Product Review

Leaf: Alternate, simple, deciduous, margin sharply toothed, lance to egg-shaped (variable), glabrous and green above, paler and generally hairy below, 2 to 3 inches long. Flower: Dioecious; both male and females are stalked and greenish-white with 5-7 petals, usually in clusters, appear in spring. Fruit: Round drupes on female plants, 1/4 inch in diameter, glossy, bright red in clusters of 2 to 4, ripening in fall but persisting through the winter. Attracts birds. Warning: Ilex fruits, while eagerly eaten by wildlife, are Poisonous to humans. Be certain that small children do not eat them. Twig: Slender, gray, with scattered light lenticels, buds and leaf scars are small, one vascular bundle scar, tiny, black thorn-like stipules may be present on either side of the leaf scar. Bark: Thin, smooth and grayish brown. Form: Upright shrub with multiple stems, reaches heights of 10 to 15 feet. Zone: 3 to 9 Growth Rate: Moderate Plant Type: Deciduous multi-stemmed shrub Family: Aquifoliaceae Native Range: Eastern North America Height: 3 to 12 feet Spread: 3 to 12 feet Shape: Upright, Spreading, Oval to Rounded Bloom Time: June-July Sun: Full Sun to Part Shade. Fruits best in full sun. Fall Color: yellow-green with some purple tinges Drought Tolerance: Not at all. Water regularly. Water: Moderate to Wet Maintenance: Low Site Requirements /Soil Tolerances: Easily grown in average, acidic, medium to wet soils in full sun to part shade. Adaptable to both light and heavy soils, but prefers moist, acidic, organic loams. Good tolerance for poorly drained soils including wet boggy or swampy conditions. Leaves will yellow in neutral soils and the plant will likely die in alkaline soils. Winterberry is not at all tolerant of drought. Culture: Winterberries are dioecious (separate male and female plants). Only fertilized female flowers will produce the attractive red berries that are the signature of the species. Generally one male plant within 50 feet will be sufficie