Skimmia Problem

My poor Skimmia's leaves all have yellowing edges. Does anyone know what could be causing it and how to treat it?

Here's another view.

Move to zone 8?

Resin

Very funny, Resin. It's rated for zone 6. It did not have this condition last winter which was about as warm as this one. I first noticed that it had some yellowing at ground level in the summer and posted a thread here and the only reply I received was that it might be sun damage. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/868366/

Here is it's mate about 4' away.

My books only rate it zone 7 at best. Variations in coldness from one winter to another can have very different effects, and also affect different individuals differently. Sorry, but it looks to me very much like frostburn on your first plant.

Resin

Thanks, Resin, It very well could be. We've had wild temperature swings, maybe that is affecting it. The other one is closer to the house. I have started using Wilt-pruf on my broadleaf evergreen shrubs. It is a transpirant. I did not use it on anything that had buds about to open, because that might break the seal. Maybe I'll use it now to try to prevent further damage. In the spring, I may move the Skimmia closer to the wall.

I'll tell you what happened to my skimmia when it started to stress and look like yours. It was infested with a white fuzzy covered aphid or similar soft bodied bug. Look inside the bush close to the ground on the stems once the weather gets a little warmer. They are easy to spot. Actually, you could probably see skeletons in winter. Though probably this isn't your problem, it is something to look out for. You are only one state over from me.
My skimmia were beautiful like your perfect specimen and I was going to buy more. But now, they live here and they have never been the same.

Loretta, Thanks, I will look. The snow just melted. I had to look your town up. You're about 2 hours NE of me. What zone are you in? I know that you get more of the maritine influence. I'm just adjacent to Valley Forge National Park & King of Prussia.

This is my day for posting with Jersey Girls. Two new ones just posted on the Mid-Atlantic roll call. If you haven't ever done it, you should. Mary

Stormyla, I looked it up and the daytime average temperature for January this year (around here) was about 8 degrees F colder than last year. December and February were a little colder this winter, too, with a lot of wind when the ground was frozen. I work outdoors (usually) and I remember a couple weeks of t-shirt weather last January!

http://www.weather.gov/climate/index.php?wfo=phi

Hi Mary. I use to be zone 6 but now they say 6-7. I guess that would make our zones the same. I will check out the Mid-Atlantic roll call. Thanks.

As for those little fuzzy brats, this past year, they seem to come under some control. I had quite a lot of ladybugs and other beneficials in the yard and they did wonderful things for me. So I have hope for my skimmia again.

Hi Claypa, Yes, it has definitely been colder this year. The cold days were also more windy. Is your ground still frozen? Mine felt very spongey today.
It's odd, the Skimmias never had that dreadful frozen look that the Rhodos, Azaleas and Daphnes did. They look fine now, except some of the newer Azaleas look weather worn. The Skimmias don 't look much different than they did in the photos here.

Loretta, that's great news about those pesky aphids. Even though I'm much further south, my area has never been considered zone 7, as this is at least 60 to 70 miles west of you, on the other side of the Delaware River. The weather on either side of the river is different. It's colder and less sunny on my side, also more snow and less ice.

Claypa, here's a photo for you from Super Bowl Sunday in the Poconos.

Still frozen solid in the back yard where it's shaded, but I don't know how deep it is. That snow looks a lot neater than what we've gotten this year! I've seen some winter damage on some rhodies and azaleas, nothing major though. Except when the piggies show up...

Claypa, I still have some icy snow patches in some of my shade areas. What a wierd storm pattern it was. That photo above is a lake. Did you see the canoes?

Your Piggie photo is great. It's amazing how close you can get to them around here. It's like they are tolerating us clunking around in their dining rooms. Sometimes, they don't even look up when I pass by.