Hi,

I recently planted (less than 3 weeks ago) some august beauty gardenias. Im in zone 8 Austin TX. The last few weeks have been abnormally cold ( many days in the 30s) and wet. Also my soil is pretty basic and clay rich, however I amended with topsoil and sulfur. My problem is three fold. Yellow leaves ( I assume from so much cold ). Also I have these black spots on the leaves which cant be washed away (not sooty mold.) Im thinking bacterial/fungal spots-- any thoughts about remedying this? Lastly in the second photo you can see some growth or lesion from pests? I don't know what to make of this but I can remove them by hand and so far are only on a few leaves. Thoughts about a permanent solution? Overall given this adverse start should I just remove them and try something more tolerant or is there something I can do now to ensure long term success of my plants. Lastly the plants are close to my house so they are shielded from extreme cold and winds.

Best,

Mick

PS- I hope I posted this to the right thread if not let me know and I can try the right one