Southern Gentleman Winterberry
Ilex verticillata 'Southern Gentleman'
The male pollinator that makes 'Winter Red' and 'Red Sprite' fruit. One per four to six females within fifty feet, then October lights up.
Typically 1 quart–3 gal · $17–$85 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
The non-negotiable pollinator partner for fruiting winterberry. plant one male and your females produce thousands of winter berries.
Southern Gentleman is not the star of the show: it's the reason the star shines. This is the male pollinator cultivar that makes female winterberries like 'Winter Red' and 'Red Sprite' produce their spectacular berry crops. Without a male planted nearby, female winterberries produce little to no fruit. With Southern Gentleman in range, the difference is transformative: the females light up in October with thousands of red berries that last into February and feed every bird that passes through. It's a handsome shrub in its own right: clean, dark green foliage through summer, adaptable to wet sites and clay, deer resistant, and covered in small white flowers in summer that feed native bees generously. Plant one male per four to six female plants within fifty feet. Then step back and wait for October.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown southern gentleman winterberry propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 5–8 ft · 5–7 ft wide
- Bloom time
- Summer
- Bloom color
- White
- USDA zones
- 3–9
- Family
- Aquifoliaceae
- Native range
- Eastern North America (straight species); 'Southern Gentleman' is a male pollinator cultivar
Care notes for southern gentleman winterberry.
Moist to wet, acidic soil in full sun to part shade. One male pollinates multiple female plants. Plant within 50 feet of females for reliable berry set. Tolerates clay and wet conditions. Water consistently the first season. Minimal pruning needed; remove dead wood in late winter only.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside southern gentleman winterberry.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.