Well, the female died. ALL the leaves dropped off. I did try spraying with a anti-fungal to no avail. I dug it up over the weekend and the roots seem okay--not signs of root rot. I cleaned up all the dead leaves etc.
Now the male is showing signs of the leaves turning black on the edges. It *is* close to the house and I did have some point-tucking done on my stairs last fall. Oddly, the female is *further* away from the stairs than the male. I don't remember seeing any mortar near the holly, but could it have leached into the soil? Is this what happens to holly bushes if the soil isn't acidic enough?

If you try to break off a twig does it snap off dry and brittle or is it still bendy? If the latter it is worth leaving the trees until next spring before digging them up. They may still be alive. And what kind of hollies are they? I only know Ilex aquifolium and that does not need acid conditions.

IMHO ... and reinforced by the first reply ....

MOST SHRUBS NEVER NEED ANYTHING FROM YOU ...

stop feeding them..

stop spraying them ....

and just insure they have proper water

i really wonder.. if you arent killing them with too much love ....

was the anti-fungal for roses...LABELED FOR EVERGREEN HOLLY???? if not.. then everything that happened.. after the spray.. MAY HAVE BEEN YOUR FAULT ....

i, also .. going into late fall ... leave stuff until late next spring.. to make the decision as to whether it will live.. early dormancy is an option for heavily stressed plants ...

good luck

ken

Thanks for all the suggestions.

The female holly was dead, dead, dead. No dormancy. Everything very brittle (ie branch would snap in half) and no signs up life when I dug it up.
I actually have never paid much attention to the holly, as it was always very self-sufficient. A little Holly Tone in the Spring, as advised from our local expert gardener we hired when we first moved in.
The anti-fungal was used well after the dying was happening. It was organic and on the advice of my local nursery, which has an arborist on staff. I didn't bring a twig, though, so he was only guessing.
I guess I'll bring a twig into him to take a look at. Would just hate to lose my male holly.

Thanks again.
S

I have a holly that is turning brown on several leaves and it also has tiny white spots on some of the green leaves. It is a Christmas Jewel Holly, Ilex Pyreni (I think)

hey judy ....

hard to tell you much in words alone ... other than to tell you.. its probably the result of a bad winter ... but you dont tell us where you are ... so even that is a guess ...

start your own post... and give us a pic or two.. if you want some specificity ... check the box under where you type;.. so replies come to you ...

ken

i am in zone 5b/6, this bush was here when we moved in 16 yrs ago, @ 3 years ago we added more of a holly tree,it looks fine so far. i hate to admit it, but we really havent treated for anythig for years. can we save the older bush,every leaf is fine.

I am also having a problem with my Holly's leaves turning brown in different areas of the bush. I live in Southeast Michigan and this bush has thrived over the years.

See the attached photos.

Any suggestions...I've never had to do anything to any of my Hollys except trim them now and again.

Thank You,
Jim

Here is a 2nd photo closer up...

Thanks!

I have a male and female holly that look rough, rough, rough from the winter but have lots of new growth at the end of each branch. They don't look like they're at risk at all but they're the weirdest looking things - completely denuded of leaves except at the end of each branch. Oh well, I'll let nature take it's course. I'm not going to prune them - all the new growth is at the ends. She gets berries every year but they may be too near a 50 year old maple so that's not great either...

My Hollies also took a knock, some completely died back. I have a Holly hedge and it has thrived for 14 years.....I wrap in burlap every winter.....when the burlap was removed this year, they looked fine and then all of a sudden, massive dieback.... Not sure what to do....