deep frost or freeze after budding out in spring.. on the former ... and yes.. it can 'get' just one.. of a bunch...

drought and heat .. improper watering.. or just a bad root system .. on the latter ... really dont know what was going on in the root mass.. presuming you did not bare root them at planting ... you might find out.. when you rip it out.. and look ...

that said.. 24 out of 26 sounds like a pretty good success rate ... i would not be bummed about such ...

ken

No spring frost, very warm winter. Water 6-7 days, slow drip, deep soak. Dug out and roots were strong. Could there be a insect that could girdle the stem?

All of our bushes show some kind of damage. This is the worst with only 1/4 of the bark intact. Does this look like a borer or vole damage? I am trying to decide if I should dig them up and return them and buy new, healthy ones. I will lose almost a year of growth but the planted oens may grow slower because of the missing bark than a healthy new plant. What do you think?

opps...here is the picture