Hi, 

These have signs of white prunicola scale that mostly look old, but there still could be some live ones. Usually, the scale can affect these shrubs when they are already stressed. Stress can occur for various reasons, but mainly from drought, poor drainage, or over-pruning, or all three. Botryosphaeria is a disease that can cause cankers on the stems that restrict the flow of nutrients, causing the branch to die. This fungal infection tends to occur when the plant is drought stressed as well. Maryland has been in a prolonged drought since 2024 due to insufficient rain. Were you able to supplement water to the shrubs when the ground feels dry?

Also, Cherry Laurel can have some winter damage to the leaves when they are drought-stressed and the ground freezes. Winter winds will strip away moisture from the leaves, and the plant can't replenish it with frozen soil. 

Since these look rather sparse, rather than trying to amend the issues, we would recommend replacing the plants. If the site was suitable for them, you can use cherry laurel again. If you need to prune them to contain their size, perhaps a plant that doesn't get so large would be a better choice. It looks like there is some leaf litter around the base, so if there are large trees overhead, make sure to monitor for watering needs for any plant you choose, since the large roots will suck up any groundwater from rain, and the canopies can keep the soil in the drip zone rather dry. 

You can read about the common problems of cherry laurel and review some plant alternatives on our diagnostic webpage. 

Let us know if you have further questions. 

Emily