December Plants of the Month: Ilex verticillata — Winterberry
You’d be hard pressed to take notice of lex verticillata –Winterberry – in the landscape most of the year.
Its dull green foliage, insignificant blossoms and stiff unimpressive form leave it languishing in visual obscurity until late autumn when, after leaf drop, its prolific berries sparkle in the gloomy December light.
In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find a better plant for color in the winter landscape.
Large stands, impressively large and ‘leggy’ in stature, typically growing within wet margins in wild areas, become quite visible around Thanksgiving time.
Named cultivars such as ‘Sparkleberry,’ ‘Winter Red,’ and ‘Red Sprite,’ produce large quantities of bright red fruit on compact sized plants – 4-8’ tall and wide – more suitable for the home landscape, often well into late winter.
A male plant – such as ‘Jim Dandy,’ — is needed for pollination.
For best fruiting, plant in a sunny location, in fertile, moist soils high in organic content.
Best used in the landscape in large groupings, as a backdrop in the rear of the mixed border, or as an accent plant, combined against a background of conifers or ornamental grasses.
Give it a good haircut every few seasons to keep its size in bounds. Hardy zones 3-9.
Ajania pacifica – Gold and Silver Chrysanthemum
As the winter holidays approach, southern New England weather patterns and temperatures go up and down. The planting in landscape borders of Ajania pacifica, Gold and Silver Chrysanthemum, guarantees pollinators will come humming to and scouring its small, button-like yellow flowers in late fall, when other plants have stopped producing flowers.
Silver and gold chrysanthemum is a shrubby herbaceous flowering perennial in the aster family (Asteraceae). It is native to the island of Honshu, the main island of Japan, where it grows along the coast. Its common name refer to its silver leaf margins and gold flowers.
This plant is superb as a ground cover or a foliage plant in a border. Ajania is noted for its low, mounding habit and striking variegated foliage. It is considered deciduous, but in some areas, it remains semi-evergreen.
Silver and gold chrysanthemum thrives in full sun but will tolerate partial shade. Some afternoon shade is beneficial in hot summer climates. Plants may appreciate winter protection in colder climes. Ajania grows well in all types of soil as long as there is good drainage; avoid planting in soggy ground. This irregular shaped plant reaches its full height (one to two feet tall) in 2 to 3 years. It spreads over time by underground rhizomes; in several years it can span 3 feet wide. Pinch back tall stems in June or July to maintain a dense, bushy growth and do not overwater. Propagation is easy with stem cuttings or by dividing the root ball in the spring.
Winter foliage