Traffic:   4 Incidents
Weather: 47°F
  08:53am ET, 11/08/09
Search:    kyw1060.com  Web  Audio
Garden Report
Text Size:   A   A   A

Ilex Verticillata



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.


 
 
Top Stories
Septa Strike Talks Break Down
House Narrowly Passes Health Care Bill
More KYW Headlines
Print Page Email This Page
KYW Podcasts
Garden Reports - Week of 11/2/09
KYW's Phran Novelli has this week's garden tips. (2:38)
Garden Reports - Week of 10/26/09
KYW's Phran Novelli talks about making the most of those pumpkin seeds, having to rake up those leaves and tricks with sticks for a halloween treat. (2:23)
Garden Reports - Week of 10/19/09
KYW's Phran Novelli talks about planting trees and shrubs now, digging up bulbs for replanting and drying hydrangeas. (2:33)
Garden Reports - Week of 10/12/09
KYW's Phran Novelli talks about sharing your seeds with the hardy plant society, planting your bulbs now for 'hope' in the spring and keeping your annual geraniums for next year. (2:30)
 
 
ADVERTISEMENT