Cultivation Of Crops: How to Create the Perfect Ilex

If you are familiar with Sun Valley, then you know we are the industry go-to for bulb crops, especially soil-grown tulips. However, we also have a seasonal crop which is just as renowned, and always wows our customers and blows the socks off of our competition--Ilex Verticillata.

Ilex Verticillata (aka Winterberry) paired with Blue Prince Holly

I say that last statement with confidence, as our ilex program has been hand-picked, bred, and cultivated by our own Lane DeVries for over a decade. His long-term dedication to grow the best ilex verticillata is evident in the product we offer today.

So, what are the requirements for high-quality ilex? Deep, saturated colors of the berries, a large concentration of berries on each stem, good positioning and length of laterals, and, of course, overall lasting power. It's these floral characteristics which make our ilex a joy to use in design and a pleasure to share with others.

How to Create the Perfect Ilex

The ilex we currently grow is the “Oosterwijk” variety, which is the female cultivar of the ilex plant, known for the holding power of its color and berries as a cut branch. Our original plants came from Holland a little over 10 years ago, and we've been growing them at our Willow Creek farm since then.

Ilex growing in Willow Creek

Years ago, Lane started working with some test plants which had planted in 2006. He ranked each individual plant using a 30-point scale based on the positioning of the berries on the stem, the saturation of color, the size and number of berries, and stem length.

Quality branch: high concentration of colorful berries, many laterals with good positioning, and great stem length.

Lane then took cuttings from 20 of the outstanding performers, and these were repropagated and replanted. This process creates identical genetic copies of the strongest plants. Ilex may be one of the most difficult crops to repropagate, but it's worth it to follow the achievable dream of the "most perfect" ilex. Lane plants, tests, replants, retests, and so on in order to continuously improve and innovate--one of Sun Valley's guiding principles at work.

Lane in his element

Another method that Lane uses to create the most perfect ilex is cross-pollination. He will plant two highly ranked bushes next to each other, and let the bees do their work of cross-pollinating the flowers, creating entirely new strains of ilex. Lane has the fields diagrammed like a stadium, each plant has an assigned section, row, and seat so that it can be closely tracked and monitored.

And while Lane has created the most perfect Ilex you can find on the market, the rest of the Sun Valley team ensures that it makes it to you that way.

Bunching and sleeving room

Our Willow Creek team harvests the branches, places them in buckets and then they get hauled down the mountain to our Arcata farm. Once in the warehouse, our processing team removes the foliage to expose the striking red berries, and then bunches and sleeves the branches.

Large bucket of de-foliated ilex in our sales office

The end product is stunning. We offer simple bunches of the brilliant red ilex as well as enhanced bunches. A very popular holiday favorite is our red ilex paired with cedar and white tulips or lilies--the contrast of color and texture is dynamic and beautiful.

The years of work (and love) that have gone into creating the best product in the market is a testament our floral devotion, and has made Sun Valley THE dependable source for ilex. Not only that, Lane is continuing to improve and innovate, which makes the future look very berry bright, indeed.