My shrubs have a grey and yellow scaly looking growth on them
By Marytm
United Kingdom 
Have just moved here and on inspecting the plants they all seem to have the same disease. Two shrubs are completley dead and covered with this growth. Will I have to dig all the shrubs up? What is this disease? Is it treatable. Help. Picture of the Mock Orange shrub which is quite badly affected. I've noticed two large trees in the front garden also have grey and yellow spots on the trunk and branches.
27 Apr, 2009
Answers
All you have on your trees & shrubs is Lichen look it up on the internet. I would certainly not dig them up. They are an indication of the amount of polution in the air. My red Crab apple tree had a lot on it so last Autumn I gave it a light spray with diluted Hyperchloride and as you can see from my photographs it is beautiful this year.
Welcome to Goy.
27 Apr, 2009
welcome to GoY
my older trees/shrubs have this lichen too and they dont harm the host plant at all. The lichen is a symbiosis between an algae and fungus. they both support each other with nutrients. so you wont have to dig them up :o)
the more lichen the cleaner the air.
27 Apr, 2009
It looks like lichen rather than a disease?
27 Apr, 2009