I agree the shrub in the photo looks a bit sparse but it may be planted a bit too deep or be getting all the water from the nearby gutter in the photo so it could be suffering from poor drainage as well. Scrape away the mulch so the trunk and top of the roots are  roots are just barely covered with soil. Apply the Osmocote using half a cup for your shrub that looks like it is five feet tall.  Work the granules gently into the top half inch of soil. Cover with just a bit of the mulch no deeper than half an inch. Make sure the drainage from the gutter is not flowing directly into the root ball of the cypress. I think you will see much improvement this summer. Take an after photo and let us know how it does. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti