Topic: Flowering Currant dying

[Kea]

I came back from holiday to find my flowering currant dying. I grew it from a cutting I took from one at a place we used to rent, I have several others. It's a particularly beautiful one when in flower I've never seen another to match it big grape like bunches of flowers (dark pink-carmine). At first i blamed the neighbour as he's obsessive about his lawn and this is very close to the fence. People putting liberal quantities of lawn treatment on which contains some serious weedkillers often take out their own shrubs with them (my other neighbour seems to have done that to his Cotinus (though I'm betting he blames me but i don't use weedkillers ). However the neighbour nearest the currant says he hasn't used any weed killers on his back garden.
I've looked for honey fungus which Currants are very susceptible to but can't see anything.
The horse chestnuts nearby are affected by that canker that is spreading through the country (sadly) I wondered if my currant could also be affected by that?

[PurpleHeather]

I had one that was blooming beautifully and then it just died, no reason.

We cut it back leaving the roots in and next year it started to grow again.

[kenkew]

I had one that was blooming beautifully and then it just died, no reason.

We cut it back leaving the roots in and next year it started to grow again.

That was a good move, PH.
 Cutting back to a couple of inches above ground and burning what you remove will give the plant the best possible chance. Now is the perfect time to do it.

[Kea]

Yes that is what I'm doing.
Wiping your secateurs etc with disinfectant afterwards is a good idea.
There are still some live buds on my nearly dead bush.

[PurpleHeather]

It was many years ago, we have since redesigned the garden and no longer have flowering currants.

But I am sure that about that time I read that the species, out grows it's self dies off and comes back.  Nothing to do with bugs or disease. Just nature's way.

[Kea]

There is an article in GW mag this month about Honey Fungus but i still can't find any fungus on my dying currant still not convinced the neighbour hasn't killed it with lawn weedkiller.

Even if I dig it out I'm not going to get all the roots out so the rose next to it, another susceptible species, could still catch it. If it was actually weedkiller it might revive in the spring. So I guess I'll risk it and just cut back the dead wood.