you might want to try this on the pest and disease forum .. or take a piece to you local Ag agent ... ken

I've got Winter Jasmine, the flowers took a hit this winter as it went down to -4F one night when it was in full bloom in December. I've had this shrub for over thirty years, actually it was my neighbors, she planted it on a trellis on the side of her carport but I took it over when she passed and the house was sold. This is when we found out her concrete carport encroached our lot by 8 inches so I laid claim to it, the Jasmine that is :o). Back to the Jasmine, this one isn't scented but depending on the winter it can bloom anywhere from November through March here on Vancouver Island. Every spring before it leafs out we take the hedge trimmer to it cutting it back severely (to stubs), the new growth cascades down like a green waterfall from the the top of the carport all summer long. The flowers come after the leaves have fallen, it seems to be in full bloom at a different time each year, even now after getting hit by our unusually cold winter it's still producing a few flowers. Annette

Potential Pests of Buxus: Canker, blight, leaf spots, root rot, winter injury and sun scald (physiological injury), mealybugs, scales, boxwood psyllid, boxwood leaf miner, giant hornet, boxwood webworm, nematodes and boxwood mite. Landscape value: excellent as a hedge plant, for foundations, edging situations, parterres, formal gardens; too often pruned into a green meatball and allowed to haunt a foundation planting. if used properly, can be superb. has been used for every imaginable landscape purpose. the above comes from an author currently in print. There's always something that's a potential problem. Often, a list that appears quite daunting. Sometimes these problems are more severe, sometimes, less so. The more common a plant, the more potentially threatening any issue can be. How do I know boxwood blight is not a major issue? Let's play a game of word association, starting with elm. I've sold trees long enough to tell you that's an uphill battle, even if the customer is the one who asks. Pictures have a place, but are sometimes relied upon where not necessary. We have a description, but no way of evaluating the condition of the plants in question, so everyone is kinda letting their own motivations color the way they see it. You're the person thinking about doing this, so you have to do the evaluation yourself.

Update: So I sent the leaves to be analyzed—it's not boxwood blight. It's another thing called boxwood leafminer. From the report… ___ "The yellow leaves in the boxwood sample submitted is Boxwood leafminer injury, Monarthropalpusi flavus (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae). This is the most serious insect pest of boxwoods. The boxwood leafminer is native to Europe and widely distributed throughout the United States. Its introduction dates back to the same time period that common boxwood was introduced into this country. The leafminer causes serious damage to boxwoods, with heavily damaged plants become unattractive in appearance. The larval feeding between the upper and lower leaves causes blistering and often discoloration. Both littleleaf boxwood, Buxus microphylla and Common Boxwood, Buxus sempervivens, are commonly attacked, but there is resistance found in individual varieties of both species. Common boxwood cultivars with reported resistance are ‘Handworthiensis’, ‘Pyramidalis’, ‘Suffruticosa’ and ‘Varder Valley’. Buxus microphylla var. japonica has also exhibited resistance to the boxwood leafminer. The eggs of the boxwood leafminer are white to transparent and can be seen by holding the leaf up to the light. The larvae are yellowish-white and approximately 1/8 inch long. The adult boxwood leafminer is an approximately 1/10 inch long, delicate, orange-yellow to red, gnat-like fly. The partly grown larvae of the boxwood leafminer over-winter within their mines in the leaves of the host plant. The larvae grow rapidly as the weather begins to warm. In late April, when weigela blooms, they turn into orange-colored pupae and emerge as a fly. After mating, the female inserts her eggs deep into the leaf tissue. She dies soon after and the eggs hatch approximately 3 weeks later, and the larvae commence feeding. The larvae continue to feed and grow slowly. In Michigan, there is a single generation each year. MANAGEMENT OPTIONS Cultural: Selection of the more resistant varieties. Biological: Unfortunately, there are few known natural enemies of the boxwood leafminer. Mechanical: Pruning the foliage before adult emergence or after egg laying ends will reduce the overall population Chemical: Chemical control is difficult because the application must be timed with the emergence of the adult flies. An application of an insecticide spray when the adult flies emerge (this corresponds to when weigela is in bloom) can reduce populations. Insecticide sprays containing bifenthrin (Talstar), carbaryl (Sevin), cyfluthrin (Tempo or Bayer Advanced Garden Insect Control), or malathion are among the recommend materials that can be applied to control the adult flies. Imidacloprid, a systemic insecticide (Merit or Bayer Tree and Shrub Insect Control) will control the larvae inside the leaves and does not require precise timing. This product should be applied in mid to late April. Be sure to read and follow all instructions and safety precautions found on the label before using any pesticide." ___ Hope that helps someone else!