Common Name: winterberry
Type: Deciduous shrub
Family: Aquifoliaceae
Zone: 5 to 9
Height: 6.00 to 10.00 feet
Spread: 6.00 to 10.00 feet
Bloom Time: May to June
Bloom Description: Greenish-white
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium to wet
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Hedge, Rain Garden
Flower: Insignificant
Leaf: Good Fall
Attracts: Birds
Fruit: Showy
Other: Winter Interest
Tolerate: Erosion, Clay Soil, Wet Soil, Air Pollution
Culture
Easily grown in average, 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 wet conditions. Winterberries are dioecious (separate male and female plants). 'Sparkleberry' is a female cultivar which needs a male pollinator to produce the attractive red berries which are the signature of the winterberries. Male pollinator must be a shrub whose flowers bloom at the same time (I. 'Apollo' is recommended). One male winterberry will be sufficient for pollinating 6-10 female shrubs. Prune to shape in early spring just before new growth appears.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Ilex is a genus of over 400 species of evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs and climbers from tropical, subtropical and temperate regions. Many are grown for their attractive, evergreen foliage.
Genus name comes from the Latin name Quercus ilex for holm oak in reference to the foliage similarities (holm oak and many of the shrubs in the genus Ilex have evergreen leaves).
‘Sparkleberry’ is a deciduous hybrid female winterberry that typically matures to 6-10’ tall and as wide. It is the result of a cross between Ilex serrata and Ilex verticillata. It is noted for its dense, heavy fruiting of bright red berries, with good retention of the fruit throughout winter. This is a slow-growing, deciduous, multi-stemmed, suckering shrub with an upright-rounded habit. Lustrous dark green leaves (to 3” long) turn yellow-bronze in fall. Relatively inconspicuous greenish-white flowers appear in the leaf axils in late spring. Flowers, if properly pollinated, give way to a profuse crop of glossy red berries (5/16” diameter) in fall. Showy berries will persist throughout the winter (hence the common name) and often to early spring. Berries provide considerable impact and interest to the winter landscape. Berries are a food source for birds. 'Sparkleberry' (and male clone 'Apollo') were developed at the National Arboretum in 1961 and released into commerce in 1978.
Problems
Potential insect problems include holly leaf miner, spider mites, whitefly and scale. Potential disease problems include leaf spot, leaf rot, tar spot and powdery mildew. Plants are also susceptible to leaf drop, leaf scorch and chlorosis (yellowing of leaves in high pH soils).
Uses
Excellent year round interest, highlighted by the showy display of red berries in winter. Mass or group in shrub borders and foundations. Woodland margins. Hedge. Excellent shrub for moist soils in low spots or along streams and ponds. Fruiting branches may be cut for indoor decoration.