What's happening to my spotted laurel?

[superoz]

I bought this spotted laurel 3 weeks ago and the leaves are starting to get some black spots on them. Is it root stress?

This was a replacement as I had a larger version of the same plant last year, but it started to wilt in the autumn and the leaves turned all black and it died in the spring.

I really want to avoid killing off another plant! There's not much there at the moment but I need to get in there early (paranoid this one is going to die).
Please can somebody help me save it?

It's difficult to imagine with the Summer we've been having so far, but could the area be too wet?

Have a look at this, if you haven't already:

www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=314

The alternative explanation that the RHS gives is phytophthora root rot. What did the roots look like on the plant you replaced? Did you put the new plant in the exact same location? That would be a problem if there is some kind of fungus in the soil.

I thought the last one died because it was a very wet area - porch drainpipe empties into this area and water often pools there when raining. But it's hardly rained the last couple of weeks, and I've given it a sprinkling of water every couple of days.
I do wonder if it was phytophora, the whole plant became black including most of the roots. It is in the same spot - is it too late to move it?