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Poorly Spiraea query/Fireblight:
Elothir
Posts: 94
Hello,
I have a poorly Spiraea (unfortunately no photos as the camera battery appears to be dead) and I just wanted to check with anyone more knowledgeable about it.
The Spiraea in question was cut back very hard a few months ago as, having been swamped by various other plants for the better part of a decade it had a lot of dead stems and those that were alive were very weak and spindly. It began to put on some healthy new growth and started flowering last week. It is only today (after several days of rain) that this appears to have manifested.
The symptoms are blossoms turning an odd brown, possibly heading towards black, whilst leaves are turning black, almost looking like they were rotting on the plant (but that 'rotting' appearance may just be due to the rain we've had).
There was a Calendula nearby that had been blown over with the rain/wind and fallen across one part of the affect area, and the leaves were similarly black but whether that was from a disease or just staining from the breaking down Spiraea leaves I do not know.
Having looking online I've of course come across Fireblight, but there seems to be a bit of disagreement about exactly what plants are affected by Fireblight, with some places saying Spiraea are, whilst others (including the RHS) making no mention of it in relation to Spiraea and saying it chiefly (or only) affects Rose family members that produce fleshy fruits (apples etc).
My concern is if it's possible for it to be Fireblight (and therefore whether it should be removed to prevent possible risk to some plants that definitely are affected by Fireblight) or or if I should leave it and see if it recovers.
I have a poorly Spiraea (unfortunately no photos as the camera battery appears to be dead) and I just wanted to check with anyone more knowledgeable about it.
The Spiraea in question was cut back very hard a few months ago as, having been swamped by various other plants for the better part of a decade it had a lot of dead stems and those that were alive were very weak and spindly. It began to put on some healthy new growth and started flowering last week. It is only today (after several days of rain) that this appears to have manifested.
The symptoms are blossoms turning an odd brown, possibly heading towards black, whilst leaves are turning black, almost looking like they were rotting on the plant (but that 'rotting' appearance may just be due to the rain we've had).
There was a Calendula nearby that had been blown over with the rain/wind and fallen across one part of the affect area, and the leaves were similarly black but whether that was from a disease or just staining from the breaking down Spiraea leaves I do not know.
Having looking online I've of course come across Fireblight, but there seems to be a bit of disagreement about exactly what plants are affected by Fireblight, with some places saying Spiraea are, whilst others (including the RHS) making no mention of it in relation to Spiraea and saying it chiefly (or only) affects Rose family members that produce fleshy fruits (apples etc).
My concern is if it's possible for it to be Fireblight (and therefore whether it should be removed to prevent possible risk to some plants that definitely are affected by Fireblight) or or if I should leave it and see if it recovers.
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