Last summer I moved into a house that had a hedge of Japanese euonymous around the front porch. As you might expect, half of the plants in the hedge were dead and the other half had a bad case of scale.

I managed to save the surviving plants last summer, but this summer several more of them have died off.

The surviving plants seem to be doing OK for now so I don't want to go to the hassle of digging them up. Does anybody have any suggestions for a plant that could be used to replace the dead Japanese euonymouses (euonymice?) that would work well with the surviving plants? I'm looking for something that is that same dark green/yellow color and would be about 3 feet tall and could be trimmed into a flat topped hedge shape.

Where are you located? The recommendations hinge on that answer.

My recommendations may not line up with what you've been thinking about, but they may offer food for thought.

I don't like hedges. I'd rather plants have a plant shape, so I don't use them to augment the architecture by cutting them into boxy shapes. There was some of that diseased hedge euonymus stuff in my yard when I moved in a few years ago. During the first year I felt quite liberated when I got rid of it entirely. I didn't dig out the roots (cut off at soil level) until they rotted out, but just mulched them heavily and planted around them. I had to trim suckering stems for a while, but this worked and they are all gone. Sugar or molasses poured on the stump helps it rot faster.

I don't have a hedge around the house now, I reserve that zone (here in North Texas) for the plants that want the extra water that comes from running a soaker hose about 18" away from my foundation for summer watering.

Good luck!

I'm in Dallas. I've got heavy clay soil and this particular part of the yard has shade in the morning and then sun from late morning through early evening.

You have a good amount of light then! What is next to the hedge? Turf? What kind, and do you have a sprinkler system? How much water is the hedge area liable to get? Do you suppose the unhealthy hedge has to do with water issues? Too much or little make a big difference. This is something to tackle in conjunction with finding the right mix of fertilizing and pest control. Then find something to interplant.

For a low-growing evergreen plant that will stay a low growing plant, dwarf yaupon is a good one, great for xeriscape. There are several nice plants in the holly family you could consider.

I agree with Northwesterner. A good holly will also benefit the birds! Plant native and attract wildlife!