Indian Hawtorne Year Around Yellow Leaves

Question: My Indian Hawhtorne plants/shrubs have direct sunlight and throughout the year have yellowing leaves.  Are you able to diagnose what might cause this? Improper care that I can correct? A plant fungus or virus?  Pests but only a minimal number and small leaves have signs of eating around the outside edges and not those that yellow?   Thank you,

responder: Ed Olsen  Replied July 06, 2023, 4:14 PM EDT
response: This looks like Skip Laurel not Indian Hawthorn to me from the image.    The picture of the plant does not show any leaf spotting on the green leaves.  So I do not think the plant has any foliar disease.  Many of our plants are stressed due to the recent mini-drought that we had after a wonderful moist spring.  In the picture of the plants it appears that it is the older leaves that are yellowing.  It is likely that the plants are just responding to the dryness that we have had.    There does appear to be some insect feeding damage on the plants.  I only see the damage on the older leaves, not the newer ones, so it appears that they are done feeding for the year.    You can read more about weevils here: https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/444/444-210/ENTO-354.pdf  .  And put on your calendar for 2024 to treat the plants either systemically (April or May) or with contact insecticides in mid-June.

responder: The Question Asker Replied July 06, 2023, 5:19 PM EDT
response: HiThank you such a helpful and informative reply....I looked up Skip Laurel and the pictures do look just like the plants we have !  The original invoice from the landscaper says Indian Hawthorne!  A little discouraging as I read the Skip Laurel is more a partial sun/shade shrub where the IH is okay with direct sun and was supposed to be a good fit. The the front of our home has sourthern exposure.  I wonder if that is impacting the shrubs leaf habits.  I've seen some smaller young leaves that turn yellow but perhaps as you described mostly the larger so assume mature leaves that turn yellow. I will on occassion see a min-flurry of yellow leaves on 1 or another bush but again, may be some environmental causes (warm/dry periods?)  I have an underground drip irrigation system but have been watering less due our having some  rain spells in prior weeks.  Though again, it has been more sporatic and sometimes not so wet.  We do get some scattered showers in the City  so it seems over all we've had good natural rain.  I will start to schedule again watering once a week for 20 minutes in this planter area and limit more if we do have wet weather. We had a very hard down=pour in the Fan area today but my wife says it was dry in western Henrico?  I have a few more pictures I am attaching as it is periodic there are more leaves that turn yellow at a time but the plants do seem to continue to grow slowly throughout?  Again thank you.Regards,David    On Thursday, July 6, 2023 at 04:14:29 PM EDT, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

responder: Ed Olsen  Replied July 07, 2023, 8:46 AM EDT
response: Again, for the most part I do not see any spotting on the foliage.  However, in the latest round of pictures you have 2 pictures of leaves with the holes in the middle, not on the edge.  The notches on the sides are from the black vine weevil I mentioned early.  The pictures with the circular holes indicates shot hole fungus.  Here is some information about that.  https://extension.umd.edu/resource/cherry-shot-hole-disease  I couldn't comment on the amount of time for the drip zone.  All irrigations systems are different.  Just check next to a plant an hour or so after water and see how deep it penetrates.