I have several bushes surrounding my home in Rifle, CO. There are a few Mountain Mahogany and a few New Mexico Privet bushes. The research I have done on them tells me that these are supposed to be drought-tolerant and very hardy bushes. We purchased this property just under 3 years ago and the bushes were thriving, even up into last Fall. The Mahogany bushes are evergreens and the Privets are deciduous. I anticipated the regrowth of the leaves on my privets this Spring, but found one bush that seems to have died over the winter. Only a few select branches on it have a few leaves on them. I'm wondering if I can discover what has caused this and should I cut out the seemingly dead bush? I'm afraid that it may be a pathogen that will spread to my other bushes. Or, is it something that will pass and perhaps this bush will come back eventually? Please help me. As a secondary concern, one of my Mountain Mahogany bushes is also showing the beginning signs of deterioration. It happens to be right next to the privet that has not leafed out. It has a branch on it where the leaves have turned orange and brown and it looks as if it is a dying branch. I thank you for any advice you can give me.