The brilliant red hues of the Winterberry make it one of our favorite cut stems used in indoor and outdoor holiday decorations. Winterberry is part of the Ilex family. You may also be familiar with other Ilex, as it is a type of evergreen holly (such as English holly). But nothing beats Winterberry’s tightly packed stems of bright-red berries against an Autumn landscape or winter snowscape.
Easy to Grow
Winterberry is a fairly easy plant to grow as it rarely succumbs to insects or disease, can prevail in both wet and dry soil, and in partly to mostly sunny conditions. Depending upon the type of Winterberry, it can range in height from 3 to 15 feet.
Loved by Humans...and Birds
Like other Ilex, Winterberry has both a male and female plant. The female plant develops its colorful red berries in the fall. The berries begin as yellow and orange and transition to beautiful red come October. When the leaves begin to fall away in mid-October, the red berries show through even more brilliantly along its long slender branches. The berries can stay on the branches for weeks, even months, before falling off or softening up and becoming a popular food amongst certain species of birds.
Popular Fall and Winter Decor
Winterberry arrangements are very popular during the fall and winter months. The branches of tightly bundled red berries are lovely enough to stand alone in a tall and slender vase. Or, we often add winterberry as an addition to our fall and winter floral arrangements.
Winter Wedding Bouquets
Winterberry makes a bold statement when peppered in between white roses or white Oriental lilies. They provide a gorgeous pop of color, and are trending when it comes to winter wedding bouquets.
From a group of stems in a vase for a nice clean look, or decking the halls with holiday bouquets, Winterberry are one of our favorite berried branches. Illinois Willows has Winterberry available beginning in mid-October.
Visit our booth at Urbana’s Market at the Square (Saturdays from May-October) or Market in the Square (Saturdays from November-April). Check out our other seasonal product offerings here available at the farmers market, by special order, and for wholesale. And be sure to keep up with Illinois Willows on Facebook and Instagram.
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