# My Oleander Is Losing Leaves
Oleanders (Nerium oleander) are 8- to 12-foot-tall shrubs grown for their flowers and their adaptability to nearly all growing zones. The evergreen plants have low water requirement and thrive in full sun. Oleanders start to lose leaves when infected with a bacterial disease.
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Identification
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Oleander leaf scorch is a bacterial disease of oleanders caused by Xylella fastidiosa. The disease primarily spreads by insects such as sharpshooters. The insects feed on the plant's tissues and transfer the bacterium. Infected plants die within 3 to 5 years.
Symptoms
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The disease is more prevalent during warm spring and summer weather. Initial symptoms include the yellowing of foliage on some branches, starting with leaf margins, followed by eventual death. As disease progresses, it spreads throughout the plant. Infected plants do not recover, since the bacteria clog the water-transmitting tissues in the plant.
Management
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There is no cure for oleander leaf scorch. Prune all affected plants to slow the spread of the disease, and use resistant varieties. Removing the entire infected plant early is often the best strategy, as this minimizes the spread of disease to other landscape plants via insects.
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