Both male and female plants are necessary to produce the colorful berries. (One male growing nearby will generally pollinate several female plants of the species.) Some varieties -- such as Ilex ...

Some berries, such as winterberry (Ilex verticillata) and beautyberry (Callicarpa dichotoma) become palatable to birds only after several freeze/thaw cycles. So they hang in for months of vibrant ...

Three have red berries and the fourth has purplish black. They are each different and each beautiful. The scientific (Latin) Genus name for holly always begins with Ilex. Ilex opaca (American ...

If you are looking to add some holiday cheer to your garden, a wonderful native plant option is the Ilex verticillata, or winterberry. Its cheery red berries festooned on bare branches are a sight ...

By the way, Ilex verticillata includes hybrids such as Winter Gold and Berry Heavy Gold that produce yellow berries. Most Maine nurseries sell only cultivar plants of the native winterberry.

Those available for sale at plant nurseries are almost always female plants to assure the production of berries. Male plants in the Ilex family are common in our area, thus natural pollination is ...

Even without the English species, you can still have holly. “There are other plants in the genus Ilex with similar leaves and berries that will work much better here,” Campbell said.