Trees, Shrubs and Conifers: Ilex verticillata cultivars, 1 by Decumbent

Decumbent wrote:
Finally!!! I was really hoping to provoke a good discussion on these cultivars with my rather reckless statement. And welcome back John, btw! The Dawes collection is all together, but even still it is spread out over at least ten acres. Still, good mass plantings of many, many cultivars.

I will grant you that size and form seemed to vary from selection to selection, although it was tough to know which plantings were fully mature and which were more recently planted. It seems like with so many shrubs, compactness equals marketability and popularity these days, and with a lot of plants I understand why. But I'm not so sure that is necessarily the case with Ilex verticillata. My own bias is, has always been, and probably will forever be with "Winter Red," and I am just waiting for the day when I can plant forty or fifty together in a low spot about forty or fifty feet from the road in a big commercial landscape featuring a big lawn. And, yes, the whole idea is for those vivid berries to pulse like lasers across a virgin field of snow.

Foliage persistence? Eh, the foliage has never really bothered me on these too much. It will fall. Usually the fall color is above mediocre, so the combination of red berries and yellow fruit is just another part of the story.

From the display at Dawes, I could not detect much difference in the influence of vigor. This year, being so hot and dry, might not be a good one to judge such matters, however.

Fruit persistence does matter very much, and it would be very interesting to visit Dawes or Bernheim in January and see what plants still have their berries. I've had years where my "Winter Red" had fruit until March, and others when it all was gone shortly after Christmas.

It seems to me I visited the Simpson Nursery website in the past and was kind of disappointed, but perhaps my memory is bad (duh!) or maybe they've improved it since then. I would really like to know more about Bob Simpson. I wonder if the nursery is still a strong business and a cool place to visit. It is really disheartening, however, how many great nurserymen do not pass on the "greatness" to their sons and daughters.

Here is a plant that was mixed in with the Ilex verticillatas. It is Ilex serrata "Sundrops," and I was a bit smitten by it, quite honestly. I wish to visit again soon and see just exactly what color these berries mature to.

Scott