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Incorporating Native Plants in Your Garden – Winterberry (Ilex Verticillata) - by EMG Jenn

This one has a Christmasy feeling; appropriate as we head into that season! Unlike other hollies, Winterberry’s leaves are not evergreen, meaning that the focus in winter goes to those gorgeous berries, well loved by many species of birds. The berries will persist all through the winter and into early spring, if the birds don’t get them. Because the berries are low in fat, birds often eat them later in winter when other fruits are scarce, meaning that we can enjoy them for longer. This is a very winter hardy plant!

Growing to 3-10 feet, globularly shaped, this shrub will accept a variety of light conditions and prefers a moist, acidic soil, even tolerating poor drainage. In the right soil, Winterberry has few problems, but in neutral to alkaline soils, it suffers from chlorosis and can die.

There are inconspicuous flowers in April-July (attractive to bees and butterflies), followed by dense clusters of red berries. Flowers appear on new growth, so prune early in spring, before new growth appears. Like all hollies, Winterberry is a dioecious species (the male and female flowers are on separate plants), so to get berries, you need to plant two compatible selections near each other (one male for every six females). As different varieties have different bloom times, it is important to match the two so they bloom concurrently. For example, “Winter Red”, a popular female, blooms late, as does “Southern Gentleman”, so the latter is an appropriate pollinator. Note that dwarf varieties do NOT produce fruit.

Winterberry can be tricky to start from seed, and seedlings are difficult to sex until they reach three years of age. They sucker readily, so suckers can be dug and transplanted in the fall, while actively growing softwood cuttings may be taken in the spring and summer.

A member of the Aquifoliaceae (Holly Family), Winterberry is native to swampy areas of eastern North America. The genus name comes from the Latin name Quercus ilex for holm oak in reference to the foliage similarities (holm oak and many of the shrubs in the genus Ilex have evergreen leaves).The specific epithet from Latin means whorled in reference to the arrangement of sessile fruits in pseudo-whorls around the stems.

Photo by EMG Lesley

For more information:

www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=d440
plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_ilve.pdf
nc.audubon.org/news/winterberry-%E2%80%93-irresistible-birds-and-people ... See MoreSee Less

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