I have the straight species of lex verticillata. I bought them from Possibility Place over in Monee, IL. I love mine. They're in full sun. They require full sun and they are site specific. I don't have a picture of mine at photobucket, but they do grow slowly. They are the same size as they were when I purchased them in April of '06. These are shrubs. Fall color is yellow, nothing special. Website for PP is
http://www.possibilityplace.com/
Click on catalog and look around at all the plants they offer.

I like crowded, so I'm probably not a good person to answer, but I saw the question is from last week, so I did anyway âº

Viburnum dentatum is a good choice for the requirements you're describing (as do the other plants you've listed). Prairie Moon has them also. They're small, bare rooted plants, barely 18" tall, but mine has grown to over 5' in 1 year (mostly shade, north side of house). I purchased another dentatum (south side, but under a few trees) from Possibility Place for cross pollination that it might need and I'm happy report that they both are bearing berries this year. Birds love them too.

Best thing to do when you've got sun/shade issues, is to ask a lot of questions, do a lot of reading and research.

Here is a link that might be useful: Prairie Moon

I saw your message and question and thought I would reply. Yes, the winterberry is poisonous. Sometimes our dogs or cats will eat or chew on plants and there are many that could be harmful if ingested (to include parts, all parts, stem or berries). Some wild plants and common plants. Here's a few: Lantana, Morning Glory, Nightshade, Hemlock, Mistetoe, Yucca, Tulip, Privet, Peony, Caladium, Daffodil and Oleander. Generally speaking, many night blooming and drooping/pointing flowers are poisonous. I have yellow trumpet vine growing on a back fence, a few morning glory and Caladium plants in a small flowerbed and a couple ferns in hanging flower baskets. Fortunately, my dog does not bother them. Plus, he has a few bird friends that freely hang out in the yard. I guess the best advice is know your dog and be mindful about the playful or active pets that like to tample with things. Hope the info is helpful.

I grew this plant a long time ago. I did not plant it in full sun and it produced a good crop of berries. There is a male cultivar that stays very small. I cannot remember the cultivar name but I ordered it from prairie moon nursery I think. My soil was alkaline so I added some kind of powder that makes the soil more acidic (sorry forgot the name now but you can get it at any garden shop), removed some rock that was contributing to the alkalinity, and used pine needles for mulch.

The male cultivar that stays small is "Jim Dandy," i think. There is a small female cultivar called "Red Sprite," they are supposed to only get around ft tall.

Winterberry to me grows kindof slow, but they apparently can get quite large with age - ive seen photos of some in books that look 12 ft tall, but they've been around awhile.

Yes, you do need both the male and female. Jim Dandy is the male for Red Sprite. Since different winterberries have early, mid or late bloom times the male must be the correct one for the bloom times of your females. For instance Southern Gentleman is the one for Winter Red. I have one male Jim Dandy and 12 female Red Sprites and he takes care of them all with heavy fruit set.

Winterberries are marvelous for attracting fruit eating songbirds in winter. The birds here start eating the berries as soon as they turn red in late September and by Feb or March (depending on how cold the winter) the berries are gone.