How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Ardisia

There is plenty to discuss when it comes to growing ardisia species. These evergreen shrubs have the most delightful red, coral, and off-white berries in the winter, which give them interest in a garden. They can also be grown indoors. Lorin Nielsen will go through all the steps to growing and caring for Christmas berries.

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Throughout the winter, the red, coral, or off-white berries of ardisia can be seen. This has earned it the common name Christmas berry, and it can really be a bright spot in the winter landscape!

But it’s not limited to wintertime. This is an evergreen shrub in most climates that stay above 50°F. Some types provide bright, stunning flowers throughout the spring and summer.

While considered invasive in some areas, ardisia can be a phenomenal houseplant. And it’s an easy grower, heightening its popularity indoors.

Ready to know more? I thought you might be. Let’s talk ardisia!

Plant Overview

A shot of developing leaves and berries of a perennial shrub
Plant Type Perennial shrub
Family Primulaceae
Genus Ardisia
Species Ardisia spp
Native Area Asia, Australia, and North and South America
Exposure Bright, indirect light or partial shade outdoors
Height 1-6’
Watering Requirements Regular
Pests & Diseases Leafcutter ants, birds, raccoons, mealybugs, fungal root rot
Maintenance Low
Soil Type Well-draining
Hardiness Zone 7-11

What is Ardisia?

With over 700 species, the Ardisia genus is quite large. But what is this genus made up of? Most of the different species are bushes or shrubs. Some forms make excellent ground cover plants, and others become trees. Most have leathery leaves, but the leaf shape varies.

Native Area

A shot of leaves and berries of a shrub in a well lit area
The plant is native to Asia, Australia, and North and South America.

Native to the tropics, they can be found in various regions worldwide. Asia, Australia, and North and South America are areas where it’s widespread. The Pacific Islands is another region where it can be found.

Characteristics

A shot of flowers, berries and leaves of a perennial shrub in a well lit area
The shrub features flowers with tubes from its stamen.

The one defining factor of this diverse genus can be found in its flower. The stamens in the flower create a tube down its center. This occurs whether the flowers are clustered or spread out. Evergreen if the weather is warm, these shrubs are actually quite beautiful. And they’re extremely easy to grow… maybe too easy!

Varieties

A close-up shot of dark colored berries of a perennial shrub in a well lit area
The plant has over 700 species all with distinct features.

I can’t easily cover all 700-plus species in one article, so I’ve chosen a few varieties to highlight. These are among the most common forms of this warm weather-loving genus.

Ardisia crenata: Christmas berry, spiceberry, or Australian holly, among other names. Although considered invasive in the US, especially in Florida and Texas, it’s still grown as a houseplant. The red berries throughout the late fall and winter months are a great pop of color. This is the most widespread ardisia type in the world.

Ardisia elliptica: Called coralberry or duck’s eye. This tall species reaches heights of up to 16 feet. Its flowers are light pink, and its berries have a purplish hue.

Ardisia escallonioides: Also called the island marlberry. This tree grows up to fifty feet in height in the wild! In containers, it can be trained to stay around three to five feet. Its fruit is edible, but it’s reported to taste horrible.

Ardisia japonica: Commonly called marlberry. One of the 50 fundamental herbs in Chinese medicine, it’s a ground cover. It grows best in USDA zones 8-9. While it’s good as a cover and erosion preventer, it doesn’t like to be walked on.

Ardisia solanacea: The shoebutton ardisia. This tall shrub can grow to nearly 20 feet tall. Its branches are a distinctive reddish hue, and it produces showy pink flowers. This is a popular species for container growth.

Why is it So Invasive?

A shot of leaves and berries of a developing perennial shrub in a well lit area
This plant is considered an invasive species due to its berries that has seeds that germinate excessively.

Why is the Christmas berry considered an invasive species in so many areas? Well, that has a lot to do with those berries. The berries house tiny little seeds. And, unlike a lot of shrubs, these seeds germinate extremely well. It takes very little more than a patch of good soil and water to get the seeds to germinate.

But before the seeds can grow, they have to have a place to grow. And the coral ardisia berries serve another purpose. They are particularly appetizing to birds. Birds gobble up the fruit as it comes ripe, and carry it off with them when they leave. When they excrete the seeds, they’re coated in what amounts to a bird fertilizer mix. This certainly won’t slow down their germination!

The only way to prevent the rapid spread is to remove the berries before they ripen. Bird netting may slow down access if you want the red berries during the holidays. But if it grows well outside in your region, try to prevent its further spread.

Planting

A shot of a developing perennial and its berries in a well lit area outdoors
Plant the shrub in soil amended with compost or a pot with drainage holes.

As a general growing guide for ardisia, prepare the soil by enriching it with compost to ensure good nutrition and moisture retention. If planting outdoors, dig a hole slightly larger than the plant’s root ball, place it in the hole, and backfill with soil while gently firming it down. Water thoroughly after planting to help the roots establish.

For container planting, choose a pot with drainage holes, use a rich potting mix, and ensure regular watering, keeping the soil moist but not soggy.

