whole property about a month ago, then disease ex for my lawn last week which probably hit my perennials seeing how they are so close to the lawn but can’t say for sure if those treatments could’ve hurt the perennials. I don’t use roundup around them.

I’m not sure what my property used to be, but is very unusual in that my yard is just one yard where there is no front or back to it. Just one big yard. It is in between 4 home properties(one side, both sides would make it 8 in total) and my property is pitched down from the front and side neighbor’s property. It also has a 120ft drainage ditch with a storm drain. Hard to tell what it used to be but I do know there was a 80 ft white pine there so drainage couldn’t have been the worse

By the way, I don’t know how much you might know about specific plants with phytophthora susceptibility/resistance but plants affected so far were leucoscetrum japonicum(had to dump all of it), salvia glabrescens, polygonatum odoratum(not sure if diseased but some leaves completely yellowed and died and when I pulled out the base was black and mush), one hydrangea, possibly my campanula punctata as flower stems died before they flowered, patrinia scabiosifolia, and most recently I discovered my sanguisorba officinallis had the same synptoms.

I would not focus in on phytophthora. There are at least 150 identified species and perhaps as many as 500 more that are yet to be identified. And most are quite host specific. A single strain is unlikely to produce the widespread damage you describe.

In fact, I can't think of any pathogen that would have this sort of impact.

Well after making several phone calls over the past few days I finally got in touch with the person in charge of the master garden club for our county’s ext. They don’t do onsite evaluations but offer advice through the phone and she emailed me test sample instructions to send to Rutgers lab. Looks like I have to take the whole plant out and they would have to inspect the roots and surrounding soil. I can’t do that yet because I took out most of my affected plants and the only one affected now is a giant clump of sanguisorba officinalis where 95% of the plant is in good condition and it only has a few wilted stems. I guess I’ll send them the sample if this plant completely dies.

One thing that gave me doubts about this master gardener association though is when they asked me what is going on and I explained to them and mentioned a few plant names like leucosceptrum japonicum and sanguisorba officinalis, she asked if its an outdoor plant or houseplant. Also when she explained the various types of testing services that the lab provides she kept referring ’bacteria’ or ’virus’ after I had told her about the possibility of phytophthora. Although they are referred to as master gardeners not sure they go so deep into botany?

I feel for you. I have had snapdragons and petunias succumb to fungal infections year after year. In my estimation, when wilt occurs in only sections of the plant initially, it is likely verticillum. The whole plant wilting is likely fusarium. I have resorted to pasteurizing my potting mix before planting. Still, as soon as the weather warms up or there is a random hot day, they start succumbing... I have moved on from the plants that will the most. Obviously, losing annuals is one thing, losing a bunch of perennials is another...

Well now that you say this and after researching a little bit of it, I think it is most certainly verticillium wilt. They don’t need overly wet soils to activate and can spread very easily even by wind. It also seems like this disease can decimate an entire garden of susceptible plants unlike phytopthora.

I just noticed another new plant affected, my third patrinia has 2 wilting stems that are about to flower and leaf color is more pale than my other remaining 2 patrinias. With my last 2 patrinias I kept cutting off wilted stems but new ones kept wilting so I just removed it. Can a plant live with verticillium wilt and possibly survive or is it a definite goner?

They could but I am not sure how long. Here is some good advice. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/verticillium_wilt_refresher#:~:text=There is no fungicide treatment,proper pruning, watering and fertilizing.

Pruning, avoiding high nitrogen fertilizer, watering when needed help prolong the life but .. My plants eventually died or were just spindly miserable things.

Don't guess - get it properly diagnosed. It is highly unlikely to be Verticillium wilt. Even in places where the pathogen is active, it will not decimate or infect an entire garden. It is a soil borne organism, does not spread by wind and is not even encouraged by consistently moist soil. It is also highly opportunistic and tends to infect susceptible plants if they are under stress or damaged in some manner. A maple with VW can be planted right next to another maple - a genus highly prone to VW - and the other maple will be perfectly healthy.

I have a strong suspicion something is wrong with the soil......but not a disease. Get it tested for contaminates.

