Illustration
Winter Gold
Ilex verticillata 'Winter Gold'
Winter Gold blooms from October through December.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Winter Gold
Plant it in full sun. It prefers high water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–9. Expect it to reach about 6.5 ft tall and 6.5 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 5 years (a house reading).
Is Winter Gold toxic to dogs or cats?
- Listed as toxic to dogs and cats by Pet Poison Helpline.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
What was checked
Nine facts were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Soil, diseases, pests, toxicity and the plant's own names have not yet been read for this plant, and its trait tags are the ones a feature uses rather than every word a page prints. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Winter Gold
Plant Winter Gold in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 9, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from October to December.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Winter Gold get?
6.5 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult6.5 ftwideSee Winter Gold in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Winter Gold
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Winter Gold about 6.5 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Winter Gold to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Winter Gold's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags were checked against 10 published sources on October 20, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- NC State Extensionheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Pleasant Run Nurseryheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- colesvillenursery.comColesville Nurseryheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water and bloom months and color
- Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color and trait tags
- bcarboretum.orgBoone County Arboretumheight, spread, hardiness zones and bloom months and color
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight, sun, water and bloom months and color
- scottarboretum.orgScott Arboretum & Gardensbloom months and color
- Chicago Botanic Gardentrait tags
- Iowa State University Extensionsun
- University of Illinois Extensionheight
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Where it grows wild
A garden form of Winterberry (Ilex verticillata)
Its wild parent is native to 33 states and 6 provinces.
Its parent's own page: Winterberry.
United States: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and 21 more
Canada: New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec
Range data from the World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 4.0, adapted) and USDA PLANTS. How the native range is credited.
Good to know about Winter Gold
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
The berries and leaves are toxic if eaten, by people and pets alike, though low severity. The toxin is saponins, causing vomiting, diarrhea, and depression. per ASPCA and NC State
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.