Tag: Winterberry

Winter interest in the yard and garden can be many things. For some, it’s as simple as a piece of standing sculpture, an archway or a birdbath decorated with evergreens. For others, it can be rugged conifers or bare trees with striking bark or branch patterns. Left standing in the garden, dried flowers, seed heads, pods and tall grasses add drama when they catch the first snow. Creating interest is all about drawing our winter-weary eyes to something beautiful in the landscape, but many of the plants and shrubs we grow can also be used in crafting wreaths, swags and seasonal arrangements.

I’m fortunate to have quite a bit of winter greenery around my yard. There are several large rhododendrons, mountain laurel and andromeda shrubs. Hemlocks and Eastern white pines grow everywhere and range from huge trees towering in height to round little youngsters just filling out and perfectly sized for outdoor pots. I use the evergreen branches of all of these for fresh holiday decorations; but next year I’d like to add some bright colors to my winter landscape, not only to create more interest outdoors but to add some excitement indoors as well.

Since deer love to browse on holly in my area, I have to look elsewhere for those bright pops of color. One hardy native shrub that is deer-resistant and produces abundant berries is the deciduous holly, ilex verticillata, commonly known as Winterberry. Some varieties to consider are ‘Berry Heavy’ and ‘Berry Heavy Gold’ which grow to about six feet or ‘Berry Poppins’ which grows to about four feet tall. These female winterberries need a male pollinator such as ‘Mr. Poppins’ planted nearby to ensure lots of colorful berries come fall.

Native to North America and deer-resistant, dogwoods make a bold statement in the winter landscape. Red-twig dogwood ‘Arctic Fire’ is another deciduous shrub whose stems turn a fiery red in fall and winter. Its cousin, cornus sanguinea ‘Arctic Sun,’ produces stems in shades of coral, orange and gold. These remarkably bright shrubs actually benefit from the yearly pruning that takes place when we gather their branches for holiday decor. Super hardy, they’re also tolerant of some shade and a wide range of soils. They also easily fit into smaller yards and gardens at three to five feet tall.

Evergreen Pieris or Lily of the Valley Shrub is one of my winter favorites and a new kid on the block has recently caught my eye. Becoming available from Proven Winners in 2020, ‘Interstella’ is described as a compact variety that blooms in late winter with abundant dark pink dangling flowers. ‘Interstella’ is also deer-resistant, very shade tolerant and hardy to zone 5. If you’d like to learn more about growing Pieris, check out my earlier blog https://nancymarieallen.com/pieris-a-shrub-for-all-seasons.

These are only a small sampling of the many varieties of plants and shrubs that can brighten our winters inside and out with their beauty. I’m looking forward to adding a few to my own yard this spring and hope I’ve inspired you to do the same!

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