[sazzy123]

My friend was going to chuck out 2 boxus shrub type plants and pots and me being me have rescued them but i have no idea if they are saveable,,

The first is mostly green but the top leaves and some of the leaves on the edge of the plant are yellow and dry/dead? but it is showing new growth..

The second is in a much worse state lots of yellow and dead leaves all over, the inside of the plant has some green leaves still but no signs of new growth...

My friend said it was because there was no shelter for them and it was a very breezy place they were in..

Is there any saving these and whats the best way?  Thanks

[sazhig]

No expert...but could they be suffering from box blight? There was an item about it on ep. 3 of Gardener's world a few weeks ago.

[black diamond]

Do they look like this one ,I think it is a sign of last years new growth not hardening up enough to survive a cold winter.This is a year old plant so I will take it out,if it was only at the top and still sign of life in stem I would cut it back and usually they shoot back from the bottom.I would give them a trim and see what happens

[Goosegirl]

I have been trying to grow two semi-circular box hedges for years. The first plants bought were the dwarf suffruticosa and went brown and yellow then died. I bought some others which look a darker green with grey-green new growth and took cuttings off them then planted them out in a shady, sheltered spare area and they have come on a treat so I have replaced the others with these. Having said that, I have another slightly different, more shiny green type and that isn't quite as good. Your pic is just like some of mine were (and one or two remaining ones still are to a degree but with new growth lower down). I live less than a mile from the sea and they don't like wind or water-logging. They are somewhat sheltered but the ones in shade are doing great. They are stronger growers but I find I only have to trim them once a year. If you have new growth, give them a real prune down then a good feed of BFB, then pray! If it doesn't work, try getting these darker green ones and take loads of cuttings - they do strike quite well with rooting compound - this variety (don't know the name) has a slightly more pointed leaf - good luck.

[sazzy123]

Yes they look very much like that pic, the bushes are about 2 ft high so the one that looks almost dead should i just cut right back to the base or just cut all the dead off it?? no new growth yet but i am hoping there will be..., the other seems to be growing well and i have taken some of the new growth off to try and grow the cuttings.. just in case....

[sion01]

Box usually respond well to a LIGHT clipping and are normally tough as old boots but i'd give them some time to establish before clipping any green stuff but taking off the brown stuff will do the plant a lot of good.
I do remember working on an estate a few years ago and one of the lads was a bit gungho with the weed killer and some drifted on to the box and killed it in days.Could this be the cause of the problem?.Only the parts that the weedkiller touched were killed instantly but as it was a glyphosate based weedkiller the roots copped it and they never recovered.