Dogwood Leaves Shriveling - Ask Extension
Several areas of our 3 year-old Dogwoods have branches where the leaves are shriveling up and dying. This has started happening over the past few wee...
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Dogwood Leaves Shriveling #934325
Asked June 05, 2026, 11:48 AM EDT
Several areas of our 3 year-old Dogwoods have branches where the leaves are shriveling up and dying. This has started happening over the past few weeks. Areas are scattered and not all on the same plant. I do not see any insects on the leaves or branches. All of the leaves on the affected branch are impacted but so far, not all branches on the same plant are affected. Wondering what the cause is and what the remedy is.
Hennepin County Minnesota
Expert Response
The damage to your dogwood looks to be primarily on one side that leads me to believe that this is from accidental herbicide drift.
Have you sprayed your grass lately or perhaps a neighbor has?
The affected areas should be pruned out because the herbicide is systemic and will travel down the branches to the rest of the plant. Prune out the affected areas and put in the trash. Do not compost them.
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/herbicide-damage-trees-and-shrubs/
