Ilex verticillata

Winterberry, Ilex verticillata, is a good plant to consider if you are looking for a way to add winter interest to your garden. The berries are very showy and often persist throughout the winter unless the birds eat them. Winterberry plants are dioecious, male and female plants, so both male and female shrubs should be present (within about 50 feet) in order to get good berry set on the female plant. One male winterberry will pollinate multiple females shrubs. ‘Jim Dandy’ and ‘Southern Gentlemen’ are good male pollinators for winterberry. These shrubs can grow to be 3 to 12 feet tall but are slow growing and can easily be pruned to be kept smaller. For more information on winterberry, see Missouri Botanical Garden information on Ilex verticillata.