Ilex, Winterberry Holly, Black Alder 'Afterglow'

'Afterglow' winterberry is probably the very first deciduous holly I encountered on my learning curve with woody plants. There is/was a ...Read Morelong hedge planting of this selection at the Arboretum Center near the lake at Bernheim Arboretum. During the summer months, this was just a shiny green leafy separation between parking and the koi pond.

Winter brought a completely different aspect of this wonderful plant. Loaded with bright fruit with a tinge of orange lightening its bright red character, 'Afterglow' just sparkled in the crisp air - and it absolutely "glowed" if there was snow on the ground.

This is a pretty compact plant. It blooms with the earlier or northern-style selections (like 'Red Sprite' or 'Stoplight') and should have an early male like 'Jim Dandy' to pollinate.

This is yet another in a long list of excellent landscape plants evaluated, named, and introduced by the late Vincennes IN nurseryman Bob Simpson. I wouldn't be without it in a diverse winterberry collection.