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  Busy Bee Garden Services Limited October 7, 2017 at 5:55am

  That looks the same as my own one at home, when we bought the house 5 years ago a small section of the neighbours had gone, now it took all our front hedge and spreading onto another bit. Another neighbour half way up the road has just started to lose his! I have no idea as I thought honey fungus but no signs of it, it kills about a metre of the hedge each year.
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  Sammy Willis October 7, 2017 at 12:04pm

  The same is happening to our neighbours hedge and we cant find any evidence of why or what to do about it. Have replaced some of it and some is healthy while some is not.
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    dan > Sammy Willis October 9, 2017 at 7:29pm

    being very unhelpful here -- but on a larger scale picture - a lot of plants we have forced into shapes or close cut for many many years are now showing signs of disease or serious pest decimation 

    i know its not helpfull - but continually cutting many plants into a tight formation is allowing certain issues to thrive and now destroying plants we thought were indestructible

    just look at leylandii hedges -- they are being hit by by multiple issues presently  : aphid and scale and fungal such as Pestalotiopsis die back -  the brown , dead sections you see when you drive by places are not always bad pruning -- they are just because they have been pruned that way for so long 

    it seems controlling plants into shapes is not turning out to be what they really want in any cases :( 

     
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      dan > dan October 10, 2017 at 10:19am

      looks like the two most obvious causes would be honey fungus or verticillium wilt 

      honey fungus would need identification as its obviously untreatable 

      wilt would show differently and could be possibly treated via feed ? 

      id of each : 

      https://privethedge.wordpress.com/how-to-combat-frequent-hedge-dise...

      verticillium wilt : 

      https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=255

      looks like the feed would be high  Phosphorus -- as in bone meal ? and would imagine liquid seaweed would also help. 

      i think there may now be wilt resistant privet types which could be replanted to fill gaps after removal of dead plants and as much soil as possible. 

      

      How to Combat Frequent Hedge Diseases

      Despite being one of the easiest to maintain greenery in your garden, your own private hedge still needs care and attention. Besides the basic wateri…
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  Progreen Weed Control October 10, 2017 at 1:20pm

  Beginners guide to fungal diseases: HERE

  Didn't think Verticillium Wilt was an issue on Ligustrum? But Honey Fungus is a possibility - phytopthera looks very similar too... no sign of issues in the roots? Maybe some form of blight....are the leaves black-spotted first then browning off?

  https://www.rhs.org.uk/about-the-rhs/publications/magazines/the-garden/2013-issues/august/Garden-Pr…
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    Busy Bee Garden Services Limited > Progreen Weed Control October 10, 2017 at 6:39pm

    The roots we dug out were still strong so not sure it’s phyopthera and would that not kill it faster? It only kills a small section each year but must spread by the wind as it’s going all the way up the road. The new holly plants have done just fine.
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      dan > Busy Bee Garden Services Limited October 10, 2017 at 9:09pm

      if its a form of wilt then you should i believe be able to id it from a cut cross section of woody material / trunk - as per rhs link above 

      http://apps.rhs.org.uk/Advice/ACEImages/SCN0000067_492199.jpg

      i havent seen wilt effect privet personally -- but i believe it can effect most woody plants and when you go through the net it shows up as a strong chance in several threads 

      
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  John Baker October 11, 2017 at 8:12pm

  Have had a section of privet die because the roads service put a pile of salt on the verge and it seemed to poison that area.
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  Guy Deakins Gardens October 12, 2017 at 7:36am

  It's privet wilt. I have the same in a client's garden. Not much you can do. Replace. Fungus in soil kills the roots. Apparently feeding it with high potassium sometimes works, but NOT nitrogen...

  http://www.gardenguides.com/84682-privet-hedge-disease.html

  To be honest, with the climate changing and all the new and wonderful diseases being imported, we are in for an interesting and sometimes demoralising future unless we genetically modify.

  https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170410123946.htm

  

  Privet Hedge Disease

  There are 40 to 50 species of privets in the genius Ligustrum, a member of the olive family; they usually have oval leaves and sometimes blackberries…