by KYW's Fran Sorin

If you’re looking for winter color in your garden, there are several shrubs from which to choose.

One of my all time favorite winter shrubs is Ilex verticillata, commonly known as Winterberry. It is a member of the holly family.  This shrub’s pollinated females produce magnificent, sparkling red berries along the stems throughout fall and winter.

Ilex verticillata can be used in an informal hedge, massed in beds or even in a somewhat traditional front yard. It dazzles with its red fruits when it is positioned next to ornamental grasses’ blooms in the fall and into winter when the grasses are a straw color.

Winterberry does well in full sun to partial shade, in moist, fertile, acid soils. It is hardy in USDA Zones 3-9. For winter color, it gets ten stars.

Contact Fran Sorin at fransorin.com.