Forum home› Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

What’s killing off our holly bush, monkey puzzle and laurel?

TristarchTristarch Posts: 6
in Problem solving
 Last year we noticed a section of a long laurel hedge was yellowing and thinning, and a holly was browning nearby. At the time we put it down to a harsh dry spell, but weren’t wholly convinced. 

Since then a section of 5-10 feet of laurel is barely hanging on for life, there are a few shoots of hope but not many. Either side of this the laurel has thinned and not showing much new growth this season, along a section 30ft or so length. Beyond this the laurel seems healthy and has put on good new growth.

The holly is now brown so I assume dead.

We planted a monkey puzzle last year. It’d be fine in a pot for 2-3 years and was fine for 4-5 months after being planted, but went downhill over a period of 2-3 weeks in March and went brown. 

The beech hedge nearby seems fine, as do various other plants (including plants appearing around the base of the laurel). 

I’ve not seen any obvious signs of toadstool type growth over the winter, and can’t see any obvious markings on the plants themselves.

Does anyone have any idea what could be affecting them? We’ve wondered about honey fungus but am unsure what signs to look for with these sorts of plants.

hopefully there will be some photos uploaded to show the impact.

Thanks

Posts

  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    I'm just bumping this up, I don't know the answer. What was your watering routine last year and this spring?
  • Slow-wormSlow-worm Posts: 1,630
    I know this is contentious, but I've noticed bits of people's hedges dying after they put a 5g thing nearby. I'm not saying it is, I'm not saying it isn't, but as frequencies e.g. music) do have an effect on plants, it's feasible. 
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I too would investigate watering amounts. They need a long hosing every week through the summers for the first few seasons.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Unless someone's been spraying loads of serious weedkiller around, it's most likely a lack of water. Monkey puzzle trees and laurels need loads.
    Alternatively, the site could be waterlogged with a clay pan underneath the top level.
    What is the soil like under the gravel? Was it properly prepped before you planted anything? 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • TristarchTristarch Posts: 6
    I wouldn’t worry about 5G masts, we barely get 4G signal here! :smiley:

    Perhaps I should’ve mentioned, apart from the monkey puzzle, these are all long-established plants and other sections of laurel did fine last year. The only other disruption last year was the fitting of a new gate post nearby this particular section, but I can’t see that having an impact on such a large section of hedge. 

    Watering could’ve been better early last year but has generally been fine. Other healthy sections of laurel haven’t been watered, so if that were the issue there would have to be something unusual about the soil/drainage in this particular section, but it’s not been an issue in the past I’m told.
  • MikeOxgreenMikeOxgreen Posts: 812
    Have you pissed anybody off recently? Neighbours etc....
  • didywdidyw Posts: 3,573
    Excavate down into the roots and see if you see what looks like flakes of white paint.  If you do find that give it a sniff.  If it smells like mushrooms I'm afraid it is honey fungus.
    Gardening in East Suffolk on dry sandy soil.
  • UffUff Posts: 3,199
    Do you have a weed suppressant membrane or, say, polythene under the gravel @Tristarch
    SW SCOTLAND but born in Derbyshire
  • TristarchTristarch Posts: 6
    Thanks for the tip @didyw I’ll dig out later and have a look for those indicators.

    There is a membrane there @U@Uff, although it doesn’t seem to cause problems for any other plants. The soil around the monkey puzzle (for example) doesn’t seem dry when I’ve tested it (although I can’t say I’ve tested during a particular dry spell, as we haven’t had one since it went in the ground).

    @M@MikeOxgreen I’m not aware of pissing any neighbours off…but maybe you never know! 😂 
  • UffUff Posts: 3,199
    Smaller perennial type plants won't need as much water as laurel, holly and monkey puzzle.
    Some membranes allow more water through than others as I've found to my own cost over the years - the thickly woven type one for example. I couldn't understand why a sumac, viburnam and persica parrotia started to look sickly in one of the beds. I lifted the membrane and realised it wasn't allowing enough water through to keep the shrubs alive. Lesson learned for me. 
    SW SCOTLAND but born in Derbyshire
Sign In or Register to comment.