Question
I am in zone 7 and I planted 3 sky pencil hollies a few weeks ago. The place where I bought them told me to not water them for a month after I planted them but I soon found that they were wrong. They started to burn due to the extreme heat so i have now been watering them on a regular basis. However, I think the damage is already done. Two of them are brown and brittle. Is there anything I can do to save them?

Answer
I would shake the plants in the face of the person who told you not to water them for a month. They owe you new plants. If anything they should be watered MORE after they are planted, until the roots have time to get established in the soil. If the soil is dry, the plants won't put out new roots, and the old roots will wither, sending the wilting up to the rest of the plant. When the plant reaches the point of browning, then bringing it back is very difficult.

The parts of the plant that are brown, will not turn green again. So, the plants may not be dead, but you will need to prune off all of the parts that are dead and start again. If you intended these Holies to be a hedge, then your hedge has been ruined. The plants will not be the same after growth begins again. It may take two years to get the size back again.

If you see new growth begin, then it is a sign that new roots have started, you can then begin normal watering.. . . drying, then watering thoroughly.

Don't fertilize stressed plants. This will cause more stress.
Don't prune in the late fall. This will cause new tender growth to freeze when winter comes.
When you water, make sure the water goes DEEP into the soil. Leave a trickle on for hours to reach saturation.