Grow a Winterberry Bush for Seasonal Beauty

Winterberry Bush Care

If you’re looking for a bird-friendly plant that’ll also provide some eye-catching interest in fall and winter, look no further than a winterberry bush (Ilex verticillata).

Use winterberry to add cheerful splashes of color to your space. Vibrant fruits appear on this native deciduous holly in early fall and persist through winter, giving interest even after the leaves drop. Backyard birds love to eat the berries!

Beyond its wildlife appeal, it also shines in holiday decor. Winterberry, a member of the holly family, is native to the eastern U.S.

Winterberry holly requires little maintenance and grows in wet woods, around bogs and alongside streams. It prefers sun to part shade along with acidic soil. You will need at least one male for every five female winterberry plants for them to produce the brilliant fruit that persists through winter. Berry Poppins, Winter Red and Maryland Beauty are prolific female fruit producers.

Check out more of of our favorite shrubs and trees with berries for birds.

Winterberry Cultivars to Try

Wildfire

• Ilex verticillata ‘Bailfire’
• Zones 4 to 9
• Light needs: Full sun
• Size: 8 to 10 feet tall and wide

This large female winterberry starts to shine with loads of red berries as temperatures drop. This showpiece hedge doesn’t mind moisture. Dark green foliage turns yellow in autumn.

Editor’s note: Like other female winterberries, Wildfire needs a male plant to produce its signature fruit. Be sure to grow at least one male winterberry plant for every five female winterberry plants in order to pollinate them. Grow Jim Dandy, a prolific pollenizer, nearby to see Wildfire’s benefits. Plant them no more than 50 feet away from each other.

Berry Heavy Gold

• Botanical name: Ilex verticillata ‘Roberta Case’
• Zones: 3 to 9
• Light needs: Sun to part sun
• Size: Will reach 6 to 8 feet tall and wide

Berry Heavy Gold produces large golden fruits that dot its branches, which sets it apart from the classic red of other holly berries.

But Berry Heavy Gold’s show isn’t over once the weather warms up. Its foliage shines in summer, when it’s green with delicate white flowers.

While this winterberry cultivar looks gorgeous outside, it’s even more fun to bring nature inside. Cut off whole branches to arrange in wreaths, decorate a mantle or place in a vase. Follow this festive winter planters guide to create your own DIY porch arrangement.

Try pairing a male Mr. Poppins winterberry in order to pollinate Berry Heavy Gold.

Grow these 20 pretty winter plants for backyard cheer.

Winterberry Bush Wildlife Benefits

Watch for berry lovers such as robins, bluebirds and cedar waxwings. They gobble up the bright fruit and appreciate the cover the shrub provides.

The berries are a fantastic source of energy for birds in food-scarce winter yards.

But wildlife will visit this plant beyond the cold months, because pollinators happen to love its warm-weather flowers.

Keep an eye on pets around holly berries though — just like mistletoe, these berries are toxic for cats, dogs and horses.

Next, learn how to grow a black chokeberry shrub for berry-loving birds.