A plant for all seasons
Botanical name: Ilex verticillata Hardiness Zones: 3 to 9
Common name: Winterberry holly
Height: 8 ft, Spread: 8 ft Form: rounded
Type: deciduous shrub
Annual Growth: less than 12”
Fruits: Red, (some yellow)
This upright winter dazzler boasts bright red berries that provide color in early winter after the leaves have fallen off. The plant grows in sun or partial shade and a rich, well-drained soil, although it tolerates swampy areas. It has a moderate growth rate once and once established, it can tolerate extended periods of drought (though it would appreciate an occasional drink when times are especially dry). Winterberry is dioecious, so both male and female plants are needed for fruit production. They make festive additions to your holiday décor or flower arrangements. An added bonus? The fruits are often eaten by birds as the winter season progresses.
Plant the larger cultivars as naturalized hedges or to attract wildlife. The more compact varieties work well fronting ornamental grasses—great varied late spring and summer texture and as the grasses go dormant, hey create the perfect backdrop for the Winterberry fruit.
Here are a few of our favorite red-berried Ilex verticillata cultivars:
'Red Sprite' (a.k.a. 'Compacta', 'Nana')— multi-stemmed shrub, compact with large red fruit.
'Afterglow'—a 3- to 6-foot tall female cultivar that offers profuse, vibrant orange-red fruit.
'Early Male'—a male used to pollinate 'Afterglow' and 'Red Sprite'.
Have some open space or need an accent hedge? Try Ilex verticillata x 'Sparkleberry' - a female cultivar that may reach 12 feet with good fruit production. Use the hybrid 'Apollo'—a large plant, to 10 feet—as a male pollinator for this one.