Can you tell us how to reverse this blight TY! - Ask Extension
Please help us identify the problem and solution —thank you!
Knowledgebase
Can you tell us how to reverse this blight TY! #870641
Asked May 29, 2024, 5:34 PM EDT
Please help us identify the problem and solution —thank you!
Collin County Texas
Expert Response
It would really help if you would ID the shrub.
Please tell us the name of the shrub.
Hi, Cathy,
Thank you for contacting the Dallas County Master Gardener Association help desk.
Thanks for sending the photo - what a lovely view!
From looking at the photo you sent, I believe you have a boxwood with a large dead spot. Boxwoods can suffer from a variety of illnesses, but your plant appears to have relatively healthy green foliage where there is foliage.
From winter storm Uri in 2021, we have had successive winters where we have had severe weather, i.e., multiple freezes in 2022 and 2023, coupled with severe heat and drought in the summers.
It is always difficult to diagnose plant illness from a photo alone, but my best guess is your boxwood has environmental damage, particularly since it is located up on a rise where there could be cold wind blowing over the small lake during a deep cold spell. Likely, the initial "insult" was cold or freeze damage, which was followed by extreme heat/drought the following summer and then on repeat, unfortunately.
You have two choices with the shrub, one of which is to replace it, of course. The other is to trim out the dead foliage, and wait for the shrub to fill in. Dead spots in boxwoods can completely fill in, although it usually requires two or more full years to see that growth. With the heavy rain we have had this spring in north Texas, your boxwood may respond to the pruning with growth. If not, you will need to take it out.
I lived in a home with considerable amount of boxwood hedges. Occasionally, a shrub in a hedge would be damaged, either from weather or other reasons. Contact from water with chlorine (from nearby pools or fountains) can cause severe die off within a few days. I lost a 12 foot hedge because the pool robot got stuck and sprayed it one afternoon while I was at work.
I would usually let a damaged boxwood grow back, but occasionally would replace a single shrub to keep a nice look overall.
To help rule out possible diseases in your shrub, here is an overview of boxwood plant diseases you can review as well as a nice, helpful article from the Toronto master gardeners about boxwoods and replacing a dead or damaged shrub in your hedge.
https://plantdiseasehandbook.tamu.edu/landscaping/shrubs/boxwood-2/
https://www.torontomastergardeners.ca/askagardener/boxwood-hedge-what-to-do-with-dead-section/
If you decide to replace, take a trimming from your boxwood (in a ziplock) to the nursery to ensure you get the right plant. There are lots of boxwoods!
Best luck with your boxwood.
Thank you for contacting the Dallas County Master Gardener Association help desk.
Thanks for sending the photo - what a lovely view!
From looking at the photo you sent, I believe you have a boxwood with a large dead spot. Boxwoods can suffer from a variety of illnesses, but your plant appears to have relatively healthy green foliage where there is foliage.
From winter storm Uri in 2021, we have had successive winters where we have had severe weather, i.e., multiple freezes in 2022 and 2023, coupled with severe heat and drought in the summers.
It is always difficult to diagnose plant illness from a photo alone, but my best guess is your boxwood has environmental damage, particularly since it is located up on a rise where there could be cold wind blowing over the small lake during a deep cold spell. Likely, the initial "insult" was cold or freeze damage, which was followed by extreme heat/drought the following summer and then on repeat, unfortunately.
You have two choices with the shrub, one of which is to replace it, of course. The other is to trim out the dead foliage, and wait for the shrub to fill in. Dead spots in boxwoods can completely fill in, although it usually requires two or more full years to see that growth. With the heavy rain we have had this spring in north Texas, your boxwood may respond to the pruning with growth. If not, you will need to take it out.
I lived in a home with considerable amount of boxwood hedges. Occasionally, a shrub in a hedge would be damaged, either from weather or other reasons. Contact from water with chlorine (from nearby pools or fountains) can cause severe die off within a few days. I lost a 12 foot hedge because the pool robot got stuck and sprayed it one afternoon while I was at work.
I would usually let a damaged boxwood grow back, but occasionally would replace a single shrub to keep a nice look overall.
To help rule out possible diseases in your shrub, here is an overview of boxwood plant diseases you can review as well as a nice, helpful article from the Toronto master gardeners about boxwoods and replacing a dead or damaged shrub in your hedge.
https://plantdiseasehandbook.tamu.edu/landscaping/shrubs/boxwood-2/
https://www.torontomastergardeners.ca/askagardener/boxwood-hedge-what-to-do-with-dead-section/
If you decide to replace, take a trimming from your boxwood (in a ziplock) to the nursery to ensure you get the right plant. There are lots of boxwoods!
Best luck with your boxwood.
