My holly tree has been losing the lower leaves for about 3 yrs. The leaves fall of from the trunk outward. Now the branches are turning green on top of the bark. The lower half of the tree has lost its leaves and the green is spreading. Is this a fungus and is there anything I can do? Liz
English holly (Ilex aquifolium) can be quite prone to spotting and dropping of the lower leaves. I think I might see this mostly on cultivated specimens in irrigated areas, such as the Holly Collection at VanDusen Botanical Display Garden, where one winter I visited the English hollies were nearly all badly infected (and the Highclere hollies were not). So, perhaps there is a connection between infestation and damp site conditions (as well as genetic susceptibility). Searching "holly leaf spot" might bring up pertinent information.
