December Shrub of the Month-Winterberry
Winter. Some of you hate it; the snow shoveling and ice scraping, the short days, and of course, the holiday stress. Winter has its good points, however, and one that makes the season worthwhile for plant geeks is the winterberry shrub. Winterberry after a fresh snow will warm the heart of any Grinch or Ebenezer.
Ilex verticillata, or winterberry, is actually a holly but much friendlier since it lacks the spiny leaves other hollies wear. Being deciduous, it loses its leaves in the fall, exposing the ultimate in fresh holiday deco-the stunning red berries.
Winterberry can grow anywhere from 5 to 10′ high and wide depending on the cultivar. ‘Red Sprite’ is a tried-and-true cultivar that stays compact, under 5′. ‘Berry Poppins’ (worth trying if only for the fun name!) is another compact cultivar growing 3-4′. Like other hollies, winterberry is dioecious with separate male and female plants. If you want a good berry show, you need a male cultivar like ‘Southern Gentleman’ or ‘Jim Dandy.’ Check with your nursery to see which males work with your preferred female.
Winterberry performs best in full sun, but it tolerates part-shade and still gives a good berry show. It also tolerates wet areas and likes highly organic soils with high PH/acid levels. Birds love the berries and will strip a shrub in one day. Thankfully, they usually wait until after the holidays in my garden.
What I love about this plant-It‘s hardiness, the super-low maintenance, and the incredible berry show starting in late fall. Cut stems look great in holiday decorations, either alone in a glass jar on your table or mixed in with fresh evergreens indoors or out.
What’s not so great-From spring to early fall, it’s basically a green ‘background’ plant. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing … I like to think of winterberry as a very patient actor waiting in the wings, then after the rest of the garden has gone dormant, it steps into the spotlight!
Words and photos by Jo Batzer
© Jo Batzer, garden-lou.com All rights reserved.
