By Richard1944
Hertfordshire,
United Kingdom 
i have two mature ceonothus bushes, which i use to mask fencing, just recently i have noticed the leaves have gone brown and are falling off, as though they have been scorched. these bushes are frost hardy, what do you think is the problem?
On plant
ceonothus griseus var horizontalis
29 Jan, 2011
Answers
They are frost hardy, but there's a difference between a bit of frost and freezing, and the arctic blast we experienced before Christmas - wait till May, see what's growing then, remove any clearly dead wood at that time.
29 Jan, 2011
Richard, I don't know how old your plants are, but I've heard that they are not very long-lived. They grow fast and get to a good size, but are also prone to fungal disease. Mine went brown and I think that was the cause.
29 Jan, 2011
I agree with all the above.
Your ceanothus have probably just been hit by the frosts and may recover but they are not long lived and can be fine one year and die the next
....a bit like all of us! :^)
29 Jan, 2011
I agree with the others but I must admit I have almost written mine off several years in a row and they are still there performing in the autumn as per usual. They look like yours now but I will wait and see.
30 Jan, 2011
They are hardy, but they get damaged by the cold. A load at the nursery got damaged completely last winter and never fully recovered and we couldn't rescue them. We moved the new ones under a bit of cover this winter, but they still look a bit sad. Can't say they will come back, probably to early to tell...
29 Jan, 2011