Harvest Red Winterberry Holly
Ilex 'Harvest Red'
Height: 10 feet
Spread: 15 feet
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 4
Description:
Large and abundant bright red berries last throughout winter; use Raritan Chief as male pollinator; upright, spreading growth habit, suckers into colonies; requires moist to wet acidic soils, good for problem areas; some yellow fall color
Ornamental Features
Harvest Red Winterberry Holly is primarily grown for its highly ornamental fruit. It features an abundance of magnificent red berries from mid fall to late winter. It has dark green deciduous foliage which emerges purple in spring. The serrated oval leaves turn yellow in fall.
Landscape Attributes
Harvest Red Winterberry Holly is a dense multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a more or less rounded form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.
This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;
- Suckering
Harvest Red Winterberry Holly is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- Mass Planting
- Hedges/Screening
- General Garden Use
Planting & Growing
Harvest Red Winterberry Holly will grow to be about 10 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 15 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more. This variety requires a different selection of the same species growing nearby in order to set fruit.
This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in moist to wet soil, and will even tolerate some standing water. It is very fussy about its soil conditions and must have rich, acidic soils to ensure success, and is subject to chlorosis (yellowing) of the foliage in alkaline soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.
