Question
I planted 2 of these plants about 7 wks ago & now 1 has black spots & the leaves are drying up, looks ill.  I live in Ks. & its been 90-103 degrees the last 4 days & very windy.  I watered today but it has been receiving some rain @ least once every 10 days but not a whole lot. How can I treat this? What could it be?

Answer
Sounds like leaf spot disease. I would rake the leaves up that fall and remove from the area. fertilize with Hollytone and treat the foliage with a fungicide. This sanitary step should be followed by several applications of a broad spectrum fungicide such as maneb, ferbam or a copper fungicide, such as Bordeaux mixture. As an added plus, these fungicides are also effective for other leaf spots and die-back which occur on hollies.
I would water every third day but try to keep the water off the foliage. IF you have not done so I would mulch around the plants with not more than 3 inches deep of organic mulch not piles up on the trunk. This will help hold moisture around the roots.