Winterberry 'Winter Red'

Questions about winterberry 'Winter Red'

Does winterberry 'Winter Red' need sun or shade?

Winterberry 'Winter Red' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).

It wants soil that stays evenly moist, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells. It copes with soil that stays wet.

What zones does winterberry 'Winter Red' grow in?

USDA zones 3 to 9. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).

Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.

When does winterberry 'Winter Red' flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers early June to late June. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.

Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.

How far apart should winterberry 'Winter Red' be planted?

6½ ft (200 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 8 ft (250 cm), so a group knits into one patch.

It grows 8 ft (250 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many winterberry 'Winter Red' plants do I need?

Usually one. At 6½ ft (200 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 6½ ft apart: two plants for a 10 ft run.

In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.

Is winterberry 'Winter Red' poisonous to dogs and cats?

Yes: mild toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. The berries and leaves cause vomiting and diarrhoea if eaten.

Rated from NC State Extension and the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.

Is there a pet-safe plant like winterberry 'Winter Red'?

These come closest to doing what winterberry 'Winter Red' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:

• Common ninebark: the same job in a bed, the same size, the same flowering time and the same colour; wants average soil.
• Arrowwood viburnum: the same job in a bed, the same size, the same flowering time and the same colour; wants average soil.
• Red osier dogwood: the same job in a bed, the same size, the same flowering time and the same colour.

Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.

Do deer eat winterberry 'Winter Red'?

Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.

What flowers after winterberry 'Winter Red'?

Winterberry 'Winter Red' is over by late June. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

• Summersweet: from mid July to mid August, 6½ ft tall (a recorded partner).
• Hollyhock: from early July to late August, 6 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
• Oakleaf hydrangea: from mid June to early August, 6½ ft tall.

What does winterberry 'Winter Red' look like in winter?

Winterberry 'Winter Red' drops its leaves and stands as bare branches: it is grown for winter berries. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.

Is winterberry 'Winter Red' good for bees and butterflies?

Winterberry 'Winter Red' is visited by pollinators, specialist bees, butterflies and songbirds.

It is a host plant: the caterpillars of henry's elfin feed on its leaves. A butterfly can only lay its eggs on its host plants, so these do more for it than any nectar flower.

It is native to the United States and Canada (this is a named variety of the native plant).