the honeydew could also be falling from a tree above ...

ken

George, please post that third picture in the Name That Plant Forum; it will be identified quickly in there. It's still not coming to me.

The insects that are present appear to be the white spots on the stems/branches, a cottony scale.

The sooty mold isn't a disease. But as said, a common fungus colonizes the sticky excretions (called honeydew) of the insects.

Perhaps the plant is skimmia.

You may be right that it's Skimmia, Jean. If so, cottony cushion scale is fairly common to that family, as a whole.

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=e744

Is skimmia part of the Holly family? The red berries suggest a Holly.

gorur, Skimmia are members of the Rutaceae family, sharing no kinship with hollies at all. There are thousands of plants that bear small red fruit; hollies are just one kind.

I can sure appreciate why anyone would think of holly, though, with those leathery green leaves and bright red fruit. Skimmia are related to citrus, by the way.

Thanks pal; I skipped Biology in favor of Physics, Chemistry and an overdose of Math. However, I have been an ardent gardening enthusiast as I grew up on a plantation and obviously inherited the proverbial 'green thumb' through parental genes. The only time I tolerate Holly is during Christmas; at other times, they are at best annoying with their sharp edges and thorny touch. I grow a great deal of citrus, including some exotic Pommelo, Kumquats, Jaffa Oranges, and Lemons in Zone 7a.