Winterberry (Ilex verticillata)

Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) is a shrub that can grow 1.5m – 3m tall and 50cm – 1.5m wide. In this growing guide we’ll learn the cultivation details and how to plant Winterberry (Ilex verticillata).

This plant has several common names including: winterberry, black alder, feverbark or swamp winterberry.

This is a deciduous plant that takes 5-10 years to reach full maturity.

Plant profile

Common name: winterberry, black alder, feverbark, swamp winterberry
Scientific name: Ilex verticillata
Plant type: Shrubs
Habit: Suckering
Height: 1.5m – 3m
Spread: 50cm – 1.5m
Foliage: Deciduous
Sunlight: Full Sun, Partial shade
Soil: Clay, Loam
Moisture: Moist but well drained, Poorly drained
Garden type: Informal Garden
Planting type: Hedging & Screens, Low Maintenance

Seasonal colors

How to plant Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) – Richard Webb, Self-employed horticulurist, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Shrubs are fundamental elements in any garden.

They add color and interest throughout the seasons with their wide variety of flowers, foliage, fruits, trunks and stems.

Whatever the size or style of your garden, the permanent woody structure or the foliage of evergreen shrubs will give the space shape and dimension.

How to plant

In this section we will learn how to plant Winterberry (Ilex verticillata), know its needs in terms of soil, watering and sun exposure.

Soil

Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) is a plant that prefers to grow in clay or loam.

• Clay soil is composed of more than 25 percent clay particles. These particles have a high moisture holding capacity and the soil is heavy to dig and can be waterlogged in winter (dry in summer).

• The loam soil is dark, rich in organic matter but balanced in minerals. It offers the best of all worlds, retaining enough water for the plants, but allowing excess moisture to drain away. This is the most desired type of garden soil, perfect for most plants.

As for pH, it is a plant that grows ideally in soils with pH acid or neutral.

Regarding drainage, Ilex verticillata likes to grow in moist but well drained or humid or poorly drained soils.

Sunlight

Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) is a plant that should be grown in full sun or partial shade positions.

Cultivation profiles – Growing Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) – Photo by David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons