Winterberry

Winterberry (Illex spp.)

 

Size: 4-6′ tall and 3′ spread

Flowering: late summer

Fruiting: late fall and throughout winter

Birds: spring migrants including bluebird, thrasher, waxwings, flicker, catbird, mockingbird and robins.

From early fall through winter, Winterberry branches are covered in bright-red or orange fruits. The fruiting branches are great for decoration in the garden or in the house. Or leave them for the birds since over 40 species of birds are known to eat the fruit, including: bluebirds, thrashers, waxwings, flickers, catbirds, mockingbirds and robins. The leaves of Winterberries are thick and dark green and contrast well with the red fruit. The foliage stays healthy all summer and isn’t bothered by insects. The leaves drop off the plant in late fall to expose the beautiful berries.

NOTE: You’ll need both male and female plants to produce fruits, with one male for up to 6 nearby females. (Plant 1 male for every 3 females for better production) Plant in sun or part shade. They like moist to wet, slightly acid soils. Winterberries are native to North America.

Red Sprite – Female plant (Ilex verticillata) 2-3′ tall/3-4′ wide. Red Sprite is a compact shrub that stays small, making it easy to fit into a smaller landscape, mixed with perennials or as a low hedge. A female selection, this variety is covered in small greenish-white flowers in early summer that are followed by loads of 1/2-inch bright-red fruit that stay on the plant all winter. Its deep-green foliage is not bothered by disease or pests. Pollinated by ‘Jim Dandy’.

Gold Fruited – Female plant. This mid-sized Winterberry produces golden orange fruit in late summer that stays on the plant all winter until eaten by birds. A female selection, this variety has an upright, mounded shape with dark-green foliage that turns yellow in the fall. Pollinated by ‘Jim Dandy’

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Winter Red  – Female plant. A shade-tolerant female Winterberry, this plant produces loads of bright-red berries on a large plant that grows 6 to 9-feet tall and wide. Has rounded growth. The red berries will make this plant the focal point of your garden in the winter. Pollinated by ‘Southern Gentleman’

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Jim Dandy – Male plant. A male winterberry that is used to pollinate ‘Afterglow’, ‘Gold Fruited’ and ‘Red Sprite’ female winterberries (see these varieties above). You’ll see lots of very small flowers on this shrub, but no fruit. It has dark-green foliage and makes a rounded, compact shrub that grows 3 to 5-feet tall and wide.

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Southern Gentleman – Male Plant. A male Winterberry that is used to pollinate ‘Winter Red’. You’ll see lots of small flowers on this shrub, but no fruit. It has a rounded shape and grows 6 to 9-feet tall and wide.

Eastern Wahoo

Eastern Wahoo (Euonymus atropurpurea)

Size: 8-15′ tall/6-15′ wide.

Sometimes referred to as “burning bush”, the name ‘Wahoo’ is derived from the Native American Otoe word meaning arrowwood. It’s a native plant that can be grown into a large shrub or small tree, up to 15 feet tall, or trimmed to maintain a lower height. The branches are gray to dark brown with ridges or scales, like the non-native winged Euonymus or “burning bush” plants. Wahoo plants produce crimson-red, fleshy fruit in four-lobed capsules that attract a wide variety of birds. The fruit remains on the plant all winter. People are drawn to its outstanding fall color of pink to deep red leaves. It is an adaptable plant, able to withstand hot, dry conditions along with moist and cool conditions. Grows in full sun to part shade. Older, specimen plants will develop horizontal branching. Great for naturalized plantings.

NOTE:  In some states, Eastern Wahoo is considered an invasive, or potentially invasive species.

Virginia Creeper

Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)

Vining: 30-50′ tall (with support.)

Flowering: mid-late August

Fruiting: September

Birds: thrushes, woodpeckers, vireos, and warblers.

 

CAUTION: VIRGINIA CREEPER FRUITS ARE POISONOUS. The fruits can produce symptoms including: Nausea, abdominal pain, bloody vomiting and diarrhea, dilated pupils, headache, sweating, weak pulse, drowsiness, twitching of face.

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***Though considered poisonous, it is generally thought that it is not possible for a human to consume enough of the fruit to cause serious harm due to the bad flavor***

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Virginia creeper (also know as woodbine) is a deciduous, woody vine with a vigorous, tendril-climber that needs no support and typically grows 30-50′. Adheres to flat surfaces (e.g., brick, stone or wood walls) via adhesive disks at the tendril ends. Compound-palmate leaves emerge purplish in spring, mature to dull green in summer and change to purple to crimson-red in autumn. Fall color can be quite attractive. Clusters of small, greenish-white flowers appear in the upper leaf axils in late spring to early summer, but are generally hidden by the foliage. Flowers give way to dark blue to black berries in September–October, which are attractive to birds.