They appear to be over-watered.

Thanks Ricky!

If I may ask, what's the give-away here? Is the solution simply to stop watering altogether? Will these eventually spring back on their own, or am I at the point of no return?

Thanks again...

Droopy leaves. Native plants and trees don't need a lot of water. I would ease back and give them less than 1/4 of the water they're getting. See what happens.

Could the soil still be salty from the flood? They're very big for transplants and I'd imagine they'd need plenty of water when newly planted, even if drought resistant when established. So I'm not sure it's over watering.

Buttonwoods grow in the sand a few blocks away at the edge of the Gulf of Mexico; this species laughs at salt water.

I find it hard to believe they're over watered in that soil. Have you dug down and felt the moisture levels round the roots? They've only been in the ground a couple of weeks and plants need plenty of water when first transplanted. A regular, real soaking, not just drip irrigation.

Were they root bound? If so, did you rip/cut the root ball?

Hello-- No, they weren't root-bound when I pulled them out of the containers. I have spent 4-5 minutes watering each one; the ones that look drooping & wilted have been getting more water, and I have stopped watering those that don't look stressed or drooping. I'm hoping at this point that the first commenter is correct, in that native Florida plants don't require too much water, because this is a mystery. I planted buttonwoods a few years ago that I watered once upon initial planting and then forgot about them; they are doing fine now.

Hi again-- I have stopped watering these for a few days, though they still seem about the same. Attached are some closeup photos of the green buttonwoods that show brown spots and discoloration on the leaves. Can anything be determined (overwatering, underwatering) by virtue of these photos? Thanks once more.

My previous experience with buttonwoods has been to plant them, water them in once, and then forget about them. I have a few buttonwoods on my property that I planted @15 years ago; they've been through multiple hurricanes and salt water inundations, and they still look great. I can't figure out why I am having such problems with these new ones.

Anyway, here are a few more closeup photos of the new ones.

Continuing to watch these plants die in slow motion; this is beyond frustrating. I will gladly pay someone for advice as to what's going on, and how I can turn these bulletproof native plants around. Summary: I planted them 2-3 weeks ago, and while half are fine, about half have gone from bad to worse.

Here are some of the silver buttonwoods: