Wait and see if these shoots turn the normal color later before you decide you have something different going on.

Agree. It is pretty common for the new growth on boxwood to be a much lighter color than the mature foliage. It just takes a bit of time for the darker color to develop.

just planted this boxwood winter gem last week

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its stressed ... just water properly.. and see what happens ... its not hungry.. fert is not a response ....

i will presume the grower raised them in perfect cultural requirements ... and i bet that did not include rocks surrounding it... but you never know.. lol ...

you might keep a close eye on them.. when the heat of summer hits.. and INSURE proper watering ... as rocks can accumulate heat during the day.. and hold it long into the night ...

night is usually a cooler time.. when a new transplant can recover .. form the onslaught of the day ...

i hope there isnt plastic under the rocks.. but thats a different show ....

ken

Thank you all!

So are the rocks a problem? I didn't want mulch because it attracts wasps like crazy and I am afraid and my little sister (who visits and plays in the yard) is allergic. I figured the lava rock was a good alternative. This spot is East facing and gets morning sun mostly so I thought it wouldn't get too hot.

There is NO plastic under the rocks, we just removed the mulch that was there before and added the lava rock instead. Nothing else is planted there, just the shrub.

It's been a little rainy here so is it possible it's just getting too much water? I did pick up a moisture meter so I could measure before I manually water.

I mostly grow succulents indoors sooo this is all new to me, lol.

Your boxwood looks totally normal for this time of year. A plant in the ground is hard to overwater. And a new transplant needs watering whether it rains or not. Use your eyes and hands to tell if it's thirsty. It'll droop and the soil will feel dry a few inches down. It's much better to get the hang of reading the signs than to depend on a gizmo, which probably isn't very accurate anyway.

I picked up the moisture meter because I was using my fingers to tell how dry some soil was in my window boxes and despite feeling dry soil 2ish inches (to the second knuckle) down, I was overwatering and my geraniums were looking horrible (rapid change to yellow dying bottom leaves). I figured the moisture meter would be more reliable for the deeper soil and prevent me from overwatering while also making sure I water when it truly is thirsty. I check in the morning and if it's dry, I water thoroughly.

Well unfortunately I rent and my landlord went in half on the rocks so they're there to stay. Would it help to just pull them away from the base of the plant, maybe put some compost there near the base of the plant? I don't care if it looks dumb if it will help the plant in the long run.

Also, these only get morning sun, by lunchtime they are in shade. In the early part of the morning they get filtered sun because a tree across the street blocks a lot of the sun as it's rising. Around 8am they have full sun and by noon they're in the shade again for the rest of the day.

I've found this to be totally normal. It always starts out light and then darkens with time. Next season, the new growth comes in just the same - light at first and then darkening up with time.

Yes, please pull the rocks away from the base. Through their bark, trees and shrubs “breath” so to speak. When dirt or mulch or rock is piled up, touching the base, which needs to be exposed to air, it is setting up for death of that plant.