Winterberry – a great pollinator magnet
Ilex verticillata, commonly known as Winterberry or Winterberry holly, is a wonderful, native-to-Connecticut shrub that attracts pollinators, birds, and oohs and ahhs.
The variety in the video below is Ilex verticillata ‘Winter Red’. It is one of the first shrubs I planted in my landscape about 20 years ago. I have since divided many of the suckers that form from the base for transplanting elsewhere in the landscape.
Winterberry grows best in full to part sun and generally likes moist soil. I’ve found ‘Winter Red’ grows well in relatively dry conditions, once established. My largest ‘Winter Red’ shrubs grow next to my paved driveway, in full sun, with no supplemental watering even during dry growing seasons. To establish newly planted shrubs, however, water regularly.
The plant tag lists ‘Winter Red’ growing to 9 feet tall and 8 feet wide. I prune my shrubs to about 6 feet tall and about 4 feet in diameter. I do the bulk of my pruning in late autumn while the shrubs are in berry – winterberry stalks are festive additions to outdoor winter decorations. I touch-up prune in late winter to early spring to keep the shrubs in a pleasing shape.
‘Winter Red’ stems can become very heavy with fruit. I support the arching, berry-laden stems by pulling the branches toward the center of the shrub, then tie a wide burlap strip around the stems. This prevents stems from breaking due to the weight of the berries.
Birds, particularly cedar waxwings and robins, will suddenly flock to the shrubs in early- to mid-winter to feast on the berries. It is quite a sight to watch them clean the shrub of most of its fruit in a few days.
If the birds hold off on their winter feast, you may get to see winterberry covered in snow. It’s a stunning sight on a cold winter day!
Being in the Ilex family, winterberries need a male Ilex shrub nearby to ensure berry production. I have Ilex x meserveae ‘Blue Prince’ and ‘Blue Princess’ – evergreen hollies – planted elsewhere. They seem to provide ample male pollen to ensure berry production on the deciduous winterberries.
While winterberries are fantastic shrubs for pollinators and birds, deer will browse them. I caged my young shrubs in welded wire until they were tall enough to prevent deer from browsing the stem tips. Deer still browse the lower leaves but this does not seem to hinder growth or berry production.
Winterberry shrubs are one of many of Connecticut’s native shrubs valuable for landscape use. Check out this Connecticut Native Shrubs list for more.
I’ve gardened through many, many plants in my two+ decades landscaping my home and four+ decades gardening in Connecticut.
These accumulated experiences brought me to a greater appreciation of native flora as landscape plants.
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