Advertisement

Ad promo image large
  • Published Date

    March 19, 2023
    This ad was originally published on this date and may contain an offer that is no longer valid. To learn more about this business and its most recent offers, click here.

Ad Text

CELEBRATING 26 YEARS! Welcome to My weekly series! THE LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONAL Linda K. Lillie of Sprigs & Twigs ASKI Linda K. Lillie has been President of Sprigs & Twigs, Inc. for the last 26 years. She is a graduate of Connecticut College in Botany, an accredited NOFA Organic Land Care Professional, a Connecticut Master Gardener and a national award winning landscape designer for her design and installation projects. Hi Linda, I have noticed that some of my spruces have dead branches with fungi in the lower half. Additionally, the shrubs have yellow leaves that do not look healthy. During the summer, buzzing noises can also be heard from the leaves (presumably from insects). Can you give me any advice on these two issues? Thanks, Jane Dear Jane, The lower part of the spruce is dead and will not come back. These branches need to be removed. The fungi is harmless lichen that will not cause any problems. The shrub in your picture is a boxwood and it looks like it has boxwood blight which is a very serious disease; the shrub will not recover. This disease spreads from boxwood to boxwood very quickly and will spread around the neighborhood to other boxwoods as well. The boxwoods in the photo have been pruned incorrectly with hedge shears which contributed to stressing the plant. When boxwoods are pruned with hedge shears (instead of hand pruning) the outside of the shrub grows in very thickly, discouraging any light or air from reaching the center of the plant. This moist, dark environment within the shrub is perfect for disease and insects to set in. The boxwoods will need to be removed. You will not be able to plant new boxwoods in the place of the old boxwoods, because boxwood blight is a disease that is the in soil and will eventually infect the new boxwoods. Sprigs & Twigs EMAIL OR MAIL YOUR QUESTIONS TO: info@sprigsandtwigs.net or Linda Lillie, Sprigs & Twigs Inc, PO Box 245, Gales Ferry, CT 06335 SPRICS & TWIGS VOTED THE BEST BY DAY READERS EVERY YEAR! WWW.SPRIGSANDTWIGS.NET CELEBRATING 26 YEARS ! Welcome to My weekly series ! THE LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONAL Linda K. Lillie of Sprigs & Twigs ASKI Linda K. Lillie has been President of Sprigs & Twigs , Inc. for the last 26 years . She is a graduate of Connecticut College in Botany , an accredited NOFA Organic Land Care Professional , a Connecticut Master Gardener and a national award winning landscape designer for her design and installation projects . Hi Linda , I have noticed that some of my spruces have dead branches with fungi in the lower half . Additionally , the shrubs have yellow leaves that do not look healthy . During the summer , buzzing noises can also be heard from the leaves ( presumably from insects ) . Can you give me any advice on these two issues ? Thanks , Jane Dear Jane , The lower part of the spruce is dead and will not come back . These branches need to be removed . The fungi is harmless lichen that will not cause any problems . The shrub in your picture is a boxwood and it looks like it has boxwood blight which is a very serious disease ; the shrub will not recover . This disease spreads from boxwood to boxwood very quickly and will spread around the neighborhood to other boxwoods as well . The boxwoods in the photo have been pruned incorrectly with hedge shears which contributed to stressing the plant . When boxwoods are pruned with hedge shears ( instead of hand pruning ) the outside of the shrub grows in very thickly , discouraging any light or air from reaching the center of the plant . This moist , dark environment within the shrub is perfect for disease and insects to set in . The boxwoods will need to be removed . You will not be able to plant new boxwoods in the place of the old boxwoods , because boxwood blight is a disease that is the in soil and will eventually infect the new boxwoods . Sprigs & Twigs EMAIL OR MAIL YOUR QUESTIONS TO : info@sprigsandtwigs.net or Linda Lillie , Sprigs & Twigs Inc , PO Box 245 , Gales Ferry , CT 06335 SPRICS & TWIGS VOTED THE BEST BY DAY READERS EVERY YEAR ! WWW.SPRIGSANDTWIGS.NET