Question by Lisa. B
I have 5 lovely well-established James Stirling plants along my driveway that have grown into a thick lush hedge over approximately 15 years. In the past 6 months the middle tree has died and the 2 on the left are starting to brown and shrivel. The 2 on the right are green, full and healthy. I would like to know if I can save the 2 on the left and what could have happened to these? Is there any way of recovering the middle one or do I have to remove it and plant a new one? Many thanks.
Sarah's answer
Hi Lisa,
How frustrating for you! It would seem this is a common occurrence for this variety and other pittosporums to just drop dead. It has been put down to overwatering (or too much rain) resulting in root rot or fungal disease. There is also some speculation that it doesn’t cope well with heatwaves. It makes it all the more annoying that it is in the middle of a hedge. When you pull out the dead one, then have a good look at the roots and see if you can observe anything untoward. I wouldn’t want to replace it with the same plant in the same place – especially if it was fungal. Make sure the new plants are suitable for your location and amend the soil to top up the nutrients the old plants would have used up. I hope this helps.
