I learned a new word this week: caducous. It means to drop off early, as in fall leaves. Although it sounds like it would be a bad thing, in the case of winterberry holly, it’s exactly what you want.
Let’s face it, no one plants Ilex verticillata for its foliage. It’s there for the fall and winter fruit display. The brilliant fruit justifies allocating landscape space for a plant that is pretty boring the rest of the year. But if you can get a variety that drops its leaves a little early, then you have that much more time to enjoy the main event: red berries.
In addition to an exceptionally heavy fruit set, Berry Heavy® winterberry will drop its leaves earlier than other varieties.
This is a selection of our native Ilex verticillata, and like all Ilex, this female plant will need a male plant nearby to pollinate it for fruit production. We recommend Mr. Poppins as a pollinator, which blooms at the right time for this variety. This is a full-sized plant at 6-8′ tall and wide and is hardy in USDA 3-8. It will grow in full sun or part shade.
Feeling like you need to know more? There’s a wealth of information about winterberry holly in the Ultimate Guide to Winterberry Holly.
Now that our thoughts are turning to winter…
It might be a good time to make a plan to cozy up to your computer with a nice cup of tea and take in a little professional development!
The education committee at GardenComm has been hard at work creating webinars that run well into the first quarter of 2021.
October brings two very interesting choices for horticulture industry/communications professionals:
Oct. 7, 1-2 PM ET – Keeping New Gardeners Involved in Gardening
In this session, a panel of industry experts will present ways their organizations are addressing this influx of consumers and discuss strategies GardenComm members can adopt to keep new gardeners involved in gardening.
Oct. 22, 1-2 PM ET – Schedule C is the Key – Tax Savings for Freelancers
If you’re a freelancer and you’re NOT filing a Schedule C, you’re leaving money on the table. Learn what you can (and cannot) deduct as business expenses and how to best work within your rights as a taxpayer. Many freelancers don’t take advantage of the deductions available to them, and some take advantage of things they shouldn’t!
Both sessions will be recorded, so even if you can’t make it to the live presentation, when you sign up you’ll get a link to the recorded version to watch later at your convenience.
At just $20-30 a session, these webinars are a bargain, too. Click here to view all upcoming GardenComm virtual events and sign up today!