winter box problem (sarococca)

I bought 4 sarococca plants 14 months ago and planted them in general purpose compost in 14" pots. From late spring until winter they have all been growing in the shade of a north faceing wall but all the dark green leaves have slowly faded to light green. The summer weather has been very wet and the plants have not had any plant fertiliser. Although the plants look healthy there is obviously something causing the leaves to loose their colour. Can anyone suggest a cause for this condition and actions to rectify it.    Any comments would be gratefully received    Thanks  

I think this is weather conditions leading to starvation. My sarcococca haven't done this but laurel, several  different cotoneasters and teucrium fruticans have. They all look unattractive, the teucrium especially, and I'm hoping for a better year in 2013. The laurel has looked like this on previous occasions but the others never have.

I'd feed anything in a pot and wait and see.

I tend to agree with nutcutlet.

Any plant in a pot is dependant on us to feed it. Watering probably has been too excess this yr, through the awful weather. That means that any remaining nutrients in the pot compost will have long gone- either used up &/or washed out.

So any permanent pot planting needs at least an annual feeding- you can push in those pellets in early spring. If you havent repotted it since purchase, nor topped up the compost that wont have helped either.

I'd be inclined to repot it into fresh compost early this coming spring, or now if not actually freezing out there, using one designed for more permanent planting- ie JIno3 type. Then also remember to feed it occasionally & in the following spring, 014, replace the top couple of inches of pot compost with fresh. That way you dont need to repot it every yr. J.