"Spider" wrote in message
...

les wrote in message
...
I have a Pyracantha which I planted earlier this year. It is located in a
sunny position. The site is well drained and I have kept it well watered
during the dry weather. At first it seemed to be thriving. Masses of
flowers. However, it has now started to drop its leaves.

Can someone please advise me why this could be happening? Is there
anything
I can do to revive it?

Your advice would be appreciated.

Les



Hi Les,

This could be normal - evergreens do drop their leaves, but they tend to
do
it little by little over the summer, rather than lose all their leaves in
autumn as deciduous plants do. Another scenario, despite all your
watering,
could be drought stress. If this is the case then, so long as keep up
with
the watering, your shrub should start to make new leaf buds. However ...

If the defoliation you're seeing seems too severe for 'normal', then your
shrub may have Pyracantha Scab. (I have, incidentally, read Chris's
response, but doubt that Fireblight is to blame. This disease causes
branches and leaves to have a burnt appearance - hence the name. With
Fireblight, the 'burnt' leaves stay on the branch.) Back to Pyracantha
Scab: check your plant and any fallen leaves for signs of
blackish/brownish
spotting. If you do find P'Scab, which is a fungal disease, it's
important
that you clear all fallen leaves from the ground. Have a word with your
local garden centre, who should be able to suggest an appropriate spray.
In
the meantime, if your plant has made any flowers/berries, check these for
signs of the disease and cut out any affected material.

Spider


Thanks for your comments Spider. The leaves do not show signs of black/brown
spots so I must assume at this stage that it is the underwatering that is
causing the problem. The site is actually on the highest part of the garden
and so drains very quickly. I have increased the volume and frequency of the
watering and will see if that solves the problem. Thanks once again,

Les