Help - is my bush dead? Think it's a skimmia

aj9648

Hi

Came back from holiday to find my bush - think it's a skimmia looking very tired and brown!! It currently looks like this:


https://twitter.com/payrollexcel/status/855510613707157505

At this time of year it usually looks like this (from a previous post)

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5304796

Is it a dead duck or can I do anything. I can't even think what has caused it but it's a lovely thing when it's blooming so am missing it a bit!! Never had to do anything to it over the last 4 years to it - always looked great.

aj9648

Any suggestions? Bit stuck of where to go?

chesky

Skimmia is horrible. Do yourself a favour and choose a new, really lovely plant to put in its place.

Mojisola

Have you used any weedkiller in the area?

It looks very poorly. I would have it out and chose something new to fill the gap.

sheramber

The picture of it in bloom shows yellowing of the leaves. Do you have alkaline soil? Skimmias need acid /neutral soil.

Yellowing can also be a sign of lack of nutrients or magnesium deficiency.

How old is the bush? It may have reached the end of its life.

If you want to try and save it cut it fight back and give a feed and see what happens.

A Google search for 'skimmia' will bring up sites with cultivation advice.

aj9648

Hi

Bush has been there for many years. We've been there for 4 years and the bush is probably over 10 years old. I'm not sure what kind of soil I have.