Red Sprite Winterberry

Name: Red Sprite Winterberry
Brand: Monrovia
SKU: 04575

Ilex verticillata 'Red Sprite'

Pronunciation: EYE-leks ver-tiss-ih-LAY-tuh

SKU #04575

USDA Zone

4-8

Your climate might be too cold for this plant:

OVERVIEW
Description	A profusion of bright red berries on this hardy deciduous shrub will brighten the winter landscape and provide food for overwintering birds. Use as foundation color, for a natural hedge, or in a shrub border for seasonal interest. An early-flowering male pollenizer such as Jim Dandy Winterberry is required for berry set.
Light	Full sun, Partial sun
Watering	Keep soil moist to wet.
Blooms	Inconspicuous spring flowers.
Mature Size	Slow growing; reaches 3 to 5 ft. tall and wide.

DETAILS
Deciduous/Evergreen	Deciduous
Special Features	North American Native Selection, Ornamental Berries, Benefits Birds
Growth Rate	Slow
Growth Habit	Rounded

STYLE
Landscape Use	Barrier, Border, Hedge
Design Ideas	This native deciduous Holly requires a pollinator for a beautiful winter display of berries set on bare branches. Plant as specimens in the landscape, where the bright red won't have competition. Great at corners of fences, around woodland gardens or in the all-native landscape. Good for the bird-friendly garden.
Flower Color	White
Foliage Color	Green
Companion Plants	Lily of the Valley (Pieris); Rhododendron (Rhododendron); Magnolia (Magnolia); Hydrangea (Hydrangea); Mountain Laurel (Kalmia)

CARE
Care	Provide organically rich, acidic, moist, loamy soil; tolerates wet, heavy soils. Water deeply, regularly in first few growing seasons to establish root system; once established, water regularly to maintain evenly moist soil. Feed and prune annually to shape before new growth emerges in late winter to early spring.

HISTORY
Lore	Ilex verticillata is native to eastern North America where it is typically found in low elevation wooded areas, along ponds and streams, and in damp thickets, and swamps. Ilex verticillata are dioecious (translated as "two houses"), meaning there are distinctly separate male and female plants. The attractive red berries which are the signature of the winterberries are produced on female varieties such as 'Red Sprite' if a male variety (such as 'Jim Dandy') is planted nearby to provide pollen. Generally, one male winterberry can pollenize up to ten female plants. 'Red Sprite' is an early-blooming winterberry that produces female flowers in spring and is best partnered with a correlating early-blooming male winterberry.

This Plant's Growing Zones: 4-8