It's very difficult to tell anything from the photo. Lace bugs can infest Japanese holly, however, and this does create a matte, mottled upper leaf surface. Check the underside of the leaves. Lace bug nymphs leave characteristic deposits of excrement : dark brown shiny speckles. Low impact sprays such as insecticidal soaps are effective against these pests but they work exclusively by contact. In a dense planting like a hedge, something with systemic action will probably be necessary. Your county extension service can recommend one and diagnose your problem should the lace bug guess prove to be incorrect.

Could also be spider mites. Closeup of leaves? They tend to be more problematic in hot dry summers. What has yours been like?

Spider mites and lace bugs are a possibility. Not exactly sure, but maybe scale as well. I would give it a year, see what it looks like. If new growth comes out that way, it could be a mosaic virus.

Many thanks for listing possibilities. I'll use a systemic as i do on my roses. Yes, the photo s not very helpful. A close-up is needed.

I must say that I've never seen nor heard of lace bug infestations on Japanese holly. That's interesting, mainegrower...I will look into that.

Spider mites, yep, quite common.

You can quickly check for their presence in a matter of a few seconds just as you can for the lace bug.

Don't worry about a mosaic virus on your plants. Logan invents information sometimes.

Are these hollies stressed? Living in too much shade or reflected heat and sun, excess fertilizer, anything you can think of?

I have a nice looking prunus serotina. It has mosaic virus. It provides a really nice foliage contrast to the surrounding dogwoods.

akamaingrower, CHG will not be having any diseased plants. I would not sell a tree with mosaic virus to customers. This tree is planted in my grandparent's yard. I do like the variegation produced by mosaic, but I would never sell a plant affected by it.

Logan: the variegation may be attractive, but you really are providing a reservoir for this virus, whichever one it may be. (Laboratory analysis is usually necessary to identify the particular virus for sure). If it is common tobacco mosaic virus, anyone still growing tobacco in your area is unlikely to be too happy about an infected tree being allowed to flourish. Likewise, neighbors growing tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and a host of other vegetables may wish your tree gone. Not too many years ago, farmer friends lost their entire tomato crop because TMV infected seedlings had been imported from Georgia by a greenhouse more than 5 miles from their fields. TMV is very easily spread by insects. There's no cure except destruction of the host plants once the malady appears.

As suggested, Cooper has checked his holly for spider mites and assumes lace bugs would be detected similarly It's just a matter of shaking the foliage over a white piece of paper. No tiny bugs!

The undersides of the leaves do not look unusual but quite similar to the uppers. Any new sprout looks A-OK, but I'm still suspicious of mosaic.

Growing conditions this year have not been unusual except for extended, moderately high humidity.

Here are some pics that may be better than my initial one, including one of new growth.

Many thanks all for helping me with this.

looks like boxwood to me

japanese holly and boxwood look the same, but are different species. (Ilex Crenata is JH). Not mosaic, new growth is fine. Some type of insect damage.

Logan, be quiet.

Sam is right! These are boxwood, much easier to see that in these newest images.

Spider mites are a big problem with boxwood, as are boxwood lace bugs, but this damage appears more like mite stippling than anything.

These are unlike any boxwood I've ever seen (in my 83 years). And the uniformity of the problem, 13 plants in a row with 100% of leaves affected, makes an insect or mite problem suspicious. But I'll try a systemic insecticide and a miticide per the suggestions, as they're worth a try. Fortunately, there appears to be no "die-off" anywhere yet. Thanks, all.

Donald, your shrub has opposite foliage. Japanese Holly has alternate. These are Box bushes.

Houzz glitch. The above post is from me, floral_UK. For some reason Houzz has screwed up my username and doesn't allow editing on that post. Let's see what name appears on this post.

Aha - normal service has been resumed .... and I can edit again. Weird. Anyone experiencing anything similar?

Donald....isn't it neat to still be learning something at your age? It's easy to confuse one of the several Japanese holly species with boxwood. But the leaf arrangement is never ambiguous! Those knotched leaf tips are another identifying feature.

Pest infestations can sweep through plants that are in close proximity to each other, particularly if the plants are all of the same kind. It's one of the biggest flaws of monoculture.

I would very much like to see you take some affected clippings to your local NC Cooperative Extension office. Click on the green link to find your county information. Finding someone knowledgeable for an in-person inspection would be invaluable.

It's very important, I believe, to have an accurate identification of the pest before using any kind of pesticide. Spider mites, in particular, multiply rapidly if inappropriately applied pesticides kill all manner of predatory species.

I keep mentioning spider mites for a couple of reasons. One is because your pictures illustrate exactly what their feeding looks like, as best as I can tell from those images....especially the newest ones.

The second reason is because boxwood can be susceptible to infestations of several kinds of pests, including the mites. But nothing else looks quite like what you've shown us.

I know of no disease that presents itself like this, nor does nematode damage...a pest quite common to boxwood in some locations.

I hope that you will stay in touch with us as you search for and find a resolution.

Well thanks all, especially to rhizo for his detailed comments. I may indeed take some foliage to our county agent, though my previous dealings have been rather pedestrian.

Yes, it's good, and never too late, to learn things from you keen hobbyists like you all. Gardening has so many interesting facets that it is no wonder that it keeps us engaged, amused, and sometimes puzzled.

I'm well aware of spider mites, having to protect Alberta spruce, which they love. There's no evidence of them here on my, ahem, ........... BOXWOODS

There are other common mite species in the garden that are not necessarily spider mites or mites that produce obvious webbing. Skimmias in my area that are planted in less than full shade conditions will routinely develop mite problems and there is seldom ever any indication of conspicuous webbing.

Although lacewings produce very visible stippling also, I'm with rhizo that this is a mite infestation. Boxwood even has its very own mite species: "The boxwood mite, Eurytetranychus buxi, is a spider mite that
feeds on the undersides of leaves and is difficult to see even with a
hand lens. Infested leaves appear to be pin-pricked or stippled with
tiny white or yellow marks. The boxwood mite is a pest of both European
and American boxwood varieties. Japanese boxwood is less susceptible.
The application of high nitrogen fertilizers may lead to higher numbers
of this mite."

Donald, I absolutely appreciate your comment about the less than inspiring experience with your extension office personnel. Sometimes the offices are staffed by volunteers (called 'Master Gardeners' for some reason) who mean well but can be very short on knowledge. Sometimes, however, you will meet a true gem.

Perhaps if you call ahead and make an appointment with an actual extension agent, hopefully one with expertise in ornamental horticulture.

Sounds like a good approach, rhizo. Thanks