Question From: R. Jankowski - Minooka, Illinois, United States
Q: My red barberry is showing signs of distress. There were many dead areas and I cut it all out. The leaves have just dried up.....I thought this was the answer but every day I go out and there is more. I have sprayed today for a fungus but I don't know if it is a fungus or not. There are no worms on the plant. We have four barberries and they are all doing the same thing.
A: My guess is your shrubs have verticillium wilt. The bad new is there is no cure for this fungal disease. Heat and drought stress have weakend many plants. Take pictures of the leaves front and back and the entire plants to an independent garden center or nursery for an accurate ID. Do not replace them with the same plant Best Nancy
