One of my azaleas has gone brown and withered all up. The Rhodo directly behind it has brown areas on some of the leaves and some have fallen off. Is this just winter damage, or is it a fungus? The azalea had some reddish areas last fall, and I dusted it with a fungicide, just in case.
azalea will lose the leaves over winter, so the withered/dry leaves shouldn't be all that much of an issue as new ones should be budding out soon. the rhody, on the other hand, does look as if something is wrong with it. doesn't quite look like weather-related damage. i think you are right that there's some kind of fungus going on. if there is some kind of fungus/rust issue, then the azalea may, indeed, be a goner...only time will tell. the rhody certainly looks like it's treatable. i don't grow either bush, so i could be way off. before treating with anything, please wait for others to comment.
It's probably not a coincidence that both the rhododendron and the azalea growing near one another in the same spot are damaged. I'd start by popping the azalea out and inspecting its roots and rooting environment. Perhaps you will find, for instance that the shrubs are sitting in smelly soggy soil. As the roots go, so goes the top.
