I have a pair of Eugenia myrtifolia double-ball topiaries in containers flanking my front door. It is a location that does not get much direct sun, if any. I now realize that one side of the door tends to get more light than the other and those plants (I also have lamium planted in the containers with the Eugenia) are doing much better than the side that does not get as much light.

Although I've read that the Eugenia will tolerate low light, the side getting more light is growing nicely, getting larger, etc., and the other has not changed much. It's frustrating, because I'd like a symmetric look around the door. They are heavy and awkward containers to move, but I've considered switching their positions just to see if it will improve the condition of the plants that aren't doing as well.

My latest concern is with the dropping of leaves... the eugenia on the side that is not getting as much light has begun to drop its leaves. Is this most always a cause of not enough water or could it be caused by too much? The lower ball is really looking skimpy now that the leaves are dropping and I'm afraid I'll never get it to catch up. Another thing I should mention is that I had placed large rocks in the bottom of that container so that I didn't have to use as much soil. Nearly every time I water the side that's not doing as well, it drains from the bottom whereas the other side does not. Could the problem also be related to not enough soil in the container for adequate moisture retention? Any ideas? Fertilizer?