Looking at your closeup, I'm also inclined to think this is some sort of juniper, perhaps Juniperus chinensis, some compact form like 'Obelisk' or else heavily pruned? But it doesn't look super-happy to me in that position. Recent summer drought periods have not been happy for conifers and I have seen a lot that are suffering. But do you definitely want a conifer in that position? Most will get wide enough to block the space between them...
Being a complete novice at gardening, what would you recommend to replace them? We like them, as they do offer an amount of privacy at the front of the house, but we need them to look attractive. What about something like Buxus Balls? I believe that they can grow to a similar size to what I had, as shown in my 5th picture? I don’t need them any larger than that. From yours and one of the other posters’ comments, which indicate that lack of water may be a factor here; have I simply allowed them to grow too large, where they require more water than what has been available and hence the damage. They seemed to be fine when they were smaller?
The area of earth available for rain water to fall and be absorbed and available to the roots is already tiny without the plant itself providing a canopy which prevents water being available to the roots so yes, the problem would occur again. Box balls are not recommended because of problems with box blight and a caterpillar which loves to eat box.
I think your best bet is to get them out, improve the soil and expand the planting hole if you can then maybe plant something like Irish yew which is fastigiate/columnar, evergreen and copes well with being pruned.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
I’d agree with what @Obelixx says, although even columnar yews can get pretty wide in time (not our time!). If your main goal is screening, and you don’t need access between the plants, then you have a wider range of options, and you could choose plants that are both evergreen but will form a nice contrast. I’m on my phone and can’t check where you are but if you’re not too far north, then combinations like a Pittosporum and Osmanthus heterophyllus could be fun. However, @Hostafan1 is right that removing them from the position they’re in will be very hard. They’re in quite small squares of earth amid the tarmac, hence the water shortage—very probably it all runs down towards your street gutters and passes the plants by. If it were my garden I’d be tempted to look into perhaps digging that area out with a jackhammer, removing the old trees with their roots, and replacing the topsoil. I appreciate that this is probably far further than you really hoped to go! The only thing is that there aren’t many options open for anything else. It is probably worth a bit of real mindless thuggery up front, to get an end result you can be proud of and that will thrive for decades to come...
I'd be tempted to take the easy way out and just to chop them off at ground level, carefully pour some brushwood killer on the stump and after a week or so, stand some rather nice pots on top with new plants in. This would add height to give you more privacy, give the new plants more soil and be easier to keep watered.
Alternatively, (but it's not easy to see from the photos), that inner dwarf wall/edging on the curve could be removed, the whole bed dug over and new topsoil added, then replanted with your choice of plants.
I’ll take a photo from the house looking down on the garden and post here, so you can see my restrictions with regards to access to the garden between the two bushes and driveway, etc.
Thanks again for all taking the time to put together all the information and advice in your posts; it’s really appreciated.
The route on to the lawn is from between the two bushes, so I really want to retain this. Noting the comments about the bushes being starved of water, with them being surrounded by tarmac, etc. but surely the root system would extend under the lawn and under the other flower beds, allowing rain to soak through and reach them, would it not? I also have other shrubs and a conifer tree, shown on the left hand side in the photo, all if which are arranged similar to the bushes, but haven’t suffered a similar fate. Like I’ve said, I’m no expert, so Any further advice would be greatly received.
It may well be the case that these are more susceptible to drought stress given their size, and also the fact that there's paving almost right up to them on every side. They can't get their roots under the foundation for a drive or roadway, which goes down several feet. In effect your current plants are in fair-sized containers, so from a watering and feeding standpoint you need to treat them as such.
This photo does help to show more of the issue, thanks for posting it. In your shoes, I'd consider installing something like an arch there in place of the trees. But even then, you'd need something pretty tough going up it, and you'd certainly need to give it plenty of water and food while it was establishing and even after that. You could try Trachelospermum jasminoides, for example. Or the alternative, as @Lizzie27 says, is to put plant pots on the place where the trees were.
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Thanks for your post.
Being a complete novice at gardening, what would you recommend to replace them? We like them, as they do offer an amount of privacy at the front of the house, but we need them to look attractive. What about something like Buxus Balls? I believe that they can grow to a similar size to what I had, as shown in my 5th picture? I don’t need them any larger than that. From yours and one of the other posters’ comments, which indicate that lack of water may be a factor here; have I simply allowed them to grow too large, where they require more water than what has been available and hence the damage. They seemed to be fine when they were smaller?
Thanks
Mike
Box balls are not recommended because of problems with box blight and a caterpillar which loves to eat box.
I think your best bet is to get them out, improve the soil and expand the planting hole if you can then maybe plant something like Irish yew which is fastigiate/columnar, evergreen and copes well with being pruned.
Alternatively, (but it's not easy to see from the photos), that inner dwarf wall/edging on the curve could be removed, the whole bed dug over and new topsoil added, then replanted with your choice of plants.
I’ll take a photo from the house looking down on the garden and post here, so you can see my restrictions with regards to access to the garden between the two bushes and driveway, etc.
Thanks again for all taking the time to put together all the information and advice in your posts; it’s really appreciated.
Mike
The route on to the lawn is from between the two bushes, so I really want to retain this. Noting the comments about the bushes being starved of water, with them being surrounded by tarmac, etc. but surely the root system would extend under the lawn and under the other flower beds, allowing rain to soak through and reach them, would it not? I also have other shrubs and a conifer tree, shown on the left hand side in the photo, all if which are arranged similar to the bushes, but haven’t suffered a similar fate. Like I’ve said, I’m no expert, so Any further advice would be greatly received.
Thanks
Mike
This photo does help to show more of the issue, thanks for posting it. In your shoes, I'd consider installing something like an arch there in place of the trees. But even then, you'd need something pretty tough going up it, and you'd certainly need to give it plenty of water and food while it was establishing and even after that. You could try Trachelospermum jasminoides, for example. Or the alternative, as @Lizzie27 says, is to put plant pots on the place where the trees were.