Page 7 - Griffin Gazette - October November 2024

By Karen Stever, Technical Support Specialist, GGSPro

Winter is coming. Colorful fall landscapes turn from vibrant yellows to reds to a pallet of neutral
browns and grey tones, punctuated mostly by the presence of evergreen trees and shrubs in
my view. At this same time, some shrubs are just coming into their full glory. Two native plants
that that add powerful punches of color to the landscape this time of year are Winterberry
(Ilex verticillata) and Red Twig Dogwoods (Cornus stolonifera). The colorful stems of the
dogwoods shine early in fall as the weather cools and make great cut stems in arrangements
and containers. Winterberry glows just a little later in the season, with stems of red berries on
the native plant.

Vibrant selections of these wonderful plants are available through the Proven Winners
ColorChoice® Shrub collection. The Artic series of red twig dogwood features Arctic Fire®
Red and Arctic Sun® Yellow, for their brilliant color and habit. Arctic Fire® and Arctic Sun® are
hardy in zones 2-7. Being compact shrubs, they are amenable to planting in containers, cutting
gardens, and landscapes.

The Winterberry series features BERRY HEAVY® gold and BERRY HEAVY® red, and the dwarf
red-berried BERRY POPPINS®. These plants produce abundant berries and shed their leaves
early, allowing the vibrant berries to stand out. The fruit remains throughout the holiday season
and can even persist into spring. Note that MR. POPPINS®, also a dwarf selection, provides
the required pollination for berry set. BERRY POPPINS® is amenable to container planting and
cut stems, while the larger cultivars fit best in the landscape or cutting garden. The BERRY
series is hardy in zones 3-9. With just a little winter protection while in production setting, all
are just about guaranteed to light up the scene they are planted in, from fall into the new year.

In winter the roots of shrubs are normally insulated in the ground, however, in container
gardens or production containers there is little or no insulation. A general rule for shrubs is that
container hardiness is 2 zones less than the hardiness when planted in the ground. During
production, young roots are susceptible to freeze damage at temperatures several degrees
warmer than what damages older roots. This is one reason that it is recommended these
ColorChoice® shrubs be overwintered in the protection of an unheated frame.