Common Snowberry vs Winterberry - TreeTime.ca

Common Snowberry vs Winterberry

Ilex verticillata

Symphoricarpos albus

CUSTOM GROW

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

Winterberry
Common Snowberry

Winterberry is a small shrub that produces large quantities of bright red berries that remain on the plant through the fall and into the winter. Adding this shrub to your yard will give it a unique splash of color and attract birds, especially after the leaves drop.

Note: although the foliage is attractive on its own, you need at least one male plant near your female plants or they won't produce berries.

Common Snowberry is a small deciduous shrub with characteristic white to pink flowers and clusters of white fruit.

This North American native species is very adaptable, and can be used for erosion control in riparian and restoration areas. Snowberry's fruit attracts wildlife, and livestock can consume the berries without issue.

Winterberry Quick Facts

Common Snowberry Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 1a
Height: 3 m (10 ft)
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: slow
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Suckering: medium
Suckering: none


Toxicity: berries toxic to humans
Foliage: yellow-green
Fall colour: bright orange to red
Bark: red-brown shredded bark
Flowers: pink to white flowers in spring
Berries: bright red, stays through winter
Berries: white waxy berries
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, PE
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NT
Other Names: black alder, canada holly, coralberry, fever bush, michigan holly, winterberry holly
Other Names: common snowberry