Lead Plant

A wonderfully adaptable native Holly with vivid late-season berries, the Winterberry Bush (Ilex verticillata) is a deciduous Holly with loads of perks for your biodiversity and landscape! The glossy green leaves are dark green and pointed leaves lack the spines of some Holly.

A native plant to eastern North American wetlands, commonly found in swamps and damp woods and along streams and ponds, the Winterberry is well-known for its beautiful flowers in spring that pollinators adore! The biggest draw for these shrubs is the gorgeous display of beautiful red berries that simply burst from the bare branches each winter and call birds near and far!

Praised for its abundant berry production and rounded shape, both the male and female shrubs have gorgeous foliage and tiny white blossoms in the spring that pollinators adore! Please note that for berry production on female plants, you do need multiple shrubs planted in close proximity to ensure at least one male shrub for the female berry-producing shrubs.

The berries on female plants stand out once they lose the serrated, glossy leaves in the fall. Birds love the berries, so get ready for lots of feathered visitors. Bring some branches inside for holiday décor before the birds enjoy them all! Hardy and adaptable throughout USDA zones 3 to 9, Winterberry Holly grows variably to 5 - 10 feet in height and width.

Planting and Application:

The foliage of these deciduous Holly fills in nicely, branching to the ground for full coverage. This is a perfect background or filler plant along a fence or creating a natural summer hedge or screen! Use these showy plants as foundation borders and privacy anywhere in the sun or part shade without worry!

This is a great shrub for erosion control along creek beds and sloping areas, any hard-to-mow hillside will transform into a brilliant display! Native Winterberry Holly will even be perfect in a Rain Garden to help filter water runoff from roofs and streets before it flows into storm drains.

The dense branching is shelter and cover for birds in addition to the feast of red berries on the female plants. And you’ll love snipping a few stems for winter container displays, wreaths, swags, and holiday floral displays!

• Glossy Dark Green Deciduous Leaves
• Male & Female Separate Shrubs
• Tiny White Blooms Pollinators Adore
• Bright Red Fall Berry Display on Female Plants
• Fantastic Hedges, Screening, Backdrops, Wetland & 3-Season Interest

#ProPlantTips for Care:

This herbaceous deciduous shrub is in the Pea-family, and adds nitrogen to the soil, enriching its environment instead of depleting it! Lead Plants are full sun natives and low-water-usage plants once established. Water minimally yet consistently while young plants are settling into their new homes and top-dress the soil with 3-4 inches of arborist mulch. Plant in enriched, well-drained moist soil for best growth and health. Prune back in the early spring before new growth emerges.

• Full Sun
• Low Moisture Needs
• Hardy & Resilient In Any Well-Drained Soil Type
• Prune In Early Spring
• Deciduous Native Shrub

Tough and resilient, the beneficial native Lead Plant fills your garden with happy pollinators galore! Give back to your ecosystem and beautify your landscape with the help of NatureHills.com!