Might be soil infertility or drought

We've had pretty consistent rain without long stretches of no rain. It was fertilized this spring with evergreen spikes. Thanks for the reply!

Yeah this is totally normal, provided the plant is otherwise healthy seeming. I had some visitors to my garden this weekend and I was explaining to them that all of my very, very healthy hollies were not actually dying! This is their time to do it in my garden.

how do you know you pounded fert spikes.. where the plant needs them ...

have a soil test done.. and use the appropriate soil amendment or fert as defined by said test ...

ken

I’m not totally convinced this is all just normal leaf fall. Even the green leaves are strangely bumpy and seem to be covered in small raised bumps. Some leaves appear distorted and have what appear to be shed insect skins on them as if they have an aphid infestation.

So you are saying the way it looks is bugging you?

There is applying fertilizer and then there is doing it effectively. With it not automatically following that because fertilization has been attempted that it worked - when there is a soil mineral deficiency enough of the particular mineral that is deficient has to be applied in a successful way before the deficiency is corrected. And hollies specifically manifest a nitrogen deficiency by premature shedding of older leaves.

Good point @ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5, I used 3 evergreen fert spikes around the holly at the drip line. Also, @floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK, I'll take a closer look for aphids etc.