Common Winterberry

Ilex verticillata

Add colour to your fall and winter garden. Choose a female common winterberry (Ilex verticillata) shrub to produce bright red berries that last through fall and winter. Pair with at least one male for pollination and the glossy green leaves of both male and female plants make a great backdrop for the rest of your yard through spring and summer.

Planting and Care Tips

Winterberry shrubs prefer part to full sun and acidic moist-wet soils, growing approximately 1.5 to 2.5 metres tall in most urban areas. Tolerant of foot traffic, drought and salt, winterberry shrubs can be grouped together and grown near driveways, sidewalks or entrances to create a vibrant winter welcome.

Alternatively, try planting near water, low-lying areas, or in rain gardens. Avoid planting in alkaline soil as this can stunt plant growth and cause the leaves to turn yellow (chlorosis).

For quick results, purchase larger plants if possible. Winterberry are slow growers, but perform well when transplanted. Plant a male shrub within 15 metres (50 feet) of females so pollinators can fertilize the females. Pair up to five or six female shrubs with one male planted nearby.

Plant in front of native evergreens, such as red cedar, for a striking winter combination, or try grouping with silky dogwood, eastern ninebark, or meadowsweet. In moist part-shade, pair with ferns such as cinnamon fern, sensitive fern or spinulose wood fern.

The ripe fruit of winterberry will cling throughout the winter, giving birds an emergency food source they can turn to when other food is scarce. Keep an eye out for northern mockingbirds, cedar waxwing and the occasional robin. Berry-laden branches can also be selectively cut and displayed indoors as long-lasting decorations.