I am in my element now. It is winter. I like to say, whatever season is happening at the moment – it is my favorite, but truth be told, winter is really my favorite. At least for the next few months! I love the stark landscape, very little color (with the exception of black, gray, white, and browns), skeletons of trees. I get to see the unveiled character of trees. Their personality is exposed. They talk to me. But along with that starkness, it is nice to see a rare sprinkling of brilliant color. Much like a black and white quilt. Add just a few crimson patches to all those blacks and whites, and you have a quilt that sings.
A bush that accomplishes that splash of color in my “garden” is winterberry, Ilex verticillata.
I must explain why I have put quotation marks around, “garden.” I live in the mountains, in the middle of the woods. I don’t really have gardens. Things just grow, with very little guidance from me. On occasion I will plant something, or trim something, but I love natives, things that already grow in my woods.
Winterberry fits the bill. A native to eastern North America. Winterberry perhaps, would rather live in a wetland habitat, but after several years at my cabin, it is doing well for me. And doing well for the birds that enjoy its berries, and its shelter, and for insects that benefit from its nectar.
Winterberry is in the holly family. You will see in the picture below, it does not have sharp points on its leaves, but it does lose those leaves during the winter. The winterberry bush is dioecious, meaning that male and female flowers are found on separate bushes, and you must be sure you have at least one male bush. for pollination, to get these beautiful berries.
Winterberry, is perfect for this season. Perfect for brightening up a gorgeous, bleak landscape. And yes, bleak is good!
Happy winter to you and yours!
7 responses to “Winterberry”
I like the winter too Brenda. Here in north central Florida we do get a bit of the chill and the wintery look. I know what you’re talking about. For me winter is like getting a clean slate and starting over for spring. Everything is sleeping under the ground.
Bonnie, my Mom lives in Homosassa. Perfect for her, although the winters do keep her busy, bringing plants in and out, depending on the weather forecast! Wishing you a lovely new year to come!
How did you ever find berries to photograph? so beautifully, I should add. In my garden (which is growing increasingly wild with each passing year), the winter berries are stripped almost as soon as they form. Of course, I only have one small shrub. The other is an orange winter berry (not a true native) that is usually eaten by spring but not immediately like the red winter berry. I have to say I like winter but only because I have migrated this year to a wonderfully wild place in Florida. I am missing my garden but not much else. Your “garden” is captivating because you always feature wonderful plants – nice work.
Kathy, I think perhaps I should be grateful that there are so many other berry producing trees around. The dogwood berries are *always* the first to go and the beauty berries seem to be the least favorite of the local critters. Winterberry is somewhere in between. I’m still waiting for my bushes to become totally happy in this location. Each year, there are more and more berries, but still not as many as I would hope. Oh, and the bushes that I have (several in a clump) have become quite a large, massive island of bush!
Where are you located in Florida? Hoping you will get acquainted with your wild place and feel, like I do, that all of it is my “garden!” So glad you enjoy my posts. Wishing you a lovely year to come!
Happy winter and winterberry to you, Brenda. I’ve got a yaupon with fruit on it outside my window, and once in a while I see a squirrel nibbling some of them.
Steve, great to hear from you! My Mom lives in Florida and also has a yaupon, outside her front door. It is one amazing shrub/tree. Amazing in how many berries it produces. I am waiting for my winterberry bushes to do as well! Hoping the new year will be a lovely one, filled with wonderful nature shots for you!
[…] Winterberry–“…but along with that starkness, it is nice to see a rare sprinkling of brilliant color. Much like a black and white quilt. Add just a few crimson patches to all those blacks and whites, and you have a quilt that sings…” […]