For two years my hardy hibiscus had showstopper blossoms.
This spring it started to grow, but as soon as the leaves started to appear, there were tiny holes in them (bugs??) Then quickly the leaves fell apart and fell off, then the branches weakened and collapsed. What happened to it?
Answer
It is difficult to determine with certainty why a plant dies afterward and not seeing it during the process. However there are some signs that are useful in speculating on the cause of the plants demise.
Tiny holes in the fresh leaves can be caused by bugs or a spray of weed killer. The bugs wouldn't affect the stems and the eventual collapse of the plant. Weed killer could cause the total collapse of the plant, but it would take some time for this to happen. I suspect that the problemmay have started in the roots. They may have been very wet and as a result oxygen was cut off to the roots and they collapsed first. Fungus or disease would have a similar result.