Thanks Sherlock! Unfortunately they are not webworms. The cocoons are real small and they are right on the tips of the new growth. There are small brownish orangish colored little specks inside the small white webbing. I usually spray water on them and get it out with my fingers. I have a camera but it is a cheap model and does not do closeup very well. I've seen brown grasshoppers hanging out in the shrubs. It gets my goat because the shrubs are trying to grow yet their new leaves are being munched short. :-(

I would say soil issues that are leading to moisture concerns - judging by appearance of the soil, I'd say too much water/inadequate drainage. The container also looks to be sized too small for the plant, as well, so it may well be root bound. There is something else going on as well.........can you post a closer photo of the white objects attached to the branch in the first photo? Not sure what they are at this distance but they look suspiciously like some sort of insect egg case.......

It will take some time. You can always prune anything outside of your desired shape, anything that rubs another branch and all deadwood. I found pruning advice at the Ladybird Johnson wildflower site. It seems to handle pruning pretty well and theoretically should branch where you cut it so some pruning might help. I wouldn't overdo the fertilization, just a 13-13-13 standard in the spring should supply all it needs and more. It's spring so growth rate should already be fairly accelerated anyway. https://www.wildflower.org/expert/show.php?id=6776

WOW - your wax myrtles look great!! I’ve sprayed my 10 with a 3 in 1 made by Fertilome which was recommended by the garden center and now I’ll keep an eye on them and see what happens. I bought plants in 3 gallon containers that were about 30 inches tall at the time of planting and they have grown about a foot so far this year. i did do a little pruning earlier in the year to get them to flush out more. We have a seldom used neighborhood park adjacent to our lot and I wanted some kind of natural barrier between it and our backyard just in case it gets more use in the future. I had had some experience with wax myrtles as a privacy hedge at a home in South Carolina so thought they would be the ticket here. The difference there was that they were already established and I never had to be concerned with watering or pests. It‘s been so dry here in Jacksonville that I have had to hand water them a couple of times every week. The irrigation system we inherited is set up for grass, not newly planted shrubbery but that has given me the oppoortunity to closely inspect the plants with each watering, not only the wax myrtles but also the azaleas and camillias that I have planted since we bought this place. Thanks for getting back to me. I’s good to hear that your plants are doing so well and are providing the needed privacy. Take care.