Dwarf Winterberry

Ilex verticillata 'Red Sprite'

Red Sprite is one of the most reliable berry-producing winterberries you can plant in the mid-Atlantic garden. Come October, the stems are absolutely buried under clusters of glossy scarlet berries. the kind of show that stops you cold on a gray November morning. Compact enough to fit tighter spaces where the straight species would overwhelm, it tops out around 3–4 feet with a tidy rounded habit that needs almost no pruning to keep in shape. Plant it near a pollinator male (like 'Jim Dandy') within 50 feet and the berries come reliably year after year. Cardinals and robins work through the fruits in winter when food is scarce, and bluebirds will visit too. The glossy dark-green foliage turns yellow in fall before dropping to reveal those brilliant stems full of red.