Please can anyone diagnose dying hedge

Rickeyyy17

My front hedge has suffered from fungus since I moved in a few years back. I have been treating it with antifungal etc which would keep it at bay. Somehow over the summer, it looks like it has been taken over by something else, and large sections have died. I will upload picture if possible, but any advice on if it's possible to save once it has got to this stage, or if it needs to be removed.

 

Kitty 2

Have zoomed in as much as I can, my eyesight isn't great.  Could possibly be something like 'euonymous scale' ??? See link below.
https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/solve-problems/euonymus-scale/

I'd look for the underlying problems that have caused it to be sickly for a "few years". Has a lack of food or water allowed pests/disease to take hold?

Pete.8

I have a Euonymus hedge which is smothered in the same little white 'things'.
It hasn't suffered any die-back (yet) like yours has, so I'll be interested to see what others say

Rubytoo

Kitty has it nailed I think .

The clearest bit to zoom in on yours is the first photo with the dark black shiny blob on. Nearest leaves and, just behind that on the left under the big out of focus leaf. Under that the stem is clearly them on the stems. loads of the little blighters.
See this site has clear pictures, the bugs on the stems look the same.
https://www.thetreegeek.com/problems/euonymous-scale/

Sorry not being rude it is hard to get a clear shot of small things sometimes, but your overall photos give a good idea.

Not sure how well Euonymous regenerate cut hard back, or how dead it is below ground with those dessicated stems.
Cut a couple and see if they are green inside the stems?

Dovefromabove

Looks like Euonymus Scale to me ... you even have a Kidneyspot Ladybird doing its best to help you out

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=798

Rickeyyy17

Thank you all for responses. Here is a better picture,  definitely looks like euonymus scale. It was such a hot summer in london and it probaly  didn't get enough water as I was away most of it.
Oh and thanks for mentioning the lady bug, i was going to ask as there are 100s of them! Now I know they are trying to help, I feel bad for thinking they were up to no good.

Do you think it can be recovered?

Kitty 2

For a heavy infestation like that, personally I'd be inclined to go down the 'pruning' route of controlling it rather than trying to wash them off.  I would like to see a positive ID on the type of hedge it it first though (before you get the loppers out), to determine how it would respond to hard pruning and when is best to do it.

It's not one I instantly recognise and my initial ID was for the bugs not the shrub.

Lizzie27

I don't the scale insects would kill the hedge but it looks to me as though whatever spray you've used has desiccated the leaves, either a too strong solution or even maybe weedkiller in error if that's possible. 

Borderline

I agree with Lizzie27, the scale infestation will not have cause the leaves to dry up like that. The leaves were either scorched by either some type of spray when the sun was out. This may have been the fungal treatment you used. Either way, those leaves and outer branches are dead and will not rejuvenate.

You can prune now or wait till spring next year. A harsh prune back should help your shrub to bounce back.