Winter Red Winterberry Holly
- Deciduous shrub
- Thrives in wet soils but can tolerate dry sites
- Brilliant red berries in fall and into winter
- Needs male pollinator nearby for berry production
While, the Witch Hazel might be the first to bloom and the Little Rocket Ligularia can get stretch into the fall, the Winter Red Winterberry Holly is your best bet for color when the weather turns cold. It is a shrub that is available in multiple varieties and heights, and while it always looks good, we have a few suggestions for how to get the most out of it. First, in order to produce its distinct berries, male and female plants need to be within a half mile of each other. We usually start by installing a female plant, but if it doesn’t produce berries, we may have to add a male plant to the project the following spring. The male plant has a different appearance, so it might take some careful consideration when implementing it into an existing design. Second, because of the intense redness of the Winter Red Winterberry Holly and its bright green leaves, we recommend planting it in front of something that is dark green to make the colors pop. Third, the Winter Red develops a large webbing of roots that will produce little plants in a process called suckering. The only downside of this plant is that it requires yearly pruning (a service that we can assist with) or else your property will quickly become a sea of red.
Check out other installments of the “CVTS-L Landscaping Plant Guide” here: January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October.
The CVTS-L Landscaping Plant Guide is a monthly series in which we explore the unique qualities of some of our favorite trees and shrubs. Contact us today to discuss your landscaping project or you can learn more about our design-through-installation process here.
