How bad is this?

[vette-kid]

I'm not sure what kind if Bush it is, but it doesn't seem to be recovering well from the winter month. Last year by this time it was full of green. The green I do have had been there for a while (maybe 6- 8 weeks) and in not seeing new growth. I don't like removing plants for the heck of it, but if it's got to go, now is the time since I be pulling the Lantana right next to it. Not sure what to put in there place yet, maybe a dwarf banana variety (hey, why not). Any insight?

 

[vette-kid]

Just realized how bad that picture is, sorry about that.

 

[Beth_B]

Poor thing! Don't know what would cause that, do you think cutting all the dead limbs off might help?

 

[vette-kid]

Poor thing! Don't know what would cause that, do you think cutting all the dead limbs off might help?

Worth a try I guess? It will look pretty awful once I trim that much, but it looks bad now so...

What strange is the Lantana on one side and different ever green shrub on the other both look great.

 

[vette-kid]

I do suspect my neighbors sprinkler was causing some severe over watering in that area, but this doesn't look like it's downing to me. I do have some lilies drowning not to far from it.

 

[Marck]

It would have been good to see sharp, close-up photos of the plant's leaves to help identify it.

There is a suggestion that the dead branches were due to some type of damage over Winter. However the Winter of 2016-2017 was considered a particularly mild one for the eastern U.S. so exceptional frost damage seems unlikely.

Some diseases such as Verticillium Wilt can sometimes manifest themselves in this way.

The stark difference between healthy growth and completely dead leaves might also suggest severe mechanical damage of one of the plant's main stems. it would be good to see an inspection of the base of the shrub.

In the absence of other evidence, I agree that pruning off the dead parts of the plant is a more appropriate response than removal of the entire plant. After that he plant's progress should continue to be monitored. Hopefully the living parts of the shrub will regrow in a normal fashion.