I live in the Boston area. For the last 3 years, I have planted 2 Emerald Green arborvitae either side of my garage againist the foundation. My garage faces East. The arborvitae look fine all summer and into the fall and begin to deteriorate during winter. Most of the needles on the side facing the driveway have turned brown or simply disappeared over the winter. The other sides also look ragged, but the bushes are not dead. I don't believe this has anything to do with automobile exhaust as cars seldom spend much time adjacent to bushes. Downspouts are nearby both bushes, but, of course, there are not many occasions during winter when downspouts provide water. Sometimes, snow is thrown around them by my snow-blower, but I attempt to avoid them as much as possible. I've applied sprays to avoid excess evaporation. But, I haven't done anything else. Is there anything else I can do, or should I simply plant some other bush in these locations?
