Disease(s) harming Chinese Holly trees and shrubs - Ask Extension
Hi,
This spring the Chinese Holly trees and shrubs (identification based on an app) in my yard have suddenly experienced very poor health and have ...
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Disease(s) harming Chinese Holly trees and shrubs #930823
Asked May 06, 2026, 2:29 PM EDT
Hi,
This spring the Chinese Holly trees and shrubs (identification based on an app) in my yard have suddenly experienced very poor health and have sections dying off and/or the leaves on the tips of their branches turning black and shriveling up. I don't know what to do to save them, nor do I know of any reliable tree service companies that are appropriate to treat diseases like this. Any help or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
MoCo Resident
Montgomery County Maryland
Expert Response
Yes, these do look like varieties of Chinese Holly (Ilex cornuta); sometimes apps get IDs wrong, but in this case it looks right. The blackened buds are damage from the overnight frost/freeze from a couple weeks ago. That event damaged new growth on many plants around the state. It will take plants time to develop replacement growth, but they will usually be fine, and eventually the damaged parts will fall off on their own.
We can't tell what caused the damage to the first shrub pictured (the one with many leafless branches), but it doesn't look like fresh damage unless deer stripped the plant of foliage this past winter. (They can eat holly when they're hungry enough, especially varieties whose leaves aren't as sharp as others.) It might be a case of drought stress predisposing the plant to an infection like Botryosphaeria canker, which can kill branches. Chinese Holly is fairly drought-tolerant, even compared to other holly species, but they have their limits and the ongoing drought of the past two years is taxing many plants.
All you can do for now is to prune off dead branches (those without any leaves) and wait to see how they rebound. Check the plants for watering needs (guidance is in the linked page), as recent rains have been insufficient and it takes consistent root moisture to support the production of new growth. If any individual shrub doesn't start showing signs of recovery (producing new growth points) by late May, it may be best to replace it instead.
Miri
We can't tell what caused the damage to the first shrub pictured (the one with many leafless branches), but it doesn't look like fresh damage unless deer stripped the plant of foliage this past winter. (They can eat holly when they're hungry enough, especially varieties whose leaves aren't as sharp as others.) It might be a case of drought stress predisposing the plant to an infection like Botryosphaeria canker, which can kill branches. Chinese Holly is fairly drought-tolerant, even compared to other holly species, but they have their limits and the ongoing drought of the past two years is taxing many plants.
All you can do for now is to prune off dead branches (those without any leaves) and wait to see how they rebound. Check the plants for watering needs (guidance is in the linked page), as recent rains have been insufficient and it takes consistent root moisture to support the production of new growth. If any individual shrub doesn't start showing signs of recovery (producing new growth points) by late May, it may be best to replace it instead.
Miri
