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Will Yellow Winter Gem Boxwood Leaves Turn From Yellow to Green?

8 years ago

Hi all,

I have heard that it is pretty common for boxwood leaves to yellow over the winter. I was just wondering if the leaves that turned yellow over the winter on the Winter Gem boxwood shrubs we planted last fall will turn green once we receive warmer weather later this spring? Or, are the leaves and branches dead and require pruning? Thank you.

Featured Answer

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

8 years ago

your plants are severely stressed.. not hungry ...

give then time to leaf out ... and then go in.. and remove all the dead stuff ... that did not leaf out ... like july ...

i suspected this in our z5 .... agrees thats tan.. dead... not some mere leaf yellowing ... and that is why.. sometimes.. you need to be aware of zone differences on opinions given ...

had you had snow cover.. this winter... it would have been buried in insulating snow ... without such ... it was a tough winter ... for a new transplant ...

ken

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Comments (12)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
8 years ago
based on the pic.. i doubt it ...

usually they fall off eventually ... and new growth fills it back in ...

ken
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
8 years ago
Can you provide a photo to illustrate what you mean by 'yellow'? Winter Gem and similar cultivars are generally recommended due to the fact they DO retain their deep green coloring during winter but some fading/bronzing or yellowing of the foliage is not entirely out of the question. If so, that should return to a deep green as the season warms but yellowing could also be the sign of dieback or other problems as well and it's not possible to know which is which without a photo to illustrate the issue.
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unclehippie
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks Ken and garden gal. I just took a couple pictures. I planted them in the middle to late fall last year. I probably should have put mulch around them. Do you think the leaves will become green once we get warm weather? Thank you.
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
8 years ago
Sorry to say that's a lot more than 'yellowing'. The beige leaves are totally dead and will not regreen. You may be lucky with the green and bronze foliage near the base but these do not look like happy box bushes.
unclehippie
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Yeah, I think they might have done better if we had planted them in the spring rather than the fall. We bought them really cheap at the end of the planting season around here, and they probably didn't have enough time for their roots to become established. I tugged at the leaves yesterday evening, and they didn't seem to want to come off. The branches look healthy and not dried out. I guess I will just have to see what happens. Maybe I'll give them another year, and if they look the same next spring I may need to re-think my hedge. Even with a mild winter, Winter Gem boxwood in Zone 5b might be pushing it.

What kind of fertilizer does boxwood like? I have some 10-10-10 and some Holly Tone. Would either of these help them?
Smivies (Ontario - 5b)
8 years ago
Fertilizer will not help your boxwoods. Beige leaves are dead leaves. Bronze leaves will re-green.
Nataliya Havrylyshyn
6 years ago
Our boxwood turned yellow after winter , did they get back to green again . Please help
Smivies (Ontario - 5b)
6 years ago
Bronze will turn back to green. Yellow is winter damage and won't green up.
Nataliya Havrylyshyn
6 years ago
Should I just cut this yellow, how I can protect them during next winter
Andre McDonald
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago

My boxwoods went threw a very tough winter. What should I do?
unclehippie
Original Author
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Maybe wait until early July to see if they recover.

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