If you are the northeast, there's a good chance these plants will die of boxwood blight in the next 5-10 years. Not a guarantee, though. Depends on how near you are to dense suburban landscapes where it will spread more quickly.

If it's important to have a hedge like this to you (and I do think it suits the style of the house, more or less) you might just want to start over with something else.

" I've followed that direction and think I started to see some new brown leaves." Unless he closely examined the leaves there's no way to be sure it's "bugs".

One thing I see in the pics that is an all-too common practice is the shearing inward of the sides of the hedge as you go downward. This is an invitation to lower branch die-off as the shade of the foliage above inhibits the growth below. One of the very first horticultural things I ever learned was to keep the base of a sheared hedge ever so slightly wider than the top.

Not your issue but I thought I'd chime in with that, since it's such a recurring theme.

+oM

Thanks, if these survive I'll be sure to adjust!

And actually thinking about it, some of that is caused by the leaning in the snow picture.. The top bends so far and hits the ground it doesn't fully bounce back up.

Hi Christopher. I'm also in New England and have a boxwood hedge that is about nine years old. It also looks much like yours. I believe that the last two cold and snowy winters have taken a toll on boxwoods, as well as other evergreens, in this area. After researching online, I'm confident I don't have an insect problem. I'm also certain I'm not dealing with boxwood blight.

However, as davidrt28 mentioned above, boxwood blight could become a sad reality here in the near future. It is already occurring in Connecticut, and probably other states. With this in mind I am steeling myself, knowing that I'll probably lose this hedge, and planning for replacements.

Good luck to you!

Adona

Thanks Adona, it sounds like if its not on its way out now... it will be shortly.. I to am creating a plan B.

So I wanted to post an update.. A few weeks ago I trimmed them up, trying to angle inwards towards the top.. As of this weekend, it looks like I'm still getting more and more dead spots.. Is it time to tear this out or can it come back? Oddly the back side of these same bushes look ok.

If I had to have a sheared hedge I would choose privet shown here. Notice how it gets wider toward the base and it is in full sun. That way it has foliage all the way to the bottom.

The National Arboretum has a FAQ page about boxwood. I like this quote regarding boxwood: Avoid shearing since it promotes compact, twiggy gowth and injures leaves, making them unsightly.

Boxwood are subject to so many diseases today and many of them are fungal. Sevin that the OP mentions will not work on a fungus.

Here's my idea of a nice English Boxwood, untouched and no entry point for fungal spores created.

mine looks like yours. Let's make a pact: I'll tear mine out if you tear yours out.

Can you grow Japanese Holly where you live? I am thinking Illex crenata, 'Convexa'. It takes to shearing real well and doesn't have the problems boxwood has.
Mike