Mes thuyas meurent... Que faire ?

Thuja hedges are under attack. When one of these evergreens turns brown, it's undoubtedly the beginning of the end. There's no need to bring out the heavy artillery and chemicals; most of the time, there's nothing you can do... it's better to replace them with other, less susceptible shrubs. Thuja hedges have many enemies: • Severe drought and heat • Fungi such as phytophthora • Spider mites • The thuja wood borer (Lamprodila festiva), a destructive beetle whose wood-eating larvae wreak havoc. What to do... Pull them up? That's certainly what would be desirable, but it's not necessarily feasible, especially in a small garden. Hubert Fontaine suggests pruning them, that is, cutting off all the branches extending from the trunk. You can then transform them into supports for climbing plants... and plant other privacy-screening plants alongside the hedge. To hide an overlook, install reed screens or trellises, which will give the replacement plants time to grow before removing these temporary screens.