January and February are some of the bleakest months in the Pennsylvania landscape with cold, snowy weather and gray skies. Fortunately, there are shrubs that brighten winter days with colorful fruits or stems that are suited to every landscape. One of the best is the state's native winterberry, Ilex verticillata.

While most trees and shrubs do not shine in winter, winterberry hollies are at their best while the rest of the landscape looks barren. Unlike evergreen hollies, winterberries are deciduous. The lack of leaves makes the prolific display of red fruits that much more dramatic.

There are other shrubs that produce berries into the fall and winter landscape, but they simply do not have the staying power of winterberries. Callicarpa japonica (Japanese beautyberry) fruits are a lovely, unusual amethyst color, but they shrivel and drop off by November.

Many Viburnum species have impressive red or blue fruit, but birds devour them as winter arrives. Winterberry fruits are eaten by many species of songbirds, waterfowl and game birds, but they have a relatively low fat content. That means they are often not eaten until late winter, when higher fat content food sources have been exhausted.

While winterberry flowers are small and not particularly showy, they are very popular with honeybees and other pollinators. Fall color runs from a brief yellow to non-existent, but the display of fruit more than makes up for that shortcoming.

Remember that hollies are dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants. One male plant can pollinate five to 10 female plants. Some sources suggest one male for every 20 female plants. Others state it's one male for every three to five females.

The male plants should be planted in reasonable proximity to the female plants. It is also important to choose the male pollenizer that blooms at the same time as the female winterberries you are planting.

"Growing Green" is contributed by Lehigh County Extension Office Staff and Master Gardeners. Lehigh County Extension Office, 610-391-9840; Northampton County Extension Office, 610-746-1970.