Symphoricarpos (10 plants)
$5.90 plant + $1.50 royalty = $7.40 total per plant (most varieties)
$6.70 plant + $1.50 royalty = $8.20 total per plant (Magical Pink Falls, Magical Berry Christmas, Magical Snowberry)
Magical Berry Christmas and Magical Winterberry are new varieties known for holding their ruby colored berries into the winter months, a breakthrough in Symphoricarpos breeding. A new and last minute addition for 2025.
Symphoricarpos is a genus native to North America, going by the common names of Snowberry or Coralberry, and there are quite a handful of species. They hybridize easily which has result in a wide range of colors, forms and fruiting times.
I used to expect snowberry to be a winter crop, but it is named for the pure white berries, rather than the time of year it is in fruit. You can plant a range of varieties that will fruit from August through October. We have curated a range of colors that will fruit in three different harvest windows to extend your season.
The plants branch from under the ground and form "thickets" of stems. Over time the clumps will become quite large and vigorous. They flower in early summer on new and old growth. Berries will develop later in summer following flowering.
Best grown on moist but well drained soil, but adaptable to drier and wetter conditions.
Hardy zones 3-8
Space 2-3' apart
(Full disclosure- I have updated this item with a number of photos from Google that better show the potential of these Symphoricarpos from the Dutch auction. The breeder's photos simply aren't good enough. I don't like using photos from the internet, but I want you to see how good these products are and these images already show up with a Google search. I'm happy to remove any photos if needed.)
Early (August/September)
Magical Avalanche Pure White
Magical Ruby Falls Deep Pink
Magical Pink Falls Medium Pink
Late (October)
Magical Lemon and Lime Greenish White
Magical Ruby Giant Deep Pink
Magical Temptation Deep Purple Pink
Magical Green Falls Pale Green
Very Late (November/December)
Magical Berry Christmas
Magical Winterberry
What You'll Receive
Bare root woody plants are just that! Plants with bare roots. They are dug from the field where they were grown, are washed and then stored in the perfect climate over the winter months. This process has many benefits.
Soil is heavy and messy to ship. Removing the soil makes it possible to bring in these hard to find plants from Holland where they are grown by the very folks that breed them.
Soil also can harbor insects and pathogens, so removing plants from soil helps satisfy import requirements of the USDA and ensures you are receiving healthy disease free plant material. The plants are harvested in a dormant state and held that way until they are shipped. They won't even know they have changed countries when they wake up in your garden or field in the springtime.
Our woody plants are grown in the field in Holland for 1 year before shipping to you. They are pinched a couple of times during the growing season resulting in a stocky well branched plant that will have a good structure on arrival.
These plants will establish quickly in 2025 and you may be able to start harvesting as soon as 2026 on the faster maturing crops. Height will vary, but in general they will be around 12-16" in height.
What To Do With It
All of these plants will ship to you in March at a time approprate for planting. They will be just coming out of dormancy. You may see swelling buds or a bit of new growth, but in general they will be in a dormant state and may look a little dead. Don't worry! They will wake up.
You may see a bit of mold on the roots but this is completely normal. Simply wash it off and plant immediately. As a precaution you can treat the roots with a fungicide or biofungicide, but this isn't necessary. Small broken branches are also of little concern. Just prune off any broken bits and the plant will recover quickly. The root system is the important part at this stage in the game.
If you can't plant immediately on arrival store your bare roots in the cooler. Keep them damp and wrapped in plastic as dry roots are the kiss of death for this type of product. The cold will delay their growth. Keep them from freezing. You can either pot them into 1 gallon pots or plant them directly into your prepared soil. Just make sure to plant them within a few days of arrival. They are waking up and are ready to grow, and they will decline quickly if they are not given soil, water and sunshine.
If they arrive before you can plant outside or before it is reliably above freezing outdoors, pot them, and put them back into your cooler until spring advances. They will start to grow new roots immediately. When you see new buds on the trees and shrubs outdoors it is time to bring them out.
To be honest I am being overly cautious in my recommendations, but these these plants aren't cheap. They are a long term investment that will pay for themselves many times over if you get them through this brief period of transition. Read the directions and success sure to follow.
It is a carefully orchestrated process to get plants quickly from their storage conditions to you so please do your part and be ready to plant them on arrival. There is no reason that these plants will experience any stress if you prepare for their arrival.