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Shrub devastation - ID and rescue plan

TJS-BasTJS-Bas Posts: 7
in Plants

This is normally covered in lovely variegated waxy leaves. It's been in our garden for many years - probably 30 plus. A couple of weeks ago we noticed it was totally dead on one side and potentially dying on the other side. My guess would be the extremely cold winter has caused the problem but is possible to rescue it? Any help and identification would be appreciated. Thanks

Leaves and branches on one side are dead. Totally devastated.

Still some leaves (east side).

Posts

  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    Could it be Griselinia littoralis 'Variegata'?  Often used for hedging at the seaside, but not totally hardy... which is fairly evident, I'm afraid.

    If you have a good look at where the live shoots are, you might find they all grow from just one of those two main branches.  (My guess would be the right hand one, as seen in your main photo.)  If no green buds or leaves appear on the dead-looking half in the next couple of months, you have to decide if you want to live with half a tree (removing the dead bit), or if you'd prefer to replace it.

    If this particular tree is of sentimental value you could take cuttings and grow yourself a clone.   :)
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    I have to confess to cutting mine back pretty hard just before The Beast arrived. It's starting to come back but looks pretty horrendous still.
    Devon.
  • plant pauperplant pauper Posts: 6,904
    Mine 'died' a few years ago during a very hard Winter. I cut it down to stumps intending to get rid of it and forgot about it. It's doing fine now! 
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