Darn! My sambucus up and died!

2 years ago

So last year I bought a Lemon(y) Lace sambucus. It was small but overwintered well and actually this year, put on quite a bit of height, reaching about 4 feet tall, even if it was kind of scrawny width-wise.

Was out in the garden today after missing some time out there, and suddenly I noticed the whole thing is brown, dead, and wilting. There is part of one branch that is green, but still wilted and drooping.

I thought it might be those darn voles, but I went and pulled on the plant and it seemed fairly well rooted.

Any idea what could have happened? We have had a lot of rain, and some strong winds lately, but the garden does not flood and it's not knocked over (like several other things in my garden are!). It IS surrounded on one side by lots of reseeded rudbeckia triloba, but I can't see that doing anything so drastic and so suddenly.

Also, if the roots still seem solid, can I cut this back and get regrowth? I've never grown this before so I'm not sure.

Thanks,

Dee

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Comments (5)

diggerdee zone 6 CT
Original Author
2 years ago
No ideas on what happened?

:)

Dee
pennlake
2 years ago
I had a yellow sambucus, not sure the variety, do something similar. It finally died out. I also had an Asian maple in proximity doing great and suddenly give up the ghost early summer. I never had anything tested but wondered if it was verticillium wilt.
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diggerdee zone 6 CT
Original Author
2 years ago
Thanks pennlake. I just did a very quick bit of research and I'm guessing I should NOT try to replant a sambucus here. Darn.

:)

Dee
laceyvail 6A, WV
2 years ago
It's baffling and infuriating when this happens with any plant. Last spring my Agastache 'Blue Blazes' was coming on beautifully. I took 5 stems to root and shortly afterward the mother plant began to wilt and slowly die. Four of the 5 cuttings took and are now beautiful plants, but I still have no idea why the original plant died. Yes, I know these are often short lived plants, but that's not what was happening here.
diggerdee zone 6 CT
Original Author
2 years ago
Yeah, laceyvail, it is indeed baffling and infuriating! I suppose there IS a cause but darned if I know what it is. I suppose I could send a sample off to the ag extension but I probably won't lol. Life is too busy now. If I continue to have problems in this bed I guess I will have to look further into it.

:)

Dee

aka the Lazy Gardener lol