ILEX VERTICILLATA 'SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN'

3 gallon

$41.59

Meet the unsung hero of the winter garden: Ilex verticillata 'Southern Gentleman'. While this vigorous native male winterberry holly produces no bright red berries of its own, it serves a critical role in bringing your winter landscape to life. Specially selected as a late-blooming pollinator, just one 'Southern Gentleman' can fertilize up to 9 female winterberries (such as 'Winter Red', 'Winter Gold', or 'Sparkleberry'), ensuring an abundant explosion of brilliant crimson berries that persist throughout late fall and winter.

Quick Facts

Mature Height	6-10 feet
Mature Spread	6-10 feet
Grow Zone
Bloom Time	June

Plant Care

Will this plant thrive in your climate?

Make sure you live within by checking our Grow Zone Guide.

Select a site in full sun to part shade; full sun produces the densest growth. Ensure planting within 40-50 feet of female winterberry cultivars to ensure optimal pollination. Plant in rich, moist-to-wet, highly acidic soil ($pH\ 4.5-6.5$). It handles boggy locations and heavy clay exceptionally well.

Minimal pruning is required. Prune in early spring before new growth appears if shaping or size management is necessary. Avoid pruning in late spring or early summer, as this removes the male blooms necessary for pollinating neighboring female plants.

Apply an acidic, slow-release fertilizer formulation (such as an azalea/camellia/holly blend) in early spring before new foliage emerges. Supplemental feeding is rarely needed if planted in fertile, organically rich soils.

Extremely cold-hardy down to Zone 3. Apply a 2-3 inch layer of organic mulch around the base in late fall to conserve soil moisture and protect root zones. Protect young stems from deer browsing during late winter where deer pressure is high.

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