Question
Dear gill I have a hundred or so japenese boxwoods planted in march of this year. A number of them in certain areas turn copper brown colored on certain branches, other ones, get a yellow line around the perimeter of each leaf with no copper color. about 20 of them in a line are fine and are producing new leaves. Even some of the copper leaf plants are producing new green growth.I have wintergreen boxwoods planted in my front yard and have no problems. should I pull up the japenese and replace with wintergreen? what should I do. I did pull a lot of the discolored boxwoods up this summer and put in pots, cut off the copper branches and the seemed to regrom green. what should i do sincerely s moise  

Answer
Hello Scott

As you seem to have more healthy boxwoods in you new planting than unhealthy ones, and as those you pulled up and planted in pots seem to be recovering, I'm thinking that this is a case of some of the new plants going into 'shock'.  This happens sometimes when a plant is taken out of its cosy pot and put into the ground!

OK - what to do?

Keep the ones you've put in pots in a cool, sheltered place and replant them next spring.  Those that are still in the ground can be cut back hard (to a healthy area of new green leafs), also next spring.  Give them all a really good general fertilizer followed by a mulch of well rotted garden compost or leaf mould.

I wouldn't advise you to get rid of all your japanese boxwoods, but if those that you've already treated fail again you may be best advised to replace them.

Persevere - it will be worth it!