On your Virburnum trilobum- if you don't see flowers, you won't see berries. ;-) Give it time. Good chance other trilobums are around to pollinate. Auburn University says this about Ilex pollination: "...pollination and berry set would usually occur with males and females separated up to 1/8 mile (660 feet), while 1 mile would be problematical, and 3 miles would be very unusual but possible..." tj

Mad_gallica, based on my experience with Winter Red, Splaker will need the Southern Gentleman or another compatible male. I planted a bunch of winter reds in the fall of 2009, like you assuming that my native males would do their job to provide me berries. After lots of blooms and growth over my head, but not a single berry for seven years, I finally found a SG locally 2 years ago, and planted it. It bloomed this year and for the first time since they were planted, my WRs have berries. I think it's a matter of bloom time, and in my case the local winterberry guys don't time their bloom to coincide with the Winter Red bloom time.

The female winterberry died and I never bothered to replace it, so Mr.Winterberry has been pretty lonely. I was just thinking about replacing and increasing the number of females. This thread has inspired me. Deer have encroached my property in recent winters. The yews and hydrangeas have taken hits but my back hedge of winterberries are so far untouched. If you and your winterberries are in deer country does this reflect your experience? Here's a photo of winterberry arching over Oakleaf hydrangea which colors up oddly every fall. Although these winterberries are not thick and bounteous like some others shown here, I enjoy the branching pattern of zigzagging darker stems. They get morning shade and afternoon West sun. I am so looking forward to tearing out those sad Little Limes and skeletonized hicksii yews and planting more winterberries.

all mature trees are water hogs ... what is ===>>> currently about five inches dbh???? what difference does it make.. if you transplant.. you are responsible for all water the year of transplants.. and in drought the next year ... and then if done right.. should be mostly established by then ... and never need watering again .... unless you are in in the desert.. and didnt mention that???? how about a big city name.. zone means nothing ... for most of the US.. july/august is not the best time to do it ...e.g. its been near 100F for the last few days here in my MI .. and its not supposed to break until mid next week ... nothing should be moved in this weather ... all that said.. why are you still watering your presumably established plants ... a year after i plant a shrub.. they are on there own ... so in one way.. you are taking them from an established spot.. where they shouldn't need water.. and making them dependent on you for 2 years of watering ... why cant they stay where they are?? ken