In message , Jenny
writes
Hi all

Moved into house early last spring. Garden was overgrown so pruned
shrubs bushes etc, All are doing well this year except one bush which
is still all brown - sorry don't know its name but it is established
with quite large leaves which are still on bush . Its abou 4 ft in
height. I've scraped the trunk which seems to have sap in .
I thought that at this time all shrubs/bushes etc. should be green or
is this one something different ?

Without a picture it is difficult to say. Dead brown twiggy things all
look very similar. My olive trees stay like that after very hard winters
until July. This year one is already coming into flower thanks to this
Mediterranean weather.

Any help as to what it might be or have caused it to suddenly die
would be most appreciated.

Drought/flood/cold/over watering/under watering. But if there is sap and
the layer just under the bark is green then it still alive so leave well
alone and let it recover naturally. It is amazing how much abuse an
established shrub can tolerate and still come back from the roots.

(Unless it is something troublesome and short lived like a Daphne)

Regards,
--
Martin Brown