Northern Exposure – midtown Toronto, 2-3 story townhouses surround area.
Require tall, dense, green ( preferably with berry to attract birds in winter )
Would English Holly with red berries work ?
Please advise and add others deemed appropriate.
Forsythia, tulips & daffodils have flourished here in the past .
Thank you.
The most hardy holly for zone 5 is Ilex x meserveae. It is evergreen and grow to 2.4 – 3.5 m in height. There are several varieties but not all have berries and some are more compact. In order to produce berries you will have to plant a male to fertilize the berry producing female plant. When you visit the nursery, you will find that the various plants are paired. For example Ilex meserveae ‘Blue Princess’ with Ilex meserveae ‘Blue Prince’ etc.
If you are looking for plants for a hedge take a look at the Toronto Master Gardeners’ guide for evergreen hedges at the link below. This will give some other options for a evergreen hedge. While some of the evergreens like the spruce has cones and birds can eat the seeds, the holly berries are the most decorative for your purpose.
https://www.torontomastergardeners.ca/wp-admin/post.php?post=13011&action=edit