The leaf tip scorch (browning and tissue death) suggests that a root problem is the main cause, or that there is damage to the water-conducting tissues in the base of the branches, close to ground level since it seems to be affecting the entire canopy of the shrub. We do not see scale insects on the bark, a common cause of dieback with cherrylaurel, but anything that gets the root zone too dry (like not watering periodically during drought) or too wet (like an influx of extra water from a nearby roof downspout outlet, or over-used irrigation) can cause similar-looking symptoms. Stressed cherrylaurel can also be targeted by the wood-boring larva of a moth, which chews into the wood and can kill tissues that keep the leaves hydrated. If present, the only remedy is to prune it out, although for badly-damaged plants (regardless of the cause), such as shrubs with most of their leaves missing as seems to be pictured here, it's probably best to just replace it. You can learn more about typical cherrylaurel health conditions on the linked page.

You can examine any removed wood or roots (if you take the plant out) for indications of damage. Borers tend to generate sawdust and crack the bark near where they are feeding, and split-apart wood should reveal chewing damage and possibly the larva itself, or old frass (droppings, usually combined with sawdust). Root rot will give the younger, slender roots a mushy texture, darker color, and they will pull part into two layers (with a hairlike or thready inner core) fairly easily. Roots that are either still alive or which died from other causes tend to stay firm, pale in color, and take more force to break, and snap more cleanly in half instead.

Most of Maryland has been in a notable drought for the past two years, and in many areas, despite recent rains being more regular, the moisture deficit is still not fully alleviated. Like many evergreens, cherrylaurel doesn't wilt prominently when it begins to get too dry, so there can be little indication they need water unless the soil is felt for moisture content several inches deep. If the shrubs weren't monitored for watering needs and periodically irrigated over the past two years (mostly during the growing season), cumulative damage to the roots and opportunistic branch fungal infections (like Botryosphaeria canker, which can cause branch dieback on drought-stressed plants) may have contributed to the plant's current state.

There is no fungicide, insecticide, or fertilizer application that will help this situation, and if you opt not to replace the plant for now, you may need to prune back all leafless branches and see how it fares (if it begins to grow replacement stems starting in spring). If you're not sure which branches are dead versus being temporarily leafless, you can wait until mid- to late spring, when the rest of the plants are leafing-out, and see what doesn't regrow. Even if the branches are still alive, the plant will probably not replace the lost leaves on the interior unless those branches are pruned back significantly and forced to regrow from closer to the shrub's base.

It's hard to tell how many individual plants are in this row, but this variety of cherrylaurel (it looks like the often-planted variety 'Otto Luyken') matures around 4 to 6 feet wide if not pruned smaller to control its size, so if you did remove the struggling plant and kept the others as-is without replanting, they may fill in that gap on their own after a few more years of growth, depending on their spacing.

Miri