Oh at this point I will take out that patrinia clump and send it to the lab.. but I’m just curious what makes you think that it is unlikely that its verticillium wilt. Is it a rather rare occurrence in gardens? Even for the northeast? From what I read in websites it sounded like plant apocalypse where it will find every means to infect any non resistant plant even if healthy.. so that isn’t true? Also this patrinia started wilting somewhat yesterday at 88 degrees duirng the day and today was 94 degrees and wilting got worse. It says plants with the disease wilts more on hotter days which is exactly what this patrinia is doing.

But yea there are some susceptible mature trees in the area like red and silver maples, and catalpa but they seem ok.

Same thing happening to me..plants look fine then suddenly wilt and die. It has affected my petunias, marigolds, etc. Don't believe its soil contamination as other plants are ok.

Disease?? Fungus?? Really frustrating..my gardens were beautiful . Im heartsick

First time this is happening. ..i think its some type of disease. Will try to test at rutgers as well. Im in hunterdon county

Thanks for advice on vegetable garden. My vegetable garden hasn’t gotten it yet but it will only be a matter of time so your info will be handy when it happens. If I’m still gardening by then.

Well update. 3 more new plants got it-my thalictrum rochebrunianum, aconitum sachalinense, and polemonium yezoense- all susceptible plants. My sanguisorba is getting additional stem dieback. They are suddenly wilting and only on some stems and the wilt gets worse and leaves eventually go brown and crispy. Checked for physical damage and there was none. This disease is spreading like wildfire. I think these are my following options:

1) get rid of every dicot plant in my property and only grow nothing but conifers, hostas, grasses, iris, other monocots such as solomons seal and lily of the valley, aroids. Of course flowers will be very limited and will become rather monotonic garden.

2) Get rid of all my ornamental gardens and grow all lawn in my yard-hey, at least my dog will love it

3) Quit my hobby/passion of gardening althogether and move out of this filthy contaminated property

This is a hard decision to make….

I re-read the entire thread and I did not see anywhere where you said how long you have lived in this house, and how old the house itself is? It sounds like you've been there awhile if you are propagating plants and growing gardens, but it would help to have some specifics.

If you've been there for years and this just started, it's not likely to be soil contamination by chemicals from a former use or some kind of dumping. It would have been there all along.

I agree. ..I think it is a virus or fungus .

Years ago there was an issue with impatients and they were pulled from the market for years. Could this be a virus again that is now attacking just about everything? It seems to be really bad for my petunias.

Reached out to Rutgers but haven't heard back..not sure it will be as helpful as they only want to see pictures.

Hard to see whats happening when one day fine and next day dead..i would prefer to test the plant.

House is exactly 50 years old and we’ve only been here 2 years. There were many plants before that I got rid of including 11 trees and they were all healthy and fine. Currently there are 2 giant silver maples and some catalpas in the woods past my fence and they are healthy. Weedy grape vines from my neighbors which are also susceptible to verticillium seems to be doing fine. It’s only the stuff I grew and planted!

The area affected now used to have a big white pine that got cut down and stump grinded and just grass under it and around it. I killed all the grass and made a meadow garden where my plants seem to be affected. Directly to the right is my woodland garden and some plants there are also affected. I have a rock garden and my pond across it separated from my lawn and those plants there don’t seem to be affected yet.

I have been propagating plants even before I moved in this house. I always wanted a house with a big property so I can grow my own garden so I started growing stuff early on and into pots so that when I move into a house I can plant them right away.

The Rutgers ext is a joke. They never pick up their phone, and when I took further measures to track down someone who can connect me to it, i finally got in touch but the master gardener I spoke to was a little disappointing. She seemed like she had no idea what I was talking about when I explained the situation. And then To get my plant tested, I would have to take a day off from work on a Monday or Tuesday (so shipping doesn’t get delayed to a weekend where the sample plants will sit), do it early on a morning and somehow box the giant clump of my perennials(who knows how much shipping will cost) where the stems will likely break. No guarantee it will get shipped in time and give me accurate results. I am pretty certain it’s verticillium wilt. Why? Because only susceptible plants according to the book are getting it, and not the resistant/immmune ones and it’s spreading like wildfire which is what this fungus does and when I cut off the affected stems off some of my perennials I saw some brown in it. Only part of the plant wilts and dies and Rather suddenly. It is just too consistent of that of verticillium wilt. I’m pretty certain I brought it back home from work dealing with diseased plants.

