Garden plants dying - fungal disease? - Ask Extension
Hello. I live in Portland. This past fall, I planted a hydrangea and a daphne in my front yard. I mulched the bed with free wood chips from a PGE rece...
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Garden plants dying - fungal disease? #924431
Asked February 10, 2026, 3:32 PM EST
Hello. I live in Portland. This past fall, I planted a hydrangea and a daphne in my front yard. I mulched the bed with free wood chips from a PGE recent tree trimming in my neighborhood. Now, the hydrangea’s leaves are brown and stunted, the Daphne leaves are wilting, and the Daphne has not bloomed, even though all the other Daphne plants in my neighborhood are. Are these plants doomed? What can I do? The other plants I put in at the same time are doing fine, even another type of hydrangea. I used the same mulch on all of them.
Multnomah County Oregon
Expert Response
Hi Katie,
Thank you for using Ask Extension.
I'm not that worried about the hydrangea because it is deciduous and should lose its leaves. However, I would make sure that the mulch is not around the crown of the plant. What I mean is that the mulch should be 5-6 inches away from where the stems emerge from the ground. this should be done for any woody plants you have mulched around.
The daphne, looks dehydrated. We had a really dry end of January and it may be counterintuitive but you may still need to water the daphne during the winter as it is still establishing itself. I do see it is ready to bloom and it looks like it is sending out new shoots in addition to the blooms.
Thank you for using Ask Extension.
I'm not that worried about the hydrangea because it is deciduous and should lose its leaves. However, I would make sure that the mulch is not around the crown of the plant. What I mean is that the mulch should be 5-6 inches away from where the stems emerge from the ground. this should be done for any woody plants you have mulched around.
The daphne, looks dehydrated. We had a really dry end of January and it may be counterintuitive but you may still need to water the daphne during the winter as it is still establishing itself. I do see it is ready to bloom and it looks like it is sending out new shoots in addition to the blooms.
