Ilex verticillata

Ilex verticillata, also known as the winterberry holly, is a deciduous shrub species native to Canada and the northeastern United States. It is perfectly hardy and tolerant of growing conditions, as long as the soil is not too chalky. Its leaves are not prickly and take on beautiful colours in autumn before falling. The female plants, when pollinated by a male plant, bear very attractive bright red berries along the branches, which often persist until the following spring on the bush. Ornamental throughout the year, it will find its place in a natural garden, in an informal hedge, or in the background of perennial flower beds.

Hollies belong to the family Aquifoliaceae.  Ilex verticillata is a suckering shrub, loving acidic soils and cool to wet areas, but also adapting to open spaces such as meadows or dry sandy soils. It is found in a large part of the North American territory. It is quite varied in form, taking on the appearance of a spreading large bush, 5m in height and 6m in width, or the more modest habit of a narrow shrub not exceeding 2m in height, depending on its habitat. This species is dioecious, meaning there are male and female plants. The deciduous foliage is composed of obovate or lanceolate, long and tapering leaves, measuring from 3 to 9cm, with toothed edges. The spring shoots turn purple. On mature leaves, the lamina is bright green and shiny on the upper side and lighter and hairy on the underside. The autumn colours in shades of yellow-orange with purple highlights are beautiful. The flowering takes place in spring, in the form of small white flowers, not exceeding 5mm in diameter. The male flowers are clustered, while the female flowers are solitary or grouped in 2 or 3. When pollination occurs, the female flowers transform into small round, shiny, dark red to scarlet berries, which are loved by birds in winter.

Ilex verticillata will please amateur gardeners looking for sturdy, colourful, and unpretentious shrubs. It has the advantage of adapting to many growing conditions while bringing fabulous colours to the garden, especially in winter when its branches covered with bright red beads almost seem to be in bloom. It is perfect in a mixed hedge, alongside Elaeagnus Zempin, coyote willow (Salix exigua), cherry laurel, Cotoneaster lacteus, deciduous euonymus, or elderberries. It mainly dislikes excessive limestone, which causes its beautiful foliage to turn yellow and prefers moist, fairly fertile soils. Hardy well beyond -15°C, it particularly likes moist, even humid places, not far from a water source, in a large natural garden. Some people prune it into the shape of a small fir tree; the sight of these little red trees in winter is quite fascinating. Plant it in colder regions, alongside hawthorns, snowberries, pyracanthas with yellow or orange berries, and other evergreen hollies.

Hollies are both beloved plants and little-known vegetation. The genus comprises nearly 800 deciduous or evergreen species, generally native to the temperate northern hemisphere. These very ancient plants have experienced the alternation of glacial periods and dry and hot periods in our climatic history, making them extremely adaptable and resistant vegetation. Their white to cream wood, is very low in water, even when green. It is dense and heavy, but soft and easy to work with in cabinetmaking. It is also an excellent fuel for heating, usable even when green. Finally, its foliage and (inedible) berries are rich in caffeine. A tea is prepared with its leaves in the Black Forest.