Cupressus macrocarpa wilma lemon scented conifer

Question

I have the above trees. I have 4 in a line as a hedge & it was neglected with water hence the branches are now brown. I also noticed that the one furthest from my maple tree has the most sun, hence that looks good and as each tree gets closer to the maple tree it gets less sun. So I guess no water plus little sun has caused the tree closest to the maple to gradually go brown. Since this I have pruned the maple tree back so the trees can have more sunlight.
My question is what do I need to do to get them to go back to green. Do I cut them off? They look completely dead. Will the branches go back to green & would I be able to get a hedge or would it look as it is? I live in Sydney Australia & we are now at the start of winter. Other parts of the tree are green; it’s only one side affected with the inside also dead.

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Answer 1

You are correct, they require full sun, plus adequate water.

Unfortunately they will not recover; the dead branches will not turn green or grow new green branches.
The best you can do is trim them up and live with the new shape.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/shgen/care-of-landscape-hedges.htm