Is my boxwood dead? - Ask Extension
Hi,
I have 5 boxwood for several years, the second year I have it, 2 of them started to be infected, and the leaves had red/yellow spots and then ...
Knowledgebase
Is my boxwood dead? #927452
Asked April 03, 2026, 3:32 PM EDT
Hi,
I have 5 boxwood for several years, the second year I have it, 2 of them started to be infected, and the leaves had red/yellow spots and then became brown. I consulted your center about this issue, was informed that it was caused by a certain kind of moth laying eggs on the leaves, and then their larva sucked on the leave sap and killed them. My husband bought pesticide to spray on the 2 boxwoods and it kind of controlled the situation. He did it for a few years. Last year he either sprayed only a little or did not do it at all, and by winter one shrub had almost 1/3 of the leaves withered. I was hoping when spring comes, maybe the brown leaves will fall off and new leaves will come out. But now that spring has come, it is still the same way, no change at all.
My questions for you are:
1) Is the boxwood going to die?
2) Anyway to save the leaves and the shrub?
The first 2 attached pictures are the shrub when it was in April 2024. The last picture is what it looks like yesterday. If you need more pictures to diagnose the issue, please don't hesitate to let me know. Thanks so much for your help!
Sincerely,
Jennifer
Howard County Maryland
Expert Response
The boxwood's current damage is caused by two factors: Boxwood Leafminer (not a moth, but a small orange gnat-like fly whose larva tunnels inside of the leaves) and what appears to be Volutella Blight. The blight is fungal, and usually attacks boxwoods that are first damaged or stressed by weather like a winter cold snap or drought. There are dozens of boxwood cultivars, and some of them are more vulnerable than others to this blight and leafminer. Leafminer adults are weak fliers and tend not to travel very far, so if a shrub whose leafminer population was well-controlled in prior years is having a resurgence of this pest, a boxwood plant somewhere nearby (or missed insects on the same plant that weren't eliminated with a pesticide) is the source of the new infestation. This insect has only one generation per year and only feeds on boxwood, but if it continues to be a problem, vulnerable boxwoods would need to be treated or managed for this insect every year. You can find management information in the boxwood diagnostic page in the first link above.
Volutella damage needs to be pruned off, as affected branches cannot recover except to put out new growth below the point of the fungal canker. You can see examples of the discoloration of the sapwood just under the bark to look for in the page above. Since Volutella doesn't kill roots, recovery is possible if the shrub can produce new growth from the base of the plant, but if lots of growth is lost and removed, it will take a few years to regain its former size given the naturally-slow growth rate of boxwoods. If you prefer to replace the plant, look for a boxwood cultivar resistant to both the leafminer and that blight (as well as to Boxwood Blight, which is not causing these symptoms but which also causes significant damage to vulnerable boxwoods).
Boxwood Leafminer feeding causes premature leaf drop (plus unsightly leaf symptoms), and over time, high populations could weaken a plant to the point of needing removal, even if they don't kill the shrub. The same is true for Volutella infection. Use of fungicide (for the blight) and insecticide (for the leafminer) are generally not recommended, in part because they may harm pollinators or other wildlife and they don't always work (and can't cure any existing infections or infestations or reverse their symptoms, as they only suppress new outbreaks).
Miri
Volutella damage needs to be pruned off, as affected branches cannot recover except to put out new growth below the point of the fungal canker. You can see examples of the discoloration of the sapwood just under the bark to look for in the page above. Since Volutella doesn't kill roots, recovery is possible if the shrub can produce new growth from the base of the plant, but if lots of growth is lost and removed, it will take a few years to regain its former size given the naturally-slow growth rate of boxwoods. If you prefer to replace the plant, look for a boxwood cultivar resistant to both the leafminer and that blight (as well as to Boxwood Blight, which is not causing these symptoms but which also causes significant damage to vulnerable boxwoods).
Boxwood Leafminer feeding causes premature leaf drop (plus unsightly leaf symptoms), and over time, high populations could weaken a plant to the point of needing removal, even if they don't kill the shrub. The same is true for Volutella infection. Use of fungicide (for the blight) and insecticide (for the leafminer) are generally not recommended, in part because they may harm pollinators or other wildlife and they don't always work (and can't cure any existing infections or infestations or reverse their symptoms, as they only suppress new outbreaks).
Miri
