Help! fatsia japonica and Laurel problems

rog107

Hi I have a new build house and am trying to establish the garden. I have planted 2 large Laurels and 2 large Photinia's. The Laurels are going yellow and the leaves almost look dry / wind burnt. The Photinia's are going black and the leaves are falling off but they do have some new buds.  I have a Lime tree next to them which is doing well.  I know the ground is wet due to the rain but suspect the soil is waterlogged. Any Advice is appreciated. 

Rog

Astro

I had an aucuba planted  in an overly wet spot and it developed root root, the leaves dropped and started turning black. Not sure if this is the case for your shrubs but might be worth investigating.

Borderline

When you say large, that may be the issue. Large plants take a lot longer to settle in. I cannot see the base clearly, but you need to dig a fairly large area so there is no competition from the grass areas. I recommend you prune them all down to at least half of their current height to help them recover and concentrate on putting roots down. Once the weather warms up, they will grow more.

Prep work to the soil is key for any long-term plant like shrubs. You should always try to dig a large area up and break up the soil and add some compost in to help it loosen the structure, then back-fill that into the space when planting in. Best done when the soil is still warm and moist but not water-logged. Digging a small hole on un-disturbed soil stops the roots reaching out and growing out into the surrounding soil, leading to a weak growing shrub that fails to thrive.