Did you have a professional diagnosis of boxwood blight or is that your best guess? 

Given that you are in Oakland County, my guess is that you had box tree moth eating your boxwood.

Here is a resource from MSU that compares different common boxwood problems. Right now, box tree moth is the biggest threat to boxwood in SE Michigan. I suspect that's what you have. The box tree moth caterpillar eats the leaves of the boxwood, leaving the rib of the leaf. 

Boxwood blight is much less common. Note that boxwood blight leaves black spots on the leaves and lesions on the stems. If you look at your boxwood, is that what you see?

Here is the MSU Extension website dedicated to box tree moth. 

Here is an article about boxwood replacements. Most of the recommendations are small shrubs that can be shaped into hedges. You might want to get a soil test before you invest in shrubs, as some prefer more acidic soil (SE MI tends to have alkaline soils).

You might also decide to go in a different direction and plant something less traditional, but lower maintenance, like a perennial in the mint family (Calamintha nepeta varieties come to mind). I would not recommend planting an evergreen shrub up against the foundation of a house--they hold moisture against the foundation and brick and can create problems in the long term. It is best to keep shrubs at least 2 feet away from a foundation. 

On 04/15/2026 10:30 AM EDT Ask Extension wrote:

 

 

They might come back. I am doubtful about the ones closest to your house, but there's no harm in waiting a few weeks and seeing if they push new growth.  If you see growth close to the base, you could try cutting them down hard to let them regrow from closer to the base. The problem with box tree moth is a pest we don't think it is going to go away. So you will need to spray multiple times a year for the rest of your life or the life of the plant. Most people don't want that level of maintenance. 

Bt only works on actively feeding caterpillars, so you need to be very vigilant in watching for them. If/when you see them, I would pick off any that you see and drown them in soapy water. Spray the rest of the shrub to get the ones that you don't see. Make sure you are following the directions on the bottle to a T. Box tree moth have multiple generations per year, so you need to keep an eye on your shrubs throughout the growing season. 

There's no harm in fertilizing the boxwood. If they are still alive, it might help give them a boost.