Can Someone Please Tell Me Why These Bushes Are Drying Out On One Side Only & What to do About It

[MotoEric]

Being mistaken for Alp is the nicest compliment I've had in a while--thank you MoonShadows!

MotoEric, The drip head may be your problem--overwatering kills more plants than drying out, and browning is not necessarily an indication of lack of water. Here is a link to a blog that explains the results of overwatering:
https://www.jainsusa.com/blog/6-signs-you-are-overwatering-your-plants
Just ignore the advertising and scroll down to the six signs of water damage.

Thanks for the link. The article says too much water causes wilting leaves that feel soft to the touch while too little water causes them to be dry and crumble. The wilted/brown leaves on these plants are dried out, not soft, implying that too much water isn't causing this, at least according to the article.

 

[MotoEric]

Actually, upon further inspection, the whole bottom/inside leaf system is browning and thinning. It's just more pronounced on the one side of them.

 

[alp]

Being mistaken for Alp is the nicest compliment I've had in a while--thank you MoonShadows!

MotoEric, The drip head may be your problem--overwatering kills more plants than drying out, and browning is not necessarily an indication of lack of water. Here is a link to a blog that explains the results of overwatering:
https://www.jainsusa.com/blog/6-signs-you-are-overwatering-your-plants
Just ignore the advertising and scroll down to the six signs of water damage.

For help in identifying your shrub, take a cutting of a stem with leaves and the purple flower, seal it in a plastic bag (this is important since taking in a bare cutting could introduce a disease to the nursery)and take it to a reputable privately-owned nursery (big box stores hire clerks, private nurseries hire people with knowledge of plants). When we know what it is, we may be of more help.

LOL! You're more knowledgeable than me. That's FACT! I'm only a chatterbox!

 

[MotoEric]

So I found out what plants they are: "Petite Butterflies Sweet Pea Shrub".

Does that help any in determining what I can do about them?

 

[Marck]

The shrub is Polygala fruticosa 'Petite Butterfliy'. It is a compact, dwarf selection of a South African Milkwort shrub. It is a popular garden plant in California.

They likes full sun, in this case so much that the plant is shading out it's own north side. This isn't likely to injure the shrub. but one could plant something else on the north side to hide the bare spot.

 

[Tetters]

This is dragged up from four years ago @Marck. We like to stick with current discussions.