Winterberry vs White Meadowsweet - TreeTime.ca

Winterberry vs White Meadowsweet

Spiraea alba

Ilex verticillata

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

ONLY AVAILABLE BY CONTRACT GROW

White Meadowsweet
Winterberry

White Meadowsweet is a woody, deciduous shrub that begins to bloom in early summer with small white and pink flowers. Its foliage turns from a light green into an attractive golden-yellow later in the fall.

The White Meadowsweet, also known as Mead-Wort or Bride-Wort, is favored by birds and butterflies but is largely ignored by deer. They produce small brown berries in the summer, and while they are technically edible, they are not sweet and are more desired by wildlife.

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.

White Meadowsweet Quick Facts

Winterberry Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3a
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Height: 3 m (10 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: normal, wet
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no
Fall colour: golden yellow
Fall colour: bright orange to red
Berries: bright red, stays through winter
Flowers: white, small
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: slow
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Suckering: high
Suckering: medium




Other Names: mead wort, meadowsweet, narrowleaf meadowsweet, pale bridewort, pipestem
Other Names: black alder, canada holly, coralberry, fever bush, michigan holly, winterberry holly