Ilex, also known as winterberry, adds a festive accent to wreaths, swags, garlands, and other holiday arrangements. And now, there’s an improved variety of ilex that’s won approval from industry experts.
‘Winter Spirit’ caught the eye of judges for the Society of American Florists’ Outstanding Varieties Competition, where it was named Best in Class in the decorative foliage and berries category. The story behind the breeding of the ‘Winter Spirit’ ilex is featured in the November/December issue of Floral Management.
Lane DeVries, AAF, president and CEO of Sun Valley Floral Farms in Arcata, California, set out to develop a better variety of ilex more than a decade ago. He started with test specimens that were planted at his second farm, Willow Creek. DeVries ranked those plants using a scale based on the positioning of berries on the stem, saturation of color, size, and number of berries, and stem length.
He then propagated cuttings from the top 20 performers. Those plants were evaluated again — and the process repeated over and over for 10 years until DeVries was satisfied he’d identified the plants with the most desirable traits.
Read more at safnow.org