Holly Bushes Dying

Question

We have always had holly bushes which pretty much thrived. The two in the north facing area of the house are still doing well. There are three in the south facing (not that much sun due to many trees) have or are in the process of dying. We have replaced all three in the last couple of years. Local nurseryman claims not enough water. This has been the wettest summer we’ve experienced in 20 years in this house, and the ground is wet. The one change we’ve made is to use stone landscaping around the plants facing the southeast. Could this be the problem? We don’t see any sign of pests and have not changed anything else.

Answer 1

Hollies are very susceptible to honey fungus, which causes rapid death. The fungus appears in autumn as clusters of brown stools. The landscaping is unlikely to be the problem.