Web Master:
It may be too late to save the shrubs but I would try and save them first. Prune them to encourage new growth and continue to water.
Add SeaSol with wetting agent when you water; SeaSol is not a fertilizer, it is a soil conditioner and helps root health.
Dry soil becomes quite hydrophobic and when it does the water runs off the surface and not into the soil, adding a wetting agent will reduce the surface tension, allow the water to permeate the soil and reach the roots.