I live in Austin, TX. I have a set of six cotoneaster shrubs in my front yard right next to each other. The middle two shrubs are suffering from some kind of affliction that I can't figure out. The leaves are falling off and the shrubs are sagging (they are cut at an angle so that the top juts out above the bottom). Fire blight appears to be a common problem with cotoneaster but I haven't noticed any of the symptoms, though I'm not sure that I would recognize them even if they were there. If I have to remove the middle two plants I'm going to have to take them all out. They sit under my main front window and it will look silly if there is a big gaping hole.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm going to have to act quickly or remove them and get something else in there.