Lane DeVries, AAF, (right) president and CEO of Sun Valley Floral Farms in Arcata, California, discusses the new variety of ilex he bred.
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 most desirable traits.
Then, he let the flowers from those plants cross pollinate with the help of bees, creating new varieties of ilex. Those, too, were put through rigorous testing. What he noticed was that the plants with more berries tended to produce berries in clusters of three, rather than one. “That’s what really gives this profuseness of berries,” he says.
In addition to “Winter Spirit,” DeVries also patented ‘Autumn Spirit.’ The new varieties not only have dense berries that extend to the tip of the branch, but they are also more productive than other types of ilex, producing up to 20 stems per plant. “It’s a good variety all the way around,” DeVries says.
Read more about DeVries’ breeding program in “In Search of a Better Berry,” in the November/December issue of Floral Management.
Amanda Jedlinsky is the managing editor of SAF News Now.
