Overcrowding seems reasonable or a problem within the root system. When you said the one behind this in question was dead, my first impulse was insects or not enough light. It seems plainly to me that the one that was completley dead, did not get enough light and/or water. The backside of your dying shrub not having foliage is due to no light. There's no question about that. The front side appears to show signs (again reiterating) that roots that feed these dying areas are being choked (overcrowding) or not getting enough water since the leaves are turning crispy brown. I don't see any fungus on the leaves themselves, but that also doesn't rule out, phytophera which is a fungal disease in the roots (root rot) that cause certain areas of a plant to suddenly up and die. Photophera is usually present when wet winters are followed by dry summers as these growing conditions promote the fungus/virus...whichever. Droopy leaves, brown crispy leaves, that's seems to be conclusive to me that your shrub is not able to transpire water whether it be competing for it or whether it has root rot/phytophera. Of course as suggested, knowing which shrub it is could be of help. However, if the others are healthy and that they show no signs of not liking the soil or cannot adapt to the soil, I'd rule out that knowing which kind of a shrub is not necessary at all. Dax

No offense, but they look like they're growing on the surface of the moon. Don't know where you are located, but locally in the Mid-Atlantic region and into the NE we're in the middle of a rather serious drought that has brought temps into the 100's.--Nothing would survive transplant into my yard at this point in time--except cactus. I see native, drought tolerant plants dying! Hard to tell from a picture, but your soil may need to be amended with humus and peat (I'm not opposed to improving the soil if the local soil is poor.) With some human effort, soils can improve over time. A second recommendation I would make is that you MULCH the area around your plants--will help with soil moisture and temperature regulation. Hopefully you did not plant too deeply as the above poster warns. Also, agree that you should not be fertilizing at this point. But Idabean,"A week of rain or drizzle"!--I feel like it hasn't rained since March around here! Good luck.

Stick your finger down in the soil as far as it will go. Dry? Water. Moist? Don't water. It's that simple. My biggest concern would be your amendment of the soil or use of potting soil. That has a tendency to drain water quickly but if the native soil is clay, the water sits there in the planting hole which can lead to root rot. If you started out with plants that were not healthy, it could be any number of things but planting in summer, using fast draining soil and not mulching are all playing a role.

No doubt you are right about that! I cannot imagine the younger generations having anything to do with this. I am an antique dealer and an advanced collector of many things. I am obsessed with some things that most people would find boring, especially the smart phone obsessed generation. Trees are my newest obsession and while they cost a lot less than what I buy and sell, with but very rare exception, everything has its price. Plus, trees die. Antiques generally don't die. I have seemingly lost 2 of these silver firs now and they were costly compared to most, and I am just ill about it. It's a combination of the waste, the money, and how much I enjoyed it. I have about 100 conifers of all different kinds, plus some European beeches and red maples for contrast, and some holly thrown in here and there. I have a daughter named Noel. I had a dog named Kringle and another named Holly. See a pattern developing here? Red and green... Conifers... Still, my favorites are the yellow and white variegated varieties. I love Abies Koreana Aurea. I have two that are about as tall as I am. They replaced two I killed the first time around. This year I actually tented one of them this summer to protect it from the sun. It seems to have worked. We'll see. I have both white and black dragon's eyes--the black is amazing, plus Ogon Janome, Chief Joseph, some variegated thread branch cypress, Carsten's Winter Gold, Trolgold, Watt's Golden, Ogon, Burke's Red, Gold Drift, Goldilocks, etc. But hands-down the best plant I bought last year was a Mugo called Amber Gold. It was variegated yellow to saturated orange to green in the winter. Amazing. The color was better than Chief Joseph or Carstens. Looks different in person then on the web. I see Conifer Kingdom has it. I really like Abies numidica 'Baronagel' and will pursue one. Thanks!