Here at the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens, we are like the holly headquarters for the Low Country. We’ve got the imports, the hybrids, and fantastic natives that most have never seen. Two of my favorites are outstanding deciduous natives, the possumhaw (Ilex decidua) and the winterberry (Ilex verticillata).
The possumhaw is native to 19 states from Texas to Illinois, eastward to Maryland and everything south. The possumhaw has been known to feed nine species of birds including the beloved bobwhite quail. The winterberry, on the other hand, is native over a much larger area, including 33 states and much of Canada. It feeds at least 20 species of birds and has been in cultivation since 1736. That’s heirloom status in my book.
Don’t let the fact that they are deciduous discourage you from trying them in the landscape; when the leaves diminish or fall the berries are even more dazzling. As you are probably guessing, both the winterberry and the possumhaw have a superior selection in both red and golden berry form.
Finch’s Gold is the selection of possumhaw holly we are growing, and your first thought is that it gets its name from a bird you might see devouring the fruit. The truth is, it is named for Bill Finch who discovered it in Mobile, Ala. This terrific plant is cold hardy from zones 5-9 and can form a small tree 12-to-15 feet in height with a spread to 10-feet. We are also growing Warren’s Red a superior selection that loads up with uncountable red berries.
Our winterberry hollies are more shrub-like reaching 5-to-8 feet in height. The winterberry is more cold-hardy with zones from 3-9. We are growing Winter Red and Winter Gold both of which offer staggering beauty with their colorful fruit.
Possumhaws and winterberries are easy to grow, and good nurseries usually have them. Regardless of the variety you choose, plant in sun to partial sun and in the same places, you might plant a crape myrtle. Use them to frame entryways for special accents or along driveways and around the patio. Anywhere the landscape looks drab in the winter is an excellent place for the possumhaw or winterberry holly to brighten. It is always a good idea to include a male variety nearby to ensure maximum berry production.
One well-known horticulturist said you could garden for 12 lifetimes and never see an insect or disease bothering the plant. In most years however our berries are stripped by cedar waxwings, American robins, or mockingbirds which always seem to stake a claim. These pests will most likely cause a family celebration and bring out the cameras.
This winter and spring when you are at your garden center choosing new trees or shrubs, look for hollies loaded with fruit and bearing no leaves you just may strike gold with a great selection of one of our native species.
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(Norman Winter is director of the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens at the Historic Bamboo Farm, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, and author of “Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South” and “Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden.” Follow him at: @CGBGgardenguru
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