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is this boxwood light? #928020

Asked April 10, 2026, 2:37 PM EDT

I have a variegated boxwood 15 to 20 years of age that this spring is showing die off and discoloration on several branches, amounting to over 50% of the plant. Is this boxwood blight? Is there any option other than removing and destroying the plant?

Montgomery County Maryland

Expert Response

I noticed a typo in my original question. Boxwood light should read boxwood blight.

The Question Asker Replied April 10, 2026, 2:45 PM EDT

I noticed a typo in my original question. Boxwood light should read boxwood blight.

The Question Asker Replied April 10, 2026, 4:04 PM EDT
These are not symptoms of Boxwood Blight, but they do look like symptoms of Volutella Blight (a different fungus that we see more often), and possibly overlapping winter damage. You can learn about both diseases (and common pest or other problems) on our boxwood diagnostic page.

Nothing can cure diseased wood, or reverse its symptoms. Dead branches need to be pruned off, and in cases of severe damage, it is usually more practical to remove and replace the plant unless you can wait several years for a heavily-pruned plant to regrow to its former size. Volutella Blight doesn't kill roots, so assuming no other issue has impacted their health, the shrub might recover if it is pruned way back, leaving only a few inches of stem base on most or all of the branches. Boxwood growth is naturally slow, so it may only regrow a few inches worth this year. Avoid shearing boxwoods (pruning them into dense, manicured shapes with hedge shears) as this increases their vulnerability to problems like blight infections.

Some boxwood cultivars have better resistance to certain pests and diseases than others, but few (if any) variegated forms have high resistance to these fungal diseases as well as Boxwood Leafminer, a common and damaging insect pest.

Miri

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