{"product_id":"winter-gold-winterberry","title":"Winter Gold Winterberry","description":"\u003ch3 class=\"pd-title-head\"\u003e\n  \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eIlex verticillata\u003c\/em\u003e 'Winter Gold'\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eOverview\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUses:\u003c\/strong\u003e Winter interest plantings, informal screens and hedges, damp and low-lying ground, bird and wildlife gardens, cutting stems for holiday arrangements.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBenefits:\u003c\/strong\u003e Fruit in a soft gold-orange rather than the usual red, ripening in autumn and holding on bare stems deep into winter, carried in the same heavy quantity that made its parent the standard for the species.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUSDA Hardiness Zones:\u003c\/strong\u003e 3–9\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSun:\u003c\/strong\u003e Full Sun, Partial Sun\/Shade\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLife Cycle:\u003c\/strong\u003e Deciduous Shrub\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGrowth Habit:\u003c\/strong\u003e Upright, Rounded — full multi-stemmed frame branching from the base.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMature Height:\u003c\/strong\u003e 6–8 feet\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMature Width:\u003c\/strong\u003e 6–8 feet\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGrowth Rate:\u003c\/strong\u003e Moderate\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eSummary\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEveryone plants red winterberries. This is the one people stop and ask about.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Winter Gold' arose as a branch sport of 'Winter Red', the cultivar widely treated as the benchmark for the species, and it inherited the parent's heavy fruit set while trading the color. The berries ripen to a pale gold-orange, often washed with pink, and the exact tone shifts from year to year and even from plant to plant depending on the season. Against bare gray stems and snow, the effect is warmer and softer than red — and it photographs beautifully, which is not a small thing for a shrub people plant to look at through a window.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe foliage is a lighter green than 'Winter Red' through summer, giving the plant a slightly brighter presence in the border before the show starts. In October the leaves drop and the fruit takes over, holding into January or later.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOne practical advantage of gold fruit: birds tend to take red berries first. A gold-fruited winterberry frequently holds its display noticeably longer into the winter than a red one planted beside it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLike all winterberries, this is a plant of wet ground — swamps, pond margins, low woods — and it brings that tolerance into the garden, handling heavy clay and seasonal flooding without complaint.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt is female, and it flowers late. It needs a late-blooming male winterberry nearby to fruit at all.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eCare\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWinter Gold Winterberry Care\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePlant in full sun to partial shade. Fruit set follows light directly — full sun gives the heaviest crop and the cleanest color, while deep shade produces very little.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSoil should be acidic and moisture-retentive. Heavy clay, low spots, and pond edges all suit it. Alkaline soil causes the foliage to yellow and the plant to decline, and extended drought is not tolerated.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWater consistently, particularly through establishment and during summer heat. Drought stress while fruit is developing causes berries to drop before they color.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFeed lightly in early spring with an acid-forming \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/almanacplanting.com\/products\/slow-release-fertilizer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eslow release fertilizer\u003c\/a\u003e if growth is weak or foliage is pale. In good soil the plant needs nothing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePrune sparingly in late winter before growth begins. Fruit forms on old wood, so heavy cutting costs the display. Remove dead or crossing stems and take out one or two of the oldest canes at the base occasionally to keep the plant full.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePlant a late-blooming male winterberry, such as 'Southern Gentleman', within roughly 50 feet. One male serves six to ten females.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eSize\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat Size is the Winter Gold Winterberry for Sale Online?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOur Winter Gold Winterberry ships in a greenhouse-grade grow pot and is appropriately sized for its container at the time of shipment. If you have specific sizing or planting questions, please \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/almanacplanting.com\/pages\/contact\" title=\"Contact Almanac Planting Co\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003econtact us\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow Large Does Winter Gold Winterberry Grow?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eExpect roughly 6 to 8 feet tall and 6 to 8 feet wide at maturity, upright and rounded. Growth is moderate. Space 5 to 6 feet apart for a screen or mass, and allow room for a male pollinator within about 50 feet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eAdditional Information\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDo I need a second plant to get berries?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eYes. Winterberry is dioecious and only female plants fruit. 'Winter Gold' is female and flowers late, so it needs a late-blooming male — 'Southern Gentleman' is the standard match — planted within about 50 feet. An early-blooming male such as 'Jim Dandy' will not work, because the bloom windows do not overlap.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat color are the berries, exactly?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA soft gold-orange, often with a pink blush, rather than a true yellow. The tone varies year to year with the season and can lean more orange in some autumns and paler gold in others. That variability is characteristic of the cultivar, not a fault.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow is it different from 'Winter Red'?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt is a branch sport of 'Winter Red', so the two are nearly identical in size, habit, and fruit quantity. The differences are berry color and a lighter green summer foliage tone. Other native selections are in our \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/almanacplanting.com\/collections\/native-plants\"\u003eNative Plants of North America\u003c\/a\u003e collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow long do the berries last?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThey color in October and typically hold into January or beyond. Birds generally strip red-fruited winterberries first, so gold-fruited plants often keep their display longer into the season than a red variety growing nearby.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan it grow in wet soil?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eYes. Winterberry is native to swamps and low wet woods and is one of the better shrubs for ground that stays damp or floods seasonally. Heavy clay is fine; the one requirement is acidity. More options in this size range are in our \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/almanacplanting.com\/collections\/shrubs\"\u003eShrubs \u0026amp; Bushes\u003c\/a\u003e collection.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Almanac Planting Co","offers":[{"title":"3 Gallon \/ Fall '26 Pre-Order","offer_id":47492646076578,"sku":"PN-winterberrywg-3-1yr","price":79.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0586\/9374\/6850\/files\/WinterGoldWinterberry3.jpg?v=1786022005","url":"https:\/\/almanacplanting.com\/products\/winter-gold-winterberry","provider":"Almanac Planting Co","version":"1.0","type":"link"}