Issues in some plants - help needed

Not sure that any of the pictures above show signs of life, normally you would expect to see a sliver of green just under the park and the rest would be wetter and probably whiter.
One of the quick checks for a live or dead shoot is to carefully scape off a piece of bark and if alive you will see a green layer underneath.
Your plants might shoot from lower down, more likely for the honeysuckle than the magnolia.

 

Sadly, those are not looking that hopeful. You should be able to see a pale green ring just inside the outermost layer. That said, an individual branch can be dead without the whole plant being a gonna.


Oops, sorry, didn't see you had answered, @NigelJ.

 

I'd agree - neither looks too good.
I'd also agree though, that the honeysuckle might be ok, and it may only be an individual branch that's dead. The pic of the whole plant didn't look too inspiring though.

 

Ok, I will continue cutting branches to find any sign of life but by the look of it… it’s gone

is it worth looking at the roots, at least for the potted one? Maybe if roots are fine it might be alive, or am I just being naive?

 

Do vine weevil eat the roots of these two plants I wonder?

 

I think @Javidr has confirmed that the honeysuckle is dead. He started a new thread asking for ideas.
I doubt that v. weevils attack Magnolias, although it's always an easier target when they're potted, so it might be the case. It's highly unlikely to be the initial reason for the poor condition though. It looks far more like a combination of factors which have gradually encouraged the decline.

 

Yep the magnolia is likely dead since the cold winter of 2022, looks like the whole pot got frozen

I still don’t understand how the honeysuckle died, it is a really strong plant, but I think when I look at the roots this weekend this will show some evidences

 

I think we covered it @Javidr - too dry for too long [the honeysuckle]
There's competition for moisture there for it - the grass, near the house walls -possibly planting on the other side of the fence etc. The ground in your last pic looks very, very dry, which - at this time of year is unusual, and it's right up against the fence too. It's probably been struggling for a while.

 

That is a good point raised by @fairygirl. Don't plant too close to a fence or wall as the earth is too dry there. Also when you water a shrub give it a whole watering can or bucketful of water.

 

This is why location matters so much. We have no problem here planting climbers near walls or fences, especially in south to west facing sites, because they don't dry out so easily due to the direction of the prevailing weather and the amount of rainfall. Even when improved, the soil doesn't really dry out easily, even in the raised beds, and that includes during summer.

It's why proper, thorough watering from the start in drier areas is important - to get those roots right down.