Dead shrub in the front yard...?

My new house has a dead (looking) shrub in the front yard. First off, we live in an area that has very untalented landscapers working the outside. We have no say in what they do. Anyway, so, getting to my new house, there is a bush/shrub in the yard that looks dead, and I don't know what to do. They use the same shrubs all over here, and I've seen a good tenth of them just dead looking. No sign of mold or bugs, and they're usually an ok size, so it can't be because of the location, otherwise they wouldn't have grown in the first place. Pretty much, all the "landscapers" do is cut off the branches that look dead, and if it doesn't start to grow more leaves, that's just less they have to do. It's ugly, and I don't really know what to do to bring it back to health.

Dead shrub in the front yard...?
It would be most helpful to know what the shrub is and where you are. Are you sure it's dead? It could just be dormant. A lot of perennial shrubs go to sleep for the winter and as a result they drop their leaves. It may come back in the Spring.





Addition: Okay, one way to tell if there is any life left in the shrub is to cut a branch or skin it like you would a potato. If there is any green then there is hope to bring it around. If there is green then I would suggest that you start watering at least once a week and try some miracle gro to give it a boost and see if it will come around. However, if there is no green then I would just pull it out. You are probably correct about the landscaping. I think contractors just shove stuff into the ground so they can make their properties more attractive for the moment and give little thought to the actual care and maintenance of the plants.
Reply:since some in the same area are perfectly fine, but yours looks dead, there is a possibility that it is DEAD and not dormant.





Can you describe the leaves? What shape are they? How big? What color (deep dark green, light green with white markings, etc)? How tall is the plant? How big around? Lots of stems or one main stem with little branches coming off of it?





It's a little early yet to apply any fertilizer, by the way. :)
Reply:I think Georgia had a severe drought last year so the bush may be dead but the only way to tell for sure is to give it at least 6 months to come back to life. You can't tell for sure if other people's bushes are the same as yours if they don't look alike right now? Right? When you see the caretakers you ask them.
Reply:The most sane approach to the problem is to first identify the shrub because if you do not its like having yourself diagnosed for a disease through the telephone and when the doctor asked where the pain is and you say somewhere in my


body.





So, at least ask a neighbor who has been long in the area and ask for the name. Or bring a branch from the healthy shrub in your neighborhood and a branch from yucky looking shrub and bring both to your nearest nursery and ask the name of the shrub or better even ask: what is wrong with your shrub?
Reply:One mistake a lot of people make when they buy shrubs or trees is that they buy the ones in black plastic pots that have been in the sun. The root zone in the pot can get to 140 degrees or higher which will cook the roots. plants may look ok the first year but usually die the second. Of course they have lived a year so the suppliers will tell you they were ok last year( they were dead but didn't show it yet) so they wont replace the plants. I suspect some of the ones contractors planted in your area were of this type.