Ilex verticillata 'Winter Red'

Lovely berries, is this a non prickly shrub and is it deciduous?

love it

Yes it is deciduous and there are not any thorns either. The berries can last almost until Spring if the birds do not eat all of them. It does need a pollinator though and the pollinator for this one is 'Southern Gentleman'. They are US natives and like to grow in swampy areas so they tolerate wet soil and also like it acidic. You can cut sticks with berries off for arrangements and the berries will last for a long time as long as you don't put the stick in water.

This Holly is very rare here. Have not seen any forms for years.

They used to be harder to find here (except in the swamps/wetlands) but the last few years there have been some new varieties (Berry Nice, Berry Heavy) and now I see them around once in a while. Winter Red is my favorite but there are plenty of good ones now. It's harder to sell plants that don't amaze people in Spring which is too bad, there are a lot of plants that look great when nothing else does but nobody wants to sell them.