Hi, 

We are having a difficult time determining what species the shrub is. Do you happen to know? Or if not, could you take a clearer photo closer to the plant and leaves so we can see the arrangement? 

Regardless of the species, you can look at the base of the shrub, see if you notice any gnawing marks around the trunk or root area. Maybe voles have started to girdle the trunk and are causing top growth dieback. Is it mulched too deeply? If so you can pull back some of the mulch and expose some of the base/ root flare- where the roots extend out into the soil from the trunk of the plant- to help with oxygen exchange in the trunk and soil and prevent any wood rot conditions along the trunk.

You can start to prune out the dead or dying branches but that may leave the shrubs looking pretty sparse. You could also try a revitalization or renewal pruning where you can prune back most of the branches leaving about 2 feet of them from the ground. Depending on the species the shrub could regrow. If these options are too drastic looking for the location of the shrubs, you may want to remove them and plant something that will thrive better in that planting environment and one that you do not need to prune to keep its mature size within the space. 

Consistently shearing shrubs can stress plants by removing only the outer growth of the branches, stimulating the plant to put out new growth and causing a dense outer leaf growth. This blocks sunlight from getting to the inner branches and causes them to have dead stems and no interior leaf growth. When plants have die back to the branches like this, then they look sparse and sometimes cannot recover if you have to prune out those dead branches. 

Let us know if you know the type of shrub or feel free to attach additional photos to your replay message. 

Emily

Hello Vicki,

Thank you for the added photos. Unfortunately we have limited information on the diseases privet can contract since they are an invasive plant in our region. There is a nearly-microscopic mite which can feed on foliage and cause leaf drop, and at least one leaf spot disease that can do the same, though in this case we're not convinced the shrubs have either condition currently, based on the photos. (Some leaf damage, presumably from a leaf spot pathogen, is present, but it does not look extensive.) Our plant pathologist notes that privet also sometimes suffer from root decline (which can also contribute to leaf loss and branch dieback), though we are uncertain as to the likely cause.

Did anything happen to keep the root zone of the shrubs wetter than in prior years? Such as a redirected roof downspout outlet, or change in drainage? Did any digging happen in the area, like utility work or a repaved sidewalk, in the past year or two? Did the planting get monitored for watering needs during last year's prolonged drought? These are all possibilities for root decline -- being too wet or too dry for a period, or physical injury.

If you do not want to replace the plants yet, you can try the rejuvenation pruning technique that Emily mentioned. Prune the entire planting back to around 1-2 feet off the ground and wait for regrowth. If the root system is vigorous and healthy enough, privet tends to regrow well; if it isn't, then it probably won't regrow well, which would indicate the need for replacement.

A fungicide is not recommended, both because we can't confirm a fungus is responsible, they can't cure existing infection, they don't always work completely, and they might risk harm to beneficial insects or other organisms. Similarly, a miticide to kill any mites present is also not warranted at this point. If you do the pruning, that would immediately remove the majority of both issues anyway, if they are indeed present. Going forward, if regrowth looks good, monitor the area for watering needs depending on the weather; feel the soil about six inches deep and if it becomes somewhat dry to the touch at that depth, then a thorough watering would probably benefit the plants.

Miri