Lake County Nursery introduced it to the trade and sells it in northern Ohio, and it is very cold hardy up to USDA Zone 3. Its leaves are...Read More deep lustrous green that glisten in the sunlight. it has a more compact, rounded form than the species. The nursery lists it at 3 to 4 feet high and wide, but in time I am sure by itself it will get much bigger, unless pruned. Most of the Inkberry cultivars have been female, so it is good to have a male form. I should get one to try to increase the black fruit on my Shamrock and Dense cultivars so the birds will have some more berry food, here in southeast PA. The species is native from Nova Scotia down the East Coast throughout Florida and along the Gulf Coast to east TX.
Although inkberries are dioecious (separate male and female plants), NORDIC is a male selection that produces no fruit. It is native to E...Read Moreastern North America from Nova Scotia to Florida to Louisiana (hugs the coasts). As a native plant gardener, I've been looking for a native plant that is also evergreen. Ilex glabra fits the bill. However, since I'm in Indiana I'm out of it's native range. So I was delighted to find NORDIC since it's male, won't produce fruit and I don't have to worry about the birds spreading it's seeds all over my woods.
Of all of the cultivars of this plant, for northern zones of its range this one is the most recommended for planting by me. I did a str...Read Moreess test on some cheap 2 dollar late season plants the store got just to see how they did.
In central Illinois inkberry are questionable landscape plants as for one reason or another they rarely seem to thrive in exposed plantings as they do just 2 hours east of here in Indiana. Here to have a good looking plant they need to be placed in somewhat shady locations where moisture availabilty can be high with a mulched root zone.
I planted mine in a low swale area in full sun with no mulching. They retained their green color year round and grew but also became leggy through drought as might be expected. In severe drought and heat they were watered a couple times deeply. This cultivar though is tough considering what natural environments the species grows in. The plants have proven rabbit resistant with a few nibbles here and there. My soils tend to yellow out the best of acid loving plants and the shrubs didn't seem to notice. Shrubs have since been removed as the theme of the planting bed no longer suits broadleaf evergreens.
Lake County Nursery introduced it to the trade and sells it in northern Ohio, and it is very cold hardy up to USDA Zone 3. Its leaves are...Read More
Although inkberries are dioecious (separate male and female plants), NORDIC is a male selection that produces no fruit. It is native to E...Read More
Of all of the cultivars of this plant, for northern zones of its range this one is the most recommended for planting by me. I did a str...Read More