Winterberry holly Red Sprite

* Common name: Winterberry holly Red Sprite

* Botanical name: Ilex verticillata ‘Nana’

* What it is: A multi-stemmed, native shrub planted mainly for its fall and early-winter show of big, bright-red berries. This is a holly with smooth leaf edges and leaves that turn yellow and drop in fall, resulting in berry-lined bare branches until birds scavenge the fruits in mid-winter.

* Size: 6 feet tall and wide (one of the more compact winterberries)

* Where to use: Damp areas, wood’s edges and as border shrub. Dappled sun or part shade is ideal, although winterberry adapts to full sun, especially in damp soil.

* Care: Most important: ‘Red Sprite’ is a female and needs a male, such as ‘Jim Dandy,’ nearby to produce fruit. Water deeply in a drought. Thin out or cut back in March if needed, but it’s best to give these adequate room and skip pruning.

* Great partner: Backdrop with tall evergreens such as spruce, arborvitae or Leyland cypress to showcase berries in winter. Helleborus or Pennsylvania sedge are good perennial underplantings.