Shrubs have turned brown this spring. We have lived in our home, located in mid-lower Michigan, for 40 years and have never experienced this in the pa...
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Shrubbery Turned Brown #926288
Asked March 19, 2026, 10:34 AM EDT
Shrubs have turned brown this spring. We have lived in our home, located in mid-lower Michigan, for 40 years and have never experienced this in the past. (We have had very harsh and mild winters in the past 40 years) The shrubs are located to the W, NW, N, and NE of our home. A couple of times during the winter they were covered with thick heavy snow, which I removed, but I do not recall if we had sub-zero temps for a couple of weeks before snow removal or after… The community experienced drought conditions this past summer, but we sprinkled the lawn several times a week plus reseeded the lawn in the early fall and sprinkled heavily. We apply Holly-Tone each spring. (A couple of shrubs in the backyard are not experiencing the brown). I have sprayed with an insecticide or fungicide as required to control occasional issues. I will be attaching three photos. We appreciate any and all responses related to the issue.
Thanks
Kent CountyMichigan
Expert Response
Hello!
The browning on your yews looks like winter injury. You mentioned removing snow off the shrubs; it's actually not necessary to do, since snow acts like a blanket protecting the tips from winterkill and the bottom from road salt. There are no fungal issues active at this time of year yet: they are a warm-season problem.