While holly trees, or Ilex, are deemed to be some of the easiest evergreen trees to grow, if you have a specimen without berries it can be disappointing, especially during the holiday season.

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 ...

Winterberries are members of the genus “Ilex” otherwise known as the hollies ... in gardens where they are planted for their colorful berries. Winterberry is also commercially grown for ...

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.