Winterberry holly tolerates all types of conditions except extreme dryness and grows best in wetland areas.
Winterberry holly is toxic to people and animals.
Winterberry Care
Here are the main care requirements for growing winterberry holly.
The Spruce / Letícia Almeida
Light
Winterberry holly thrives when it is planted in a location with full sun to partial shade.
Water
Winterberry prefers fairly wet conditions.
Do not plant it in dry soil or a dry climate unless you are willing to water it frequently.
The Spruce / Letícia Almeida
This plant will require at least 1 inch of water per week, either through rainfall or irrigation.
Fertilizer
Winterberry holly usually doesn’t require feeding unless growth is very slow.
Where needed, 1/2 cup of balanced10-10-10 fertilizerapplied each spring usually is sufficient.
The Spruce / Letícia Almeida
Pruning is recommended because these shrubs not only grow tall, they also sucker profusely if not controlled.
Remove up to (but no more than) 1/3 of the branches each year.
Target the oldest branches, and prune them down to ground level.
The Spruce / Letícia Almeida
Propagating winterberry holly is best done in late spring through midsummer.
Here’s how:
Common Pests and Plant Diseases
Winterberry holly is generally pest- and disease-resistant.
Give your shrubs more air circulation to combat leaf spots.
An organic fungicide, such asneem oil, is the best treatment for powdery mildew.
What Do Winterberry Holly Flowers Look and Smell Like?
The flowers may have a mild, pleasant scent.
This shrub does not thrive in neutral to alkaline soil.
The leaves can also be stunted, curled, puckered, and covered in reddish-purple blotches.
Winterberry provides good year-round interest in the garden and retains its green leaves in the summer.
Winterberry attracts a variety of birds and other wildlife.
If given the proper care and room for growth, winterberry holly plants can live up to 100 years.
Winterberry.University of Minnesota Extension.
Winterberry Holly Pairs.Horticulture Magazine.
Winterberry/Voles.University of Minnesota Extension.
Winterberry Leaves.University of Minnesota Extension.
