Winterberries brighten holiday decor
Source: Akron Beacon Journal ()
On a recent walk at Secrest Arboretum, I vowed to finally plant winterberry hollies in my landscape. Secrest is full of a variety of winterberry holly shrubs, including some bursting from top to bottom with small fire-engine-red fruit, some with larger fruit the size of small marbles, and some with yellow-orange fruit. With or without the benefit of a glimmer of autumn sun, winterberries scream for attention, and receive plenty.
I’ve admired winterberries for years, but the soil in my former yard was dry and sandy — not exactly ideal for this shrub that is at home in wetlands. As luck would have it, my new yard has a sunny spot that tends to hold some moisture, and I’ve vowed to visit the arboretum’s plant sale next May to bring home some winterberries — several females and at least one compatible male.
Winterberry holly takes center stage in the landscape now through early winter, and has the added benefit of being useful in indoor and outdoor cut arrangements. Fresh-cut holly stems retain their shape and color even when partially dry, and are quite cold tolerant, making them perfect additions to winter arrangements, especially outdoor ones. Winterberries make an ideal focal point, adding a bright red accent that no other branch can copy. They mix well with other cut branches in wreaths, or can be wired alone onto 8-inch or 10-inch wire rings to create beautiful holly wreaths.
Branches from nearly every kind of evergreen tree or shrub can be added to winterberry in pots to create holiday decorations, including pine (a favorite of mine is white pine with its soft, delicate needles), Colorado blue or Norway spruce, juniper and arborvitae. Use pots that held annuals this summer to create displays by pushing stems into the moist soil.
Spruce and hemlock branches are perfect for outdoor use, but shouldn’t be used indoors because they tend to drop needles as they dry out. In my largest pots, I like to use cut stems of …