Don't ask me. I have at least three times managed to kill inkberries. but, I am not giving up. Last week I bought another one.

Following up rather late -- I just searched GardenWeb to see if anyone else was having this problem, and I found this description, which sounds just like what's happening in my yard. Last spring I planted two inkberry hollies on the north side of my house. One did exactly what creekhouse describes: turned black from the inside, then died. I replaced it this spring, and the same thing is now happening to it. I checked the soil when I replanted it to see if I had missed something in there, like a root. Found nothing unusual at all.

The only thing I can think of is that it's sensitive to black walnut. Nowhere can I find any research stating that Ilex glabra is sensitive to juglone, but I'm about out of other theories to explain why one has died twice in this spot, while the one I planted six feet away (further from the black walnut tree) is doing OK. Conditions are similar for both of them; if anything, the one that died gets more afternoon sun, but the pattern of leaf death is not consistent with scorching -- it's happening from the stem outward, not on the side that gets the sun. Soil is amended clay; plants are fairly near the dripline of the back porch and are on a soaker hose.

If anyone has any thoughts or advice on this matter, I'd greatly appreciate it. Many thanks.

We have three Ilex glabra that we planted last spring. They are now, have brown splotches, the leaves are turning yellow, then brown and the whole stem is dying. I sprayed them with a fungus killer, hoping that will help.
If anyone has any suggestions, please post, asap.
thanks

Unfortunately, Phytophthora cinnamomi (a fungal infection) is showing up on Ilex glabra. So far, I have only seen problems with the cultivar "Shamrock," a female that is supposedly a seedling selection. Previously, Ilex crenata (the Japanese holly) was shown to be susceptible. 'Shamrock' is being sold as a purebred seedling selection of Ilex glabra. I certainly hope that is truly the case.

Here is a link that might be useful: First Report of Phytophthora cinnamomi on Ilex glabra in Virginia

This is so sad! I have 12 young inkberry that I made some nice little hedges out of two years ago. They struggled the first year so I dig them all out and did a deep amending of the soil, mulching, watering and now they are just covered in black spot. At one point we used cocoa bean shell mulch that suspected grew some kind of mold. They were NOT cheap these shrubs. And it was a ridiculous amount of back breaking work to make them happy. So disappointed.

I bought 8 and leaves are turning black, planted two months ago and watered regularly. How can I save thise bushes.

truegrey, Ilex glabra (like many broadleaf evergreens) is susceptible to scorch (foliar burn) when hit with early sun on cold winter mornings. In zone 7, where I live, many benefit from being protected from sun until at least 10:00 a.m. or so. The scorch usually occurs when temperatures dip below about 17 degrees, which causes the foliage to wilt, and the sun hits the plant at the coldest time of the day.

I am experiencing this in Rhode Island, with a beautiful and kind of expensive Shamrock bought from a decent nursery in MA last year. Black spots, then entire stems, then the branch dies. I am so dissapointed—it fills a critical spot right by the front door and is the only thing that keeps its green through the year while everything else goes dingy by late february. i understand that it is now in the soil and it’s unwise to plant anything else succeptibke in its place—which is all the other hollies which stay cheerful all year. Maybe a box would survive. thank you for helping me diagnose!

I am a landscape designer and contractor with over 30 years of experience. During my early years, I kept trying to work with Ilex glabra .... but it always died. Now I will not touch it with a barge pole. It is highly susceptible to Phytopthera, and there is nothing anyone can do it about it. To date, not a single one has ever survived, on many different sites, with different amounts of sun and always sufficient water. Every nursery should honestly advise customers of the risk of using this evergreen. Look for blight-resistant boxwoods instead.