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My bottlebrush is dying!!!

vickiebrettvickiebrett Posts: 3
in Problem solving
I have been poorly for a few months and not looking after my garden. 
I've gone out today and almost everything is dying or looking really sick. 
I have 4 bottlebrush plants and they are what I'm most bothered about. 2 of them are well established shrub types and survived a house move 2 years ago, 2 are new this year and are the tree-type. 
All of them look sick and the biggest and worst effected has black, mildew-like spots and some brown, dying leaves. The others all have less noticeable black spots.
Can they be saved? What should I do??
I'm guessing it's something to do with the large amount of rainfall the last few months. The majority of my plants of differing species look similar.
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  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze I garden in South Notts on an improved clay soil Posts: 3,134
    edited 2 January
    @vickiebrett These plants are native to Australia. Here in the south midlands it would not survive the winter. Further south it is possible to grow them successfully but as soon as we have a cold spell say four five nights of minus 5 degrees you will have problems and plant loss.
    The spotting on the leaves could be the result of wet conditions as you mention.
    Plants that are from the southern hemisphere will suffer or die here in a cold spell.
    Recent warmer winters have encouraged people to grow plants that are less hardy but at present this still comes with a risk. Welcome to the forum.
    The most serious gardening I do would seem very strange to an onlooker,for it involves hours of walking round in circles,apparently doing nothing. Helen Dillon.
  • vickiebrettvickiebrett Posts: 3
    Thanks. So you don't think I can save them? I've had this large one for over 10 years! 
    My Camellia, cordyline and ceanothus have all done similar.
  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 730
    There are lots of bottlebrushes around me in Norwich and many have been there a very long time. I tend to think of them exactly as gardensuze describes and hardy only down to -5c or so. 

    The leaves are reminiscent of what I used to see on my eucalyptus and it was winter damage where they would be shed. Don't be disheartened if the top dies back as they can sometimes come back sprouting from the base. 

    Cordyline and ceonothus are also not 100% hardy in the uk but will survive most winters (different ceonothus have slightly different hardiness). Cordyline can be cut back by the cold and they often resprout from the base.  

    Camellia are hardier but can suffer from frost damage causing blackened foliage and flower buds.
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze I garden in South Notts on an improved clay soil Posts: 3,134
    edited 2 January
    @vickiebrettI am assuming you live in the south of the country. Do you have clay soil wet in winter dry in summer?
    Someone was writing on another post that the buds on their Camellia had blackened which is not a good sign for flowering also your microclimate plays a part too.  Camellias are hardy.
    I have never seen dark spots on cordyline if they are unhappy and cold they loose leaves.
    I can recall ceanothus disappearing completely locally years ago in one very cold winter but we haven't had it as cold as it was then. Sometimes ceanothus just get old and give up but depending on the weather during the next few months they will  generally come through.
    I don't think there is alot you can do at present with mature plants in the garden it is a case of wait and see. Plants in pots get some protection next to a wall and pot feet or bricks underneath helps with air flow.
        
    The most serious gardening I do would seem very strange to an onlooker,for it involves hours of walking round in circles,apparently doing nothing. Helen Dillon.
  • vickiebrettvickiebrett Posts: 3
    I'm in the North West! 
    My poor plants. I must have just been lucky until now 😪
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze I garden in South Notts on an improved clay soil Posts: 3,134
    @vickiebrett Don't loose heart it is all part of gardening.  I hope all your plants will be fine in the spring, it is a matter of patience for now. If not it is an opportunity to try something new. Plenty of help here if you have new ideas and you are not sure what to do. Suze 
    The most serious gardening I do would seem very strange to an onlooker,for it involves hours of walking round in circles,apparently doing nothing. Helen Dillon.
  • KT53KT53 GloucestershirePosts: 7,561
    I suspect there will be lots of gaps in gardens in the Spring.  The extreme cold will have killed many plants which have survived for several years in gardens.  I'm in Gloucestershire and have had a bottlebrush growing away merrily for the last 10 years.  I'll be amazed if it's still alive.
  • punkdocpunkdoc Sheffield, Derbyshire border.Posts: 13,027
    They are surviving fine in Sheffield Botanical Gardens, have been there many years. However I killed mine in Sheffield, but I am half way up the Moors.
    There are ashtrays of emulsion,
    for the fag ends of the aristocracy.
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze I garden in South Notts on an improved clay soil Posts: 3,134
    edited 3 January
    I think microclimate plays a big part. I grow Melianthus Major at the base of a south west facing wall, it has been hit hard but on close inspection it is ok at the moment.
    I am thankful every year it comes through but it is the only place in my garden that it stands any chance of survival over winter. I grew it from a root cutting and it has been fine for five years another case of wait and see. 
    The most serious gardening I do would seem very strange to an onlooker,for it involves hours of walking round in circles,apparently doing nothing. Helen Dillon.
  • punkdocpunkdoc Sheffield, Derbyshire border.Posts: 13,027
    I dig my Melianthus up every winter and put it in a pot in a cold g/h. Never had the nerve to leave it out all winter.
    There are ashtrays of emulsion,
    for the fag ends of the aristocracy.
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