Featured Plant:
Winterberry holly

Hollies are usually known for their glossy leaves that are beautiful year-round. So who would want a holly that loses its leaves in the winter? Answer: Anybody who has ever seen a Winterberry holly in the winter.

This beautiful shrub is desirable because its lack of winter leaves makes its berry display all the more showy.  After the leaves have turned yellow and have fallen off, you are left with a breathtaking view of thousands of brightly colored berries clinging to every stem.

Its blooms are very small, inconspicuous white flowers, followed by light green pea-size berries that turn pink in late summer and become a stunning red before the shrub drops its thick, shiny leaves in October. In autumn it shows off branches draped with small but numerous berries right to the tip. The berries remain on the plant until mid-winter, adding color to the landscape when it is most needed. To facilitate a good berry set it is advisable to purchase at least one male for every three to five female plants and to plant the male in close proximity.

Winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata) will attract songbirds, since its fruit serves as an emergency food source for birds.

Other common names of ilex verticillata are "black alder," "brook alder" and "fever bush." Native Americans used it to treat fevers and used the bark to heal cuts and bruises. A more modern use for Winterberry Holly is in arts and crafts. Cut the stems in November or December, before the songbirds get at them. The berry-laden branches are prized for use in floral arrangements, wreathes, kissing balls and winter window boxes.

Winterberry holly can also be grown quite successfully in average garden soils. This easy-to-grow plant has few serious insect or disease problems. Depending on the variety, this plant can get from 3 feet to 15 feet in height. It can be grown in partial shade or full sun. In wet sites, where few other plants could survive, it forms a dense spreading thicket. In drier garden soils, it forms a tighter clump.