But I’ve decide on the path I will take. I will be only be growing monocots from now on and enjoy it as that. Quite surprisingly from my research, there a many monocots that have attractive foliage/flowers and I am going to start getting my hands on them soon.

It doesn't seem to be affecting my perennials and seems to be affecting my petunias more than anything but have lost a few marigolds and calibrachoa.

Why I think its a virus or fungus..affects BOTH potted and planted directly.

SO very frustrating!

How do we treat this? Will it affect planting next year?

I guess next year is zinnia and marigolds.

Shame , because petunias are my favorite

"I am pretty certain it’s verticillium wilt. Why? Because only susceptible plants according to the book are getting it, and not the resistant/immmune ones and it’s spreading like wildfire which is what this fungus does and when I cut off the affected stems off some of my perennials I saw some brown in it. Only part of the plant wilts and dies and Rather suddenly. It is just too consistent of that of verticillium wilt."

That is NOT how VW works. It does not 'spread like wildfire'!! If that were the case, everyone's garden would be failing as the VW pathogen is present in virtually ALL soils. Also it is rare that the same strain of VW would affect both woodies and herbaceous perennials. I have been dealing with this pathogen off and on for the last 25 years as a consulting horticulturist, including in my own garden. It may take out one or two plants of susceptible species if conditions are right but it never spreads through an entire garden wiping out everything it encounters. It simply does not work like that!

Let me be blunt but you do not understand the disease or how it is spread to the extent that you could state that is the problem you are facing with any kind of assurance. You are just guessing and most likely incorrectly. There are all manner of other factors that could produce similar symptoms that are not VW. That can only be accurately determined by a test in a plant pathology lab.

Thats great to know. .however WHAT do you do when they Won't take the plant??? Rutgers only wants to see pics and haven't heard back yet.

I know you all think im a crybaby because its affecting my annuals but i put ALOT of TIME , MONEY and HEART into my gardens and its devastating to have an issue like this.

As I have said its in my pots as well as ground planted annuals which is why im thinking virus or fungus..weird how it doesn't affect them all which again im thinking about the issue years ago with impatients that had NO cure other than STOP growing for a few years.

I really hope you are right gardengal, that it is not verticillium wilt. None of my trees or shrubs have been affected yet, not sure if you count caryopteris as a shrub but this one has it, and it's only my perennials so far. Maybe the act of planting/dividing that I did last year prior to planting caused the stress that allowed the disease to enter through the plants. I do notice some verticillium wilt sugar maples affected at my work but no other trees/shrubs/perennials nearby.. so you may be right but symptoms are just so similar in my plants that it's definitely one same cause whatever it is.

I can't be absolutely certain without a test but this Rutgers lab(the only testing site around my area) is not the most reliable one.

Layerzsalon, I really feel you. Mine are all perennials but I also took a lot of my time, not too much money but a big heart growing stuff from seed and I end up with this. I am starting to realize that gardening has more obstacles than you can ever enjoy it.

"Thats great to know. .however WHAT do you do when they Won't take the plant??? Rutgers only wants to see pics and haven't heard back yet."

I'm not sure where you got that information but the Rutgers plant diagnostic lab website makes it very clear that a physical sample is required and that photos alone will not work: Photographs are helpful when they accompany a physical sample. Print and include photos with your sample or email them to rutgerspdl@njaes.rutgers.edu. The lab will not attempt an accurate diagnosis or identification from photos alone—they must be associated with a physical sample. (emphasis theirs)

There are also private plant pathology labs you could access, as well as the NJ Department of Agriculture but fees may be higher.

btw, don't talk to or take advice from just a master gardener. They do not have the necessary training to be able to make any sort of valid diagnosis. They are only hobby gardeners who have taken a few classes and volunteer their services. They are NOT plant pathologists!!

Purhaps in a pre- pandemic world...rt.12 facility wants pictures..doesn't sound like they encourage you to come in

Haven't heard back yet.

Well got a useless answer from the master gardener

I really hope they can test it as pics just show a dead plant. SO hard to explain what is actually happening!

Lost several more yesterday...sickening

Keep us posted.

Is it possible some sort of herbicide was mixed into your mulch material?

