Tosco, I've never tried to grow Winterberries in shade, so let's assume that shade was the problem for the first (7) years. Obviously, conditions were good for the 8th year (they berried). Now I had drought affect my Winterberry output last year. Some cultivars berried ... others did not. However, all but one (a different one from last year) are berrying this year. I'd suggest that you may be missing a male pollinator. It's possible that your female plants were being polinated by a male plant in the area that you didn't know about. It's possible that that (male) plant has been removed, etc. Another, possibly more likely, scenario ... is that the male(s) that is available for pollinating your plants ... does not, typically, bloom at the same time as your females, ... thus making pollination impossible. The one year that you did get berries may have been more of a abnormal occurrence ... as something caused your male and female plants to overlap in their blooming periods. What I would do is to get and plant both an early male (ex. Jim Dandy)... and a late male (ex. Southern Gentleman) ... so that you will have all of your bases covered.

Thanks mxk3, for pointing out the need for specific males to use with Winterberry females and why. I was reading about Berry Nice and Berry Heavy at the Proven Winners site, and they recommend using the male Jim Dandy for both of them. Didn't say WHY though. Viburnums are similar in needing specific males that will pollinate when the females are blooming. The About Gardening site on link above, called the Berry choices natives, found in Michigan. I like natives and had planned to look for those choices, should be happy here! Maybe one of each and the male Jim Dandy pollinator. Now I know to ask better questions in my search. I have a Coralburst Crabapple, a dwarf variety. Very nice tree, seems quite resistant to any of the apple tree problems. Nice leaf look all summer and fall. The resistance is bred into them. Nice rounded shape though it may need shaping every few years. I have had it about 8 years, been quite happy with it's flowers and fruit. My birds don't eat the fruit, not much winter color because they are very small. Nice choice if fruit bothers you. Really coral color blooms. The differences in invasive Hawthorns might be our locations. Hawthorns here are HAPPY and reproduce in QUANTITY out in unmowed fields. They are ALL thorny, with the big spikes. They are happy in snow and cold, hot, dry summers, nothing makes them wilt or fail, darn it! Again, have not seen any spineless Hawthorns advertised or grown in public areas. Maybe more recent introductions have not been used yet. The MSU trees are mature, all the common ornamental varieties that do well here. REALLY spiked on all parts! Our Tree and Shrub class covered the good and bad on Hawthorns as we walked around to view them, for planting uses in this locale. All smell good, some better than others if you choose by flower and scent. There are junipers growing locally, but not the ones going by Red Cedar names. That disease just doesn't let them get any age unless you get out and spray them religiously to keep them alive. Too many old, uncared for apples, volunteers, which harbor disease. Used to be the State Gov. would make you cut old apples to prevent disease spread to the producing orchard trees. Difficult in the home setting to care for 30ft Cedar trees, who are trying to get even larger! Easier to plant other evergreens who don't need such care. Too bad, the Red Cedars are very pretty with their soft, feathery branching. More flowing than the volunteer Junipers along the roads.

Ann the picture that Barbra posted on this thread is a datura not duranta. Datura, sometimes called both the devil's trumpet and angle's trumpet because the flowers point up, and brugmansia, sometimes called angel's trumpet because the flowers point down, are related, being in the Solanaceae family. Daturas should do well in south Houston and Galveston with their hardiness zone being 9; however they will probably need some winter protection in north and northwest Houston. They are easy to grow from their seed pods. You should be able to find them just about anywhere in Houston, i.e. try Maas, Buchanan's, etc. Be careful though because both are toxic so keep you kids and pets from chewing on them. The following is by Kathy Huber with the Houston Chronicle: A. Datura is a genus of plants with large, trumpet-shaped blooms often called angel's trumpets. Plants within the genus Brugmansia are also called angel's trumpets and the blooms are similar, but hang down rather than point outward or upward as they do on daturas. Both datura and brugmansia like a fertile, well-draining soil, a fair amount of sunshine for best blooms and adequate water during hot weather. They will freeze back during cold weather, but return from the roots when the weather warms in spring. I learned about propagating datura from seed from Ada Jones of Jones Nursery in La Porte. The purple-flowering varieties are among the easiest to propagate from seed. After a flower matures and falls, a pod forms where the bloom has dropped. Let the pod remain on the plant until it's about to pop, then pull it, crack the pod and place the seeds in a saucer overnight to dry. Store the seeds in a jar in the refrigerator for at least a week. (They will remain viable, at 40 degrees, for about two years). Plant the seeds about a half-inch deep in good potting soil. Do not overwater -- a soggy soil will rot the seeds. Germination time varies, but is usually within several days. Some seedlings may emerge as many as three months later. When seedlings have put on their second set of leaves, move them up a pot size. You may continue growing your datura in a pot, but make sure it is at least five gallons to accommodate the vigorous root systems of more mature plants. Purple datura take about three months from seed to bloom. The plants will reach five or six feet in height. Apply a slow-release, balanced fertilizer from the seedling stage, and use a high-phosphorus fertilizer on those plants that are a little stubborn about blooming. Should the leaves become pale, apply a high-nitrogen formula to green things up. Datura is a member of the nightshade family. These plants may cause allergic reactions among some people. Flowers and seed are poisonous.

Yes. Female holly flowers have that green dome in the centre which will become the berry. Anything which can move from a male flower to a female can pollinate. But since m and f are on separate trees I doubt ants do it for hollies.