Mature beautiful Choisya shrub dying

Is it possible that your choisya has come to the end of it's natural life. Sad though that may be.
But hopefully a GN with knowledge will come along and give you some advice.

We have the same problem with a very old choisya. It used to be flourishing, many lovely green leaves & flowered every year. This year it is a brown mess! We are about to give it a very hard prune to see if it revives, but if not, next year it will have to go (& it was one of my Mum’s favourites so it has good memories).

The harsh winter last year may be the problem. Choisyas don’t like temperatures below -10. You can wait a bit longer and see if it revives but it doesn’t sound too hopeful.

All of my large phormiums looked sick and dead after last winter. Some people dug theirs out but I left mine just pulling out the rotting bits and now they are reviving.

It does sound as though your shrub has come to the end of its useful life, jeannie99 for whatever reason. They don't tend to suffer from pests, but maybe root rot? I suspect that when you dig it up you will find the cause at the roots. With the very cold winter, which can affect even the toughest plants, and the very wet July and August we have had it is probably just that the poor old plant couldn't cope. Is it it a sunny, sheltered spot with room around it to allow for air circulation?

I would dig it up, thoroughly dig the area and give it some tlc with maybe some grit to aid drainage and compost/manure to feed the soil and then plant a new choisya.

Fingers crossed that will solve the problem...choisyas are beautiful plants, aren't they?!

Thank you everyone for your comments and advice it is very much appreciated.
I have decided to wait until Autumn and then take out the Choisya and dig over the area.

Well.. This is interesting, I too have lost long established shrubs.
One week OK then out of the blue, leaves going brown and dying off. When you cut down the branches definitely dead.
This also happened to an establish 6ft Holly bush /tree. They were opposite sides of the garden so not connected, both lost this year.

I lost all my Boxes last year to Box blight as well. Just wondering if connected?

Before your Choisya began to die off - did it become rather yellow as opposed to the normal bright green ?
I had one huge Choisya in my last garden .
It was massive requiring a major prune yearly.
But unless I gave it an ericaceous tonic it tended to be yellow and not so healthy .
They don't like water logged soil .
Last year the low temperatures might have damaged it .

I'd cut it right back .
Dig a large hole , fill with an ericaceous compost and replant .
It might surprise you .

I took photos of the plant and showed them to my garden centre staff.

The lady said it had come to the end of it's life sadly so I have dug it up.
We've had quite of bit of rain and I thought I would take advantage of this so I've planted a Fatsia and a Hydrangea in the space.
Both have taken well.

jeanie99, I had two beautiful Choisyas for several years, wonderful perfume and flowers, then both died quite suddenly. I assume that they're short-lived and just wish I'd taken cuttings.

As they say on GQT shrubs get old and die.