Q: I have 5 Little Richard abelias that look mighty sick. They were planted in November of 2007 and looked great up until a few months ago. As you can see by the pictures there are no leaves in the middle of the plant. It looks like they grew about 18 inches with no leaves whatsoever.

Are they dying?

A: I’m reassured because there are leaves on the branch tips. I don’t know why it lost leaves in the center. Maybe it had to do with trying to get established during the heat of 2008. Nonetheless, I think they will recover and grow new leaves in the middle this spring.