Have you talked with a garden center to see if some local toxin may be in your soil? In Tacoma, WA there was arsenic in the soil from an industrial plant that required many homes to have the soil removed and replaced to be healthy for growing all plants and particularly edibles.

Been in this house 9 years. My husband is a landscape contractor - so he does all the lawn maintenance .We are on 20 acres - so we know exactly what gets sprayed with what.

I have never had an issue before. Its all different areas of my gardens and hitting some pots as well. I got my annuals from all different places ( some mail order)

This is why I'm thinking virus or fungus.

Years ago I remember an issue with impatients. You couldn't get impatients for several years as they were waiting for the pathogen to die out.

Wondering if it could be the same senario with petunias and like plants?

A mole can make your plants look like every wilt pathogen there is, including over and under watering. Little varmints like loose moist soil under mulch to tunnel around and a great hunting ground for food. So they will tunnel right through the roots of plants cutting much of their access to water, I've seen it for decades and always a problem in any garden I don't till. Do you have moles?

Interesting comment- I would consider it if it weren't for the fact its happening in pots too.

Waiting to see if Rutgers will actually test plant. Master gardener advice was unhelpful but pictures can't really explain what is happening.

TELL ME AGAIN HOW I LOVE TO GARDEN??

If its not beetles or lantern flies, its fungus and disease.

My gardens STARTED out BEAUTIFUL if this didn't happen it would be gorgeous.

Never before a problem.

Thanks for the advice - appreciate ANY idea of what is killing my plants and my spirit!

Excuse me layerzsalon but I wasn't directing my comment to you as a contributor of a comment but to the original poster who started the discussion, sorry. If the two of you would post a bunch of pictures it would help because as another poster stated not all wilting is caused by wilting pathogens but many are quick to jump to the conclusion they have one.

It could be herbicide drift, or a watering problem, septoria leaf spot or the common early blight. A picture is worth a thousand words so post some and let them speak, because it could just be a pest problem or planting near allelopathic plants or something easily identifiable. I have problems every year to deal with, and over the last 25 years I've only had a wilt pathogen once. It wasn't phytophthora but could of been the batcerial wilt Ralstonia solanacearum, or a fungi wilt Fusarium or Verticillium but not sure. This was a few decades ago but I used the plot for garlic and asparagus ever since. So in the 25 years of growing I've only encountered a wilt pathogen once (maybe), and everything else was attributed to something else but I never gave up.

I don’t believe there are any toxins in my soil because all neighbors plants or weeds should I say are growing very well. Don’t have moles or voles that I know of. Only rabbits, chipmunks, and squirrels. It may possibly be black walnut as I have some in the neighborhood but they are pretty far away I don’t think it should reach my plants. At least 100 ft away from the edge of the walnut canopy. I even went as far as asking my neighbor to remove their black walnut seedlings with my uprooter. It is definitely not a watering problem or herbicide issue. Here is a link to one of my threads from last summer when this first started happening. My leucosceptrum japonicums completely wilted overnight and then one smaller one died. The other survived the wilt, stayed brown and crisp for the rest of the season and even flowered. It came back this year but there was one stem that was wilting. So I took it out. I have been removing most of my plants showing these symptoms so not much current pics but in this thread you can see some of what was happening. I did manage to take a pic of my one sided wilting thalictrum. After this pic was taken the whole stem wilted and died.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6166951/why-are-my-perennials-suddenly-wilting-then-dying

You mentioned having a white pine removed and the stump ground… do you know if any chemicals were used to facilitate root/stump deterioration, and would the affected plants be in the vicinity of the drip line of this tree? The rapid change in your plants sounds like some sort of burn, maybe?

I am not a plant expert or anything, but just wanted to tell you that i hope you get to the bottom of it soon. I know the heartbreak, and I know you're strong and will get this sorted. 👍

A weak and stressed plant is an open door invitation for many pathogens but some only require the right conditions to infect your plant. You may notice a row of landscape conifers with one brown or yellowing plant sticking out like a sore thumb and is likely the result of a phytophthora root rot of one phyto species, but all the other conifers are health and unaffected even when all are susceptible. That one brown Taxus conifer may be sitting in compacted soil with bad drainage and dead meat for the Phyto. At least a few of the 100's of Phyto species will be in any given soil so always assume there may be one that can attack your plants, and if you have that special Phyto spore they're having a hay day swimming through your water logged soil to get to your plant roots. (They swim and are attracted to chemicals from the roots of plants.)

