Question: My junipers are dying out from the insides out. They’re just turning brown, yet I can’t see any specific problem.

Answer: That’s the increasingly common question, and it’s usually spider mites that are the culprits. If you thump one of the affected (dying, but not dead) twigs over white paper you’ll see the nearly microscopic mites start to walk on the paper. Apply a labeled insecticide. For the record, this particular mite shows up very early in the growing season, often in February, so keep an early lookout.