Winterberry

Winterberry: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Upright, multi-stemmed shrub 2–3 m tall and wide; over the years it forms a small clump through suckers.

Leaves

Elliptic, 4–8 cm, finely toothed and spineless; dark green, yellow in autumn.

Flowers

Small white flowers in the leaf axils in June. Male and female flowers are on separate plants.

Fruit

Round, bright red berries of 6–8 mm on female plants, from October well into winter. Poisonous.

Roots

Fine and fairly shallow; it likes a cool, moist, acid soil.

Flowering: June · Plants: March–April and October–November · Pruning: March and December

Why grow it?

• Masses of red berries on bare branches: one of the finest winter sights in the garden.
• The berried branches are ideal for Christmas arrangements and last for weeks in a vase.
• The small flowers in June attract bees, and birds eat the berries later in winter.
• Copes with wet soil, where many other shrubs struggle.
• Very hardy and rarely troubled by disease.

Winterberry: where does it grow best?

• Sun or partial shade; it sets the most berries in sun.
• Humus-rich soil: sandy, loamy or peaty, acid to neutral. On chalky soil the leaves turn yellow.
• Moist to wet soil is ideal, even beside a pond or in a low, damp corner.
• Plant at least one male plant nearby, within about 15 m of the females.
• Allow 2–2.5 m of space per plant.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or peat

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Moisture

Normal or wet

Size

2.5 m tall, 2 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -35 °C)

Goes well with

• Red-barked dogwood: Red winter stems beside the red berries, also on wet soil.
• Witch hazel: Flowers in winter and likes the same acid, humus-rich soil.
• Royal fern: A large fern for wet, acid soil, with fine autumn colour.
• Purple moor grass: An ornamental grass for moist, acid soil that turns golden yellow in autumn.

Winterberry: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and October–November.

1. Plant in March–April or October–November, when the ground is not frozen.
2. Choose female plants for the berries and one male plant that flowers at the same time; one male is enough for several females.
3. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and mix in leaf mould or peat-free ericaceous compost.
4. Set the plant at the same depth as it was in the pot, firm it in and leave 2–2.5 m between shrubs.
5. Water in thoroughly straight away, even if it is raining.
6. Spread a mulch of pine needles, bark or leaf mould around the base.

Care

Watering

Keep the soil moist, especially in the first two years: it does not tolerate prolonged drought.

Feeding

In April, some compost or an organic ericaceous feed. Avoid lime.

Mulching

A layer of pine needles or bark keeps the soil acid, cool and moist.

Cutting branches

In November–December, cut berried branches for the house; this doubles as pruning.

Pollination

No berries? Check that there is a male plant nearby that flowers at the same time.

Tip: For each group of female shrubs, plant one male that flowers at the same time, within about 15 m. Without a male, the branches stay bare.

Winterberry: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March and December.

When: Prune lightly in March, before growth starts. In December you can cut berried branches for Christmas.

How:

• Remove dead, damaged and crossing branches.
• Every few years, take out one or two of the oldest stems at the base to encourage young shoots.
• Cut stems for the vase just above a side shoot or bud, spread over the whole shrub.
• Do not prune hard: the more you cut, the fewer berries.

Caution: A male plant bears no berries; you can prune it a little harder, as long as it still flowers every year.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Softwood cuttings

In June–July: 10–15 cm cuttings from young shoots in moist, acid cutting compost under plastic. A cutting keeps the sex of the parent plant.

Suckers

In spring, dig up a sucker with its own roots and replant it elsewhere.

Seed

Possible, but it often takes one to two years to germinate, and only after years do you know whether a plant is male or female.

Winterberry: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −35 °C.

• Very hardy, to about −35 °C: no protection needed even in the harshest Belgian winters.
• The berries stay on the bare branches until birds eat them, often into January or February.
• In a pot: choose a large pot with ericaceous compost and keep it slightly moist, even in winter.

Diseases and pests

• No berries: There is no male plant nearby, or it flowers at a different time. Plant a suitable male within 15 m. Too much shade also means fewer berries.
• Yellow leaves with green veins: Chlorosis caused by chalky soil. Use rainwater, mulch with pine needles or bark and use an ericaceous feed.
• Brown leaf edges: A sign of drought. Water generously and mulch the soil; it likes moist roots.
• Bare base: The shrub is too old and congested. In March, take out a few old stems at ground level.

Through the year

• January: Winter display of red berries; birds eat them.
• March: Light pruning: remove dead wood and a few old stems. Plant.
• April: Give compost or an ericaceous feed. Mulch.
• June: The small white flowers open; bees pollinate them. Take softwood cuttings.
• July: Water in dry spells.
• August: The berries swell. Water in dry spells.
• September: The berries turn red.
• October: Leaves fall in yellow; the berries are revealed. Plant.
• November: Plant. Cut berried branches.
• December: Cut branches for Christmas arrangements.

Edible and useful

Not edible. Holly berries and leaves are poisonous: a few berries can cause vomiting, stomach ache and diarrhoea in a child, and dogs and cats fall ill from them too. The glossy red or black berries stay on the plant well into winter, and come indoors too with branches for Christmas decorations. Do not plant female plants where small children play, pick up fallen berries and hang decorations with berries out of their reach. Birds, however, eat the berries without harm. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Birds

Berries, seeds or insects as food, or a place to nest.

Did you know?

• Unlike most hollies, it drops its leaves in autumn, and its leaves have no spines.
• Male and female flowers grow on separate plants: only female plants bear berries.
• Birds often leave the berries for a long time and only eat them in late winter, when other food has run out.