Hi... I seem to be having a problem with some of my ground shrubs. They are turning brown, but don't seem to be drying out, just changing color. I have attached some photos and I am a novice at plant identification. But you can see some of the same plant is still green and healthy, but a lot of it has turned brown. The plant has been there since 2002 and this have never occurred. I have attached a photo of the green and brown areas and one of the healthy plant for identification. I live in Birmingham, Al if that makes a difference and we've had a couple of abnormal cold winters last and this year... will they survive or do I need to take some action?

Thanks in advance...
Kelly

We have ground cover junipers around the building where I work, and we have a terrible vole problem there. The plants provide perfect cover for the small rodents, but they destroy the plants by chewing off the bark near the base. Here is an article I came across that might help you identify if voles could be causing your problem: http://articles.chicagotribune...

I agree, I would check for voles. Where I work we have the same problem and if you peer at the thicker stems under the foliage you should be able to see where the bark has been chewed off. If there's no sign of chewing then one should look for another cause but definitely check that out first.

If the brown and green parts are the same juniper (or whatever it is) cultivar/species then I would expect normal winter colour change (to more brownish) would affect all the plant, unless the green part had been more protected somehow (such as by snow cover, which I assume is doubtful where KGL is located).

Hey all - thanks for all the replies, the brown srubs are turning green now... nothing seems to be dying! Never seen that happen in the past.... Thanks!