Are these plants dead?

[WeeMadArthur1]

The red robin has started looking a bit sparse and the leaves are drooping. It's been there for years and the only thing that's changed is the cats sometimes do their business near it. Would that affect it? Is there any way I can perk it up again?

The rhododendron has been in this state for about five years, it never dies completely but is just one stem with these leaves at the end. It never seems to either grow or die. Any ideas?

First one I'd say just needs a good watering?

The second I'd say also needs watering but probably isn't growing in acid soil. Pot it up in a container with ericaceous compost.

To add to the watering them, try mulching them to help them retain moisture.

They both hate alkaline soil - so if that's what yours is you'd be best off moving them into containers filled with ericaceous compost.

Thank you. I hadn't realised red robins needed acid soil as well, it's been there for years. I think that one is far too big for me to dig up and put into a pot but I'll get some ericaceous feed and lots of watering and see if that helps.

The rhododendron is small enough to pot as it hasn't grown at all in years!

The Photinia “Red Robin” is not showing the usual signs of suffering in an alkaline soil,which is yellowing of the leaves, caused be the iron in an alkaline soil not being as easily available for uptake.

I’d be considering some sort of fungal disease, so I would cut back all the unhealthy stuff into healthy wood, and clean mysecateurs afterwards to avoid spreading to another plant.

There’s not much scope for cutting back the rhodo, so apply a feed with sequestered iron and keep your fingers crossed.