If you want to confirm or eliminate Phytophthora you can buy a rapid test kit for about $12 to test infected plant tissue and takes about 10 minutes. But a single kit can't be found and sellers require a 5 kit minimum. Maybe they have them at your work?

You can also bait the soil to see if phyto is present. Search phytophthora baiting on youtube to learn how. You only need an organic apple or pear. Neither test will tell you what species it may be.

I Kind of suspect you have poor drainage just from the nice flat ground your plants sit in from the pics in your other thread. And your layout suggests you do a lot of walking through the garden to get around, and with every step you compact the soil. Kindly take a bunch of pictures of the entire site (yard) from all corners and post them.

I spent thousands on my gardens moving 100's of yards of dirt, grading and digging washes to flow to containment area's to drain my gardens. (big gardens for veggies) I break up subsoil compaction down to 14 inches, till down 6 inches and raise the beds 6 inches with hilling discs to insure good drainage because of the type of soil I have. I never walk on any ground within 1 1/2 feet of my transplants to avoid compaction, you should do the same.

I think you said it's always moist, but how moist. If you can't push a stick 4 to 6 inches in the ground by hand it's compacted. Dig a hole 12 inches by about 8 inches wide and fill with water, then 12 hours later fill again and time how long it takes to drain. If it drops less than 2" an hour your have a drainage problem. less than 1" a very serious drainage issue. You may need to haul in dirt and build berms to plant on (and may look better). But first do the tests to see. No guessing.

Concerning verticillium wilt you need to determine your plants susceptibility to the pathogen. Look for a common links, or a broken link if a resistant plant is also infected.

Are any of the neighbor's plants on the other side of the fence showing problem? Does the neighbor's property drain into yours? Pictures, show me the pictures of the entire site.

I am not aware of any chemicals being leached from the stump grinding. They just used a stump grinder machine. I didn’t know there are tests that can detect phytophthora that easily. But I don’t suspect phyopthyhora to be the cause anymore, most of these affected plants are in well drained areas. I don’t necessarily have poor drainage soil but my property is in a low spot in general and water runoffs into my property from all my surrounding neighbors. But water drains fairly fast as long as it isn’t raining anymore. The lowest spots in my garden drains within 2 hours after a heavy soaking rain. I can’t possibly do all the landscape renovation you did, first we don’t have any budget for that and many of my plants are already establishing and my landscape is meant to be flat as is because all my neighbors property is higher than mine. I also have a ditch that ends with a storm drain so can’t disturb the nearby area. I have already tracked down all my plants resistance/susceptibility and it is indeed all the susceptible plants that are showing the symptoms. None of my supposedly resistant plants have gotten any symptoms. Neighbors plants are fine and weeds growing happy as ever as I’ve mentioned before, all the big trees next to my property are fine. It’s only my perennials that I planted within the last 1.5 years are being affected. Most of my affected plants are in the meadow garden you see in the center. No grading issue but yes neighbor’s water runoff goes to mine.

You do have a very nice backyard with nice grass and can't see any weeds. Do you use weed and feed fertilizer? your backyard does look like the low point of a water shed for the neighbors with the slope and low point appearing to be toward your perennial garden, unless it's an optical illusion. I wonder if your neighbors use herbicides on their lawns and residuals wash down the slopes and end up on your perennials. At least the veggie garden isn't being infected, but it appears to be higher near the house. Well I can't help anymore so good luck and hope you find out what's killing your plants.

Hey Kevin. Looking at Herugas garden pic, it sure seems obvious that he weeds and feeds his lawn and plenty as the pic is from approx. 3 months ago and last time I looked, we were bone dry as to precip. As to pointing a finger at the neighbors, unless there's standing water at Herugas I'd throw that one out. I'm thinking that what plants are affected aren't RIGHT for his property.

So ted, after this post she posted another with pictures showing what the backyard looked like after a big rain storm. It looked like it was a holding pond for runoff from all the properties uphill.

She continued to insist there was a host of diseases so I called her out, and then she deleted the post. So there was standing water and the backyard is part of a watershed from all those above. The property isn't right for the plants and needs a lot of dirt hauled in and a wash built to route the water to the road.