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I'm a hobbyist gardener and totally new to this craft of botany, so need some expert help here.

Last month on 15th November, I bought these Golden Duranta Plants from a nursery nearby which were about two months old. The idea was to plant these into containers once they grew up a bit.

But unfortunately, the very next day I had to leave out of town due to a family emergency. I was expected to be away for about 10-15 days but considering that Duranta are supposed to be drought resistant, I thought they'll survive this period without watering. However, I hadn't counted on the unexpected stormy rainfall that fell in my town for almost one whole evening. I came back today (on 10th December) and the plants were in this state:

Plant ONE Plant TWO Plant THREE

I'm still not sure whether they're under or over watered but my theory is that the unexpected heavy rain is what caused this. Is there a slight chance that these little plants can be revived from this state by putting them in full sunlight?

If it matters, I stay in western India which is a tropical region but currently undergoing winter season (avg. temperature is 21 degrees Celsius).

Prahlad Yeri
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This is a drought problem, or it was. Whilst these plants are fairly drought resistant, that refers to when they're planted, established and growing in the ground, but in pots, they need regular watering, as all containerised plants do.

They do not tolerate temperatures below 4 deg C, but otherwise will survive cooler season temperatures outdoors, though they may die back to the ground if it's particularly cool. If you have moved them indoors, put them back outside if temperatures are appropriate; keep them watered as necessary, and wait a while, because with luck, perhaps the roots did not completely dry out and are not dead. You will need to cut them back if you notice growth near the base of the branches, but none appears higher up, near the tops, so after a couple of weeks, prune them back to where any growth is showing, if it does. If no growth at all occurs by spring, then unfortunately, they are probably dead.

Bamboo
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  • Thanks @Bamboo. What about the wilted leaves? Should I let them be or remove them from the plants? I also have the option of repotting them to larger containers, should I do that? – Prahlad Yeri Dec 10 '21 at 14:17
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    I'd wait a bit to pot on into larger containers, until you know whether they're dead or not The shrivelled leaves should fall off on their own, but you can certainly reduce the branches, cutting them by a quarter or so, now if you like. If they're dead looking inside, they;ve died back, but if they're greenish inside, still alive. – Bamboo Dec 10 '21 at 14:46