The leaves look like camelia?, however i have seen quite a few problems with blackening of the leaves and wilting on laurel, but i must add that its more so on Aucubas, which could be down to Phytophora a fungal desease present in the soil, but if the plant suffers from severe weather problems etc, then the fungal desease takes hold, whats the soil like ? have they been watered well? julien.

They look quite newly planted, so I would suspect the dry weather we've had. Shrubs and trees need frequent and thorough watering til they're established, which means at least for the first year.

Thanks for your responses. We moved into out house last summer and i think they were planted a few years before that so they are not too young. I must admit that i have never watered them since we moved in and have just left them to grow. The soil is quite stoney but overall it is good, no clay or any issues like that. Im hopeful that the new buds mean that it will replenish, what do you think?