Winterberry (Ilex verticillata)

Vivid red winter berries used for Christmas décor and winter food source for songbirds.  Glossy dark green leaves. Grows 5’ – 15’ high and wide at maturity.  Good choice for shadier wet locations, but also thrives in full sun.  All soil types even wet and compacted.  Low pH. Sun/Partial Sun/Native/Attracts Butterflies/Attracts Birds in winter

Native to US east of MN and TX up to Nova Scotia. Native Habitat: Swamps, Stream, river banks, Near lakes or ponds

Flowers bloom May – July and Nectar is valuable for insect, special value to honey bees.  Fruit is winter food for birds.

Please note that winterberry plants grow as either pollen producing or pollen receiving plants.  Only the pollen receiving plants produce berries and one pollen producing plant is needed for pollination to produce the berries.  The grower does not separate these plants.  So we do not know what mix of pollen producing and pollen receiving plants you will receive.  .

18-24″ bare root seedlings

Photo Credit: Iurieph, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons