Winterberries at this season of the year lift up our spirits as we hunger for color in the drab days of winter. A species of holly that loses its leaves in the fall, winterberries are hardy plants with bright red berries clinging to bare branches long into the winter. Seeing this bush in the center of a windswept field of frozen snow or in a table centerpiece gives a festive jolt to our winter weary eyes.
In the winter landscape under gray skies, winterberry plants provide a welcomed flash of color. With the male and female components on separate plants, it is the female plant that bears inconspicuous greenish-white flowers in the spring. These blossoms give way to bright red berries in the winter.
Because there are several plants called winterberries, for readers who are interested, we are talking about Ilex Verticillata. “Fever bush” was the name given to winterberries by some Native Americans who used them for medicinal purposes.
“Conditions have been just right in the environment this year for there to be a bumper crop of winterberries,” Douglas Cygan from the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture said. Native to the eastern half of North America, these plants are well adapted for a cold climate.
While hiking through the New England woods, you will often find winterberries growing in marshy areas. However, you should resist the temptation to take home some of the colorful branches. The hikers coming later will also want to enjoy them, and the berries are an important food source for birds and other wildlife. The best places to get winterberries to bedeck your halls and garnish your wreaths are in nurseries and florist shops. Several tons of winterberries are commercially grown and sold each year. They punctuate holiday greenery with their red splendor.
Winterberries, which are often seen in creative floral arrangements, are a favorite with art and craft enthusiasts. When I visited the Cobblestone Design store in Concord, one of the owners, Rick Talbot, gladly let me photograph him holding a large bundle of winterberries. Beth Webb of Concord, who has worked there for 15 years, said she enjoys using winterberries in Yule logs and in displays that celebrate the season.
You are fortunate if you have some winterberries growing in your yard. The berries can make a mess when they fall off, but the birds and squirrels will do the cleanup work for you. If you have the space in your yard, you should check into adding some winterberry plants that will liven up your outdoor area in future winters. But be sure to purchase both male and female plants. Most nurseries have them identified.
Once when I was in a worship service singing Christina Rossetti's congregational hymn, “In the Bleak Midwinter,” I spotted a vase of bright red winterberries in the front of the sanctuary. At that moment my winter was less bleak.
