Browns Yew is Brown - Ask Extension
I bought a Browns Yew along with 5 other shrubs at Lowes home store last June 15. I have the receipt, I also left the tags on the trees. The Browns Ye...
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Browns Yew is Brown #562768
Asked May 20, 2019, 7:39 AM EDT
I bought a Browns Yew along with 5 other shrubs at Lowes home store last June 15. I have the receipt, I also left the tags on the trees. The Browns Yew turned Brown, not sure exactly when since I planted it. We had a lot of rain this year so I am pretty sure it got enough water.
Armstrong County Pennsylvania
Expert Response
The first thing to determine is if the entire plant is dead. Scratch a bit of bark off a branch in question to see if there is a green layer right under the bark. The green layer is called the cambium and is essential for growth. If the cambium is dead, so is the yew.
Other shrubs nearby look fine, so the thing to determine is whether Lowe's will replace the shrub. I would dig it up and examine the roots to see if there are any problems. The cause of death will be hard to determine, but it most likely died from the hard winter and cold wet spring we've just been through.
I would return the shrub since you are still within one year of the purchase date.
I already scratched some of the bark off,it is white. I bought 6 different shrubs the same day at Lowes, the other 5 are doing great, they are all spaced in front of my house facing North.
Perhaps there was already a problem with that one before you bought it. If so, it would be more susceptible to stress. Whatever caused the shrub to die, perhaps Lowe's will replace it since it was less than a year.
