Black holly leaves

Kathy Brown

Hi - all the leaves on one of my holly bushes have turned black on the top - they are still green underneath.  It is perfectly healthy, including having new growth. The leaves are not fuzzy, the black does not come off (the leaves are still nice and shiny) and there are no signs of any pests such as aphids or leaf miners.

I have had the bush for years and it lives happily in a pot with some spurge. The black leaves are actually rather attractive but I'm worried it's a symptom of something nasty.

Any ideas ?

 

Thank you

pansyface

It sounds silly as I haven't experienced a sunny day for about two months, but could it be sunburn?

Kathy Brown

thank you both !

Pansyface: no I doubt it, it only gets the sun very early in the morning (bought specifically for this location) and as I say, the leaves are not dried up, they're prefectly healthy and robust and shiny.........just black !

 

Tetley: I thought sooty mould rubbed off and this doesn't, the black is actually in the leaves ?

Thanks again !