Ilex verticillata Berry Heavy® Gold is an excellent, showy cultivar of winterberry holly produced by Proven Winners. Without the sharp-spined leaves of species like American holly, deciduous leaves unlike any evergreen holly varieties, Berry Heavy® Gold is best noted for its attractive golden-yellow berries in the fall and winter. From spring into the summer, winterberry holly produces inconspicuous white flowers that attract many kinds of pollinators.
As an all-female cultivar, Berry Heavy® Gold must be matched with an early season male pollinator cultivar like 'Jim Dandy' to produce berries by planting one male per 5 females. Following successful pollination, this cultivar produces attractive, bright golden berries that persist through the fall and winter, supporting bird populations and serving as an incredible addition to cold-season cut arrangements.
Typically reaching six to eight feet tall with a similar spread, Ilex verticillata Berry Heavy® Gold has an upright growth habit with a vase-like or globular shape. Overall a very versatile plant, Berry Heavy® Gold is resistant to salt, wet soil, and deer damage, and can be used in rain, pollinator, and children's gardens as well as naturalized areas or woodland/wetland borders. Berry Heavy® Gold winterberry is an attractive addition to any landscape, and has the ecological appeal to match.
(Photos courtesy of Proven Winners)