Winter Gold Winterberry Ilex verticillata 'Winter Gold'
- Phonetic Spelling
- EYE-leks ver-ti-sil-LAH-tah
- This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
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‘Winter Gold’ is a male cultivar of winterberry holly. It is a perennial, woody, deciduous tree or shrub and a member of the holly family (Aquifoliaceae).
‘Winter Gold’ prefers full sun with some afternoon shade and moist to wet soils. It is adaptable to a range of soil textures but all need to have a neutral to acidic pH. It tolerates wet soils, Flowers will appear on new growth, thus if pruning to shape, do so in early spring just before new growth appears.
‘Winter Gold’ is a slow-growing, rounded, woody, multi-stemmed, perennial, deciduous shrub that will reach a height and width of 5 to 8 feet. It is distinguished by a dense, heavy fruiting of orange-yellow berries that appear in late summer and last through winter; however, a pollinizer (pollen donor) is needed to produce fruits. One male winterberry, such as the late-blooming cultivar ‘Southern Gentleman’, is necessary for every 6 to 10 female plants. The foliage is a food source for wildlife including caterpillars, birds, and rabbits. It is seldom damaged by deer.
‘Winter Gold' provides year-round interest and makes an excellent hedge or addition to a rain or winter garden. It does well in pond margins, stream beds, or low-lying areas of the yard. Mass planted or in small groups, it performs well in shrub borders or foundation plantings. Fire Risk: This plant has a low flammability rating.
Quick ID Hints:
- Deciduous shrubby holly with persistent orange berries.
- Leaves are serrated and veins are pubescent underneath.
- Leaf veins are impressed on the upper surface of the leaf.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: The native holly leafminer, Japanese wax scale, and southern red mites are the most frequently reported pests of hollies in the southeastern United States. Leaf spots and powdery mildew occasionally occur. Plants will show a decline in alkaline soils.
The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common diseases and insect pests.
VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Ilex
- Species:
- verticillata
- Family:
- Aquifoliaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Fire Risk Rating:
- low flammability
- Wildlife Value:
- The Winterberry is a host plant for Henry's Elfin butterfly and attracts other pollinators and birds. Members of the genus Ilex support the following specialized bee: Colletes banksi. The foliage is food source for rabbits and occasionally deer though plants are resistant to damage.
- Play Value:
- Attracts Pollinators
- Dimensions:
- Height: 5 ft. 0 in. - 8 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 5 ft. 0 in. - 8 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Shrub
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Erect
- Multi-stemmed
- Rounded
- Growth Rate:
- Slow
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- 3 feet-6 feet
- 6-feet-12 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Orange
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Long-lasting
- Showy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Winter
- Fruit Type:
- Berry
- Drupe
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Orange-yellow ¼-inch diameter fruits appear only if there is a male pollinizer (such as 'Southern Gentleman') growing in the vicinity. They form in late summer but can persist into winter (hence the common name, winterberry).
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Cyme
- Insignificant
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Tiny white flowers with a green/yellow center are produced in leaf axils from May to June. Flowers, if properly pollinated, give way to a crop of berry-like fruits (¼-inch diameter) in late summer to fall.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Glossy
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Long-lasting
- Showy
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Oblanceolate
- Oblong
- Obovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Dark green leaves 2 to 3 inches long with obvious venation outline on top with a lighter green underside where the veins are obvious in a pale-green. Fall color is variable but sometimes attractive yellow-bronze.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Gray
- Light Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Smooth
- Bark Description:
- Grey to blackish with knobby lenticel bark, grey to grey-brown buds.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Lenticels:
- Conspicuous
- Stem Description:
- Stems are olive-brown to purplish-brown and are lenticelled.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Pond
- Riparian
- Landscape Theme:
- Native Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Rain Garden
- Winter Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Foundation Planting
- Hedge
- Mass Planting
- Small groups
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Pollinators
- Songbirds
- Specialized Bees
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Drought
- Erosion
- Fire
- Heat
- Pollution
- Wet Soil
