Winter Red Winterberry Holly Shrub

Winter Red is a female winterberry holly valued for abundant, bright red berries that remain on bare stems into winter. It grows about 6–8 feet tall and wide, and needs a compatible male winterberry nearby to set a full crop of fruit. ## Selection and season The exact cultivar is Ilex verticillata ‘Winter Red’, introduced by Simpson Nursery in Indiana. North Carolina State Extension describes a rounded, suckering shrub with small white flowers in June–July and heavy red fruit that develops in fall and may persist through winter. The [RHS profile](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/97808/ilex-verticillata-winter-red-f/details) places flowering in late spring under UK conditions. The [North Carolina profile](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ilex-verticillata-winter-red/) lists USDA zones 3a–9b; [Oregon State University](https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/ilex-verticillata-winter-red) also lists zone 3 and notes the female plant needs pollen from a male selection. Its U.S. plant patent is USPP 4,146 P, issued November 8, 1977, according to the [patent record](https://patents.google.com/patent/USPP4146P/en). ## Site and uses Plant in full sun to part shade, in moist to wet, organic-rich, acidic soil; the cultivar can adapt to clay and tolerates low sites near streams or ponds. Avoid allowing the root zone to dry, since dry soil may reduce fruit set. Use it as a hedge or specimen, or in a rain, native, pollinator, or winter garden. A compatible male that flowers at the same time is essential; North Carolina State suggests ‘Southern Gentleman’ as a pollinizer. ## Maintenance Flowers develop on new growth, so shape the shrub in early spring before growth resumes. Keep the soil evenly moist, especially during dry weather, to support reliable fruiting.