What’s Wrong With My Juneberry?

– Posted in: Pests, Plagues, and Varmints, Plant info
6 comments

They’re having a plant clinic over at Garden Rant, and I decided to submit the perplexing, premature leaf drop my ‘Autumn Brilliance’ Juneberry exhibits every year. The leaf drop was addressed in today’s clinic, but since they didn’t show all the images, I thought I’d share them here.

blooming Autumn Brilliance Juneberry

This is what my Juneberry looked like about a week ago

Juneberry leaves June 2008

By late June, some of the leaves show spots and the berries are starting to turn color

Juneberry early July 2007

By early July, some leaves are starting to turn yellow. They will soon drop.

Juneberry early August 2007 leaves

Here's what the leaves look like in early August

Juneberry Mid August 2007

By mid-August, the tree is about three-quarters defoliated.

So much for autumn brilliance, huh? Though I will concede that each leaf is brilliant before it falls, most of them are long gone before autumn. Sigh.
Landscape view of wild Juneberries

The native, wild-grown Juneberries hug the edge of the field.

The native Juneberries seem to prefer the edge of the field, where they have a western exposure, although there are some growing in full sun. I will try to remember to check the foliage of the wildlings as the season progresses, to see if they are all similarly afflicted.

About the Author

Kathy Purdy is a colchicum evangelist, converting unsuspecting gardeners into colchicophiles. She gardens in rural upstate NY, which used to be USDA Hardiness Zone 4 but is now Zone 5. Kathy’s been writing since 4th grade, gardening since high school, and blogging since 2002. Find her on Instagram as kopurdy.

What differentiates a bulb from a perennial plant is that the nourishment for the flower is stored within the bulb itself.…There is something miraculous about the way that a little grenade of dried up tissue can explode into a complete flower.

~Monty Don in The Complete Gardener pp. 142

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VW April 28, 2010, 10:12 pm

I can’t help with the defoliation problem, but I’m chuckling over your quote about the three deceased rocks in the garden. Thank heaven SOMETHING is immune to pests and death. Although I suppose rocks that wear away from the elements can ‘die’ when they’re all the way gone . . .
.-= VW´s last blog ..April in Spokane and Progress on Front Makeover =-.

Jean April 28, 2010, 6:13 pm

What a shame as it’s such a pretty little tree when in bloom. I’ve never seen those trees down here so have no experience with them. I hope you find out what it is.

Window On The Prairie April 28, 2010, 5:25 pm

Judging by the brown spots on the leaves, I would say it’s some sort of fungus. You might check with your local Extension agent. They can be a lot of help with things like this.
Suzanne
.-= Window On The Prairie´s last blog ..Six Hours In Omaha =-.

commonweeder April 28, 2010, 8:32 am

I don’t know anything about serviceberries yet, including where to plant them. After I got tiny seedlings from the Conservation District last year I found they are deer candy – so putting them next to the Potager is not a good idea. But I am going to have to find a safe location soon.
.-= commonweeder´s last blog ..Perfectly Pink =-.

Benjamin April 27, 2010, 4:17 pm

This isn’t apple-cedar rust is it? I have several servicberries and worry about their proximity to eastern red cedars, which each spring show large orange gulls ful of spores that may, some day, attach the serviceberries. Hope not. Maybe I’m way off here.
.-= Benjamin´s last blog ..Exhibit A-Z for Not Having Lawn =-.