How to Grow

To be truthful, ardisia will practically take care of themselves. But if you’re trying to grow some, here are a few hints that will make for the happiest Christmas berries ever!

Light

A shot of developing leaves and berries of a perennial shrub basking in bright light outdoors
The plants prefer bright, indirect lighting.

Generally, the majority of coral berry plants prefer bright, but indirect lighting. Taller species may be able to take full sun in their natural environment. But most like partial shade as a general rule.

If you’re growing yours indoors, provide plenty of indirect lighting for it. A bit of sunlight through a window won’t hurt, either. If you’ve got it in a dim space, supplement with a grow light.

Water

A person wearing a grey shirt holding a garden hose in the process of watering
Ensure the soil is evenly moist but not soggy.

Watering too much or too little can be a problem for ardisia. When too little, the leaves start to crisp up and turn brown at the tips. Too much, and you risk root rot!

The best solution is to keep your soil evenly moist at all times. If it’s planted outdoors, using mulch to maintain soil moisture between waterings helps. Indoors, it’s much easier to manage.

Initially, water once a week. Check regularly each day to estimate how long it takes to dry out. If it gets dry quickly, increase your watering frequency.

Humidity may decrease the watering frequency, too. They can absorb some moisture from the air itself.

Don’t allow standing water in the tray for more than about fifteen minutes. You don’t want your soil to become waterlogged, and soil that’s too wet is a prime place for fungal diseases to develop.

Soil

A close-up of a finger pointing towards a mound of brown loamy soil in a garden bed.
The plant can adapt to any soil type as long as it is well draining.

Spice berry prefers well-draining soil. However, it’s very adaptable and can tolerate all kinds of soil types. It even can take hard-packed clay!

Your ideal soil blend should have good moisture-retention qualities. You can amend it with compost or rich worm castings, or blend in a little coconut coir or peat moss. Don’t err on the side of too much moisture. There should be good airflow, no compaction, and it should drain off excess water easily.

As for soil pH, Ardisia crenata tends to prefer them slightly on the acidic side. The genus is pH adaptable, though. It will grow in neutral or slightly alkaline soils if those are what’s available. If you’re not sure of your soil’s pH, pick up a good pH test kit and check.

Temperature

A shot of a potted perennial shrub near a window indoors
Ideal growing temperatures range from 60-80°F.

Temperature-wise, ardisia is practically made for indoor temperatures. Ideal growing temps are from 60-90°F (16-32°C), and even better from 60-80°F (16-27°C). It grows outside in USDA zones 7-11, but may need protection from extreme heat. And it does poorly in temperatures below 45°F (7°C).

Fertilizer

A person adding a slow release osmocote fertilizer to the plant soil.
Provide monthly applications of a slow-release balanced fertilizer.

Given its invasive qualities, it’s pretty clear that ardisia will stubbornly survive. Even if it’s not fertilized, it’ll keep growing.

Those of us who want it as a houseplant and thriving can give it encouragement, though! Feed monthly with applications of a slow-release balanced fertilizer. Do this only in the spring and summer months. Don’t fertilize in fall or winter.

Maintenance

An overhead shot of a clean hand pruner with blue handles, placed on top of a wooden surface
Maintenance involved pruning to maintain its shape and repotting.

As spring arrives, take a look at your shrub. If it is starting to get rootbound, it may be time to repot it. Otherwise, leave it in its current pot until next year. If it does need to be repotted, opt for a pot only one size larger than your current one. Remove from its pot, making note of where the soil goes up to. Gently shake some of the old soil from its roots and loosen them with your fingertips.

Repot in the new pot in fresh, well-draining soil. Only cover to the depth it was at before. Water it in well, allowing excess to drain off. Add used potting soil to your compost pile. Alternately, blend it well with amendments to restore and reuse it.

Choose to prune in late winter or very early spring, before it develops new growth. You should focus on shaping to your desired shape and keeping it in check. Christmas berries are slow growing.

As the flowers fade and berries start to form, you have another choice to make. If you want the berries to produce a pop of color in late fall to winter, leave them be. But if you want to reduce the chances of it spreading, use a clean pair of pruning shears to snip off the flowers.

Propagation

A shot of a developing shrub and its berries in a pot outdoors
Propagation can be done by seed, cuttings or air layering techniques.

The coral ardisia propagates via three methods: seed, cuttings, or air layering.

Seeds tend to germinate well. There’s quite a few in each berry, and you can grow from the entire berry. As the exterior breaks down, the seeds are sown and fertilized. Thin down to one per seedling pot as they germinate.

With cuttings, select a six to eight-inch healthy, young segment. Trim it with sterilized pruning shears, and remove all but a few leaves at the top. You can dip it into your rooting hormone of choice. These will also develop roots if they’re set in a glass of water. And if you haven’t done this method of propagation before, you can read up on how to care for cuttings.

Air layering is a bit more complex to explain. We’ve got a fantastic piece on how to air layer that’ll tell you the entire process!

Common Problems

While no plant is 100% problem-free, you may discover that the coral ardisia is pretty close. Let’s discