A couple weeks ago, I planted two Amethyst Beautyberry bushes. Bought from the same place, planted on the same day, treated the same with regard to water & light. The beds out front were built & amended the same.

The bush to the right of the door is still very pretty:


The bush to the left of the door, however, started turning brown this week. Now it is almost completely brown except for the tip of one branch:

I don't know if you can see it very well, but even the berries are starting to die!

Any thoughts on causes and/or solutions?

Thanks!

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http://myndfulmeanderings.blogspot.com

I've never heard it called that - the scientific name is callicarpa.

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http://myndfulmeanderings.blogspot.com

Well, I figured it out...I think. RugbyHukr, you were right, I planted it improperly.

I dug it up on Friday night - it was completely root-bound. I had thought that I loosened the roots enough, but apparently not. So, I spent about 15 minutes with the little 3-prong hand rake, loosening roots and getting PACKED dirt out from between them.

The bush is replanted now, but I ended up chopping it back to 3-4" stubs to try and save it. Not supposed to do that until after the berries fall off in late winter, but oh well...

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http://myndfulmeanderings.blogspot.com