You may recall when they were ravaged by mushroom root rot. Out of 9 original hydrangea, 6 of them survived the mushrooms only to be ravaged by something called cercospora leaf spot which also hitched a ride here from the nursery. The fungus doesn't have the decency to just kill the plants, it keeps them in this semi-weakened form where they are 1/2 yellow, 1/2 green and will not thrive or flower in the spring. The disease attacks the bottom leaves, and not matter how many I ctu off, there always new bottom leaves to get spotted, turn yellow, wither away and die. I'm advised to get a high nitrogen fungicide to kill the spores. I really feel like I'm in a bad relationship with my hydrangeas. We both know it's not working; we've grown apart but no one has the courage to just call it quits.
I'm not ready to break up just yet, though. I'm going to get the fungicide. We've fought through mushroom root rot and ravenous slugs, surely we can beat this leaf spot together. But if we can't, I will have ot put on my Dereon jeans, 6 inch stillettos and sing to those hydrangeas: "You must not know 'bout me/ You must not know 'bout me/ I could have another shrub by tomorrow/ so don't you ever for a second get to thinkin'/ you're irreplaceable...."
Witness the slow and dramatic death of a hydrangea with cercospora leaf spot.
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