Hi, 

Maryland has been in a drought since 2024 due to insufficient rain. Even recent rains haven't been enough to catch us up. Have you watered the trees when we haven't had rain? They could be showing signs of severe drought stress. Many hollies shed some interior leaves and old growth this time of year, but this is a drastic loss and we don't see any new growth coming. 

Are there any holes along the trunk? Sapsucker woodpeckers tend to feed on hollies over the winter. They have since migrated for the summer but will be back to our area again next winter. If the tree was already severely stressed, any feeding damage could have pushed it over the edge. 

Sometimes, trees, especially evergreen trees, will still show green pliable branches even if they are dying. In the meantime, try monitoring for watering needs by feeling the soil about 4 to 6 inches below the mulch to see if it needs supplemental watering. If you start to see new growth from the tips of the branches, then it could possibly recover. 

If it continues to lose leaves and not show any new growth, it is likely dying or dead, and you can remove those branches or may need to replant the entire tree. 

Emily