If you have inspected the evergreen closely for insect damage and could not spot any obvious signs, then we may need to look at soil conditions. The condition of soils in beds can be different even when they are close together and have the same plant material. Something to look for is slow drainage after watering, this may be why your stick came back wet, especially if it had been several hours since you last watered. Another sign to look for is a lack of new growth; you should see signs of some new growth since last year. If you do not, we may have a stunted or damaged root system; this can lead to the loss of some established foliage and the lack of any new growth. If you find signs of either of these problems it would be a good idea to improve the drainage around the plant and use a product like Green Light’s Root Stimulator to promote new root development.

Thanks for your inquiry.

Happy Gardening!
The PlantMaster