Boxwood leaves are turning yellow - Ask Extension
My boxwood bushes have yellow patches with intact leaves but they are turning yellow. What can I do for them?
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Boxwood leaves are turning yellow #935510
Asked June 15, 2026, 8:36 AM EDT
My boxwood bushes have yellow patches with intact leaves but they are turning yellow. What can I do for them?
Wayne County Michigan
Expert Response
Hello:
Thank you for the photos as that helps a lot. First of all I don’t think it is boxwood blight, which is as you probably know, a deadly progressive disease that has become quite common with boxwood. I don’t see extensive leaf drop or black streaks on green stems, but it is still worth checking closely for black stem lesions.
Did the damage first appear this spring or was it visible last fall? The timing will help to distinguish winter injury progressing to Volutella disease or Volutella disease that has been progressing for multiple seasons. It is possible to have both, and this is most likely the case. It looks like Volutella blight, as dead leaves are still attached to affected branches, the damage occurs in patches rather than the entire shrub, many dead interior twigs and healthy green growth adjacent to dead branches.
Using hand pruners, follow dead stems back until you reach green tissue. Cut 4–6 inches below visible dieback. Remove all dead material from around the shrub. You can be aggressive as boxwood recovers well.
Thin the interior to help airflow as this fungus thrives on stagnant conditions. Also try to avoid shearing as that increases denseness and affects airflow.
Thank you for the photos as that helps a lot. First of all I don’t think it is boxwood blight, which is as you probably know, a deadly progressive disease that has become quite common with boxwood. I don’t see extensive leaf drop or black streaks on green stems, but it is still worth checking closely for black stem lesions.
Did the damage first appear this spring or was it visible last fall? The timing will help to distinguish winter injury progressing to Volutella disease or Volutella disease that has been progressing for multiple seasons. It is possible to have both, and this is most likely the case. It looks like Volutella blight, as dead leaves are still attached to affected branches, the damage occurs in patches rather than the entire shrub, many dead interior twigs and healthy green growth adjacent to dead branches.
Using hand pruners, follow dead stems back until you reach green tissue. Cut 4–6 inches below visible dieback. Remove all dead material from around the shrub. You can be aggressive as boxwood recovers well.
Thin the interior to help airflow as this fungus thrives on stagnant conditions. Also try to avoid shearing as that increases denseness and affects airflow.
- I’ve included a couple articles below with information on boxwood and its diseases.
