Ilex, Winterberry Holly, Black Alder 'Earlibright'

'Earlibright' winterberry (also sometimes listed as 'Earlybright') is one of many excellent plants evaluated and selected by the late Pol...Read Morely Hill of Martha's Vineyard.

'Earlibright' has large reddish orange fruit that indeed color up quite early compared to the legions of additional winterberry selections. This stands out in early fall, even before total leaf drop, and is a harbinger of the bounty of fruit to come as the rest of the varieties begin to color and reveal their treasures.

This is another selection that is somewhat taller than wide, but needs no additional assistance other than reasonable moisture during the driest times in the growing season. Like all winterberries, it prefers wetness and acid soils on the sandy side. I have none of these conditions here in central KY, yet I am rewarded amply and annually by the reliable performance of these plants.

Polly Hill left quite a legacy of horticultural endeavor at her property (formerly Barnard's Inn Farm, now Polly Hill Arboretum), and the series of winterberries she named rank up there with the showiest plants for landscape interest during those cold bleak months when gardens can seem too dreary to enjoy.