Winterberry Holly (Ilex Verticillata)

Winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata) is a great choice for gardeners who want to attract birds and wildlife while sparking up the winter landscape. Easy care, trouble-free winterberry bushes provide a spectacular autumn and winter show of bright berries guaranteed to get raves from both birds and people.

If you aren't familiar with winterberries, the holly name will usually bring to mind the more common types, the evergreen shrubs with shiny, spiny leaves. Winterberries are deciduous, however, and drop their soft, oval leaves in the late fall. Many varieties sport good fall leaf color tending towards clear yellow or purple. Some feature showy reddish-purple color on newly emerging leaves in the spring.

Winterberries thrive in partial shade to full sun. They tolerate damp sites and do well in acid soil, which is frequently found in many Northeastern areas, where Ilex verticillata grows wild as a native shrub. Berry production is quite heavy, even when the plants are still young. Pruning and maintenance needs are minimal: check the plants in the early spring for dead, damaged or crossing branches. Never shear winterberries.

Like all members of the Ilex genus, these hollies have separate male and female plants and so both are needed to produce berries. Winterberry holly bushes flower in June with very tiny white blooms that aren't showy. Because bloom periods differ among the various cultivars, it's necessary to have the right male cultivar so its timing will be in sync with the females. Usually one male bush for every five females results in good pollination.

Luckily for humans who enjoy bright berry displays, birds tend to ignore the berries in early fall. Unlike sweeter berries such as Viburnum or blueberries which birds eat as soon as they ripen, the sour winterberries are usually left until late fall or winter. This means we can enjoy their beauty through Christmas. For the birds, it's like a berry savings account which they can dig into when other food sources get scarce. In some years, winterberry holly bushes provide welcome food for the returning robins in late February.

Here's a list of some of the best cultivars along with their approximate height, shape, berry color and the appropriate male pollinator:

"Harvest Red": 6'-8', bright red berries, fall leaves are deep red-purple, "Apollo" or "Jim Dandy" will pollinate.

"Sparkleberry": 8'-10', upright growth pattern, bright red berries, new leaves are reddish-purple, fall color is yellow, "Apollo" or "Southern Gentleman" pollinates

"Afterglow": 3'-6' tall, compact, large orange-red fruit, "Jim Dandy" pollinates

"Christmas Cheer": 3'-6', compact, red fruit, "Jim Dandy" pollinates

"Red Sprite": 2'-4', broad and short, bright red berries, slow growing, "Jim Dandy" pollinates

"Shaver": 3'-6', upright and compact, orange-red fruit, has the largest berries, "Jim Dandy" or "Southern Gentleman" will pollinate

"Winter Gold": 6'-9', pinkish-orange berries, "Southern Gentleman"

"Winter Red": 6'-9', upright growth, bright red berries, bronze fall leaf color, use "Southern Gentleman"

Remember that like all Ilex, the berries on winterberry, while eagerly eaten by wildlife, are poisonous to humans. Be certain that small children don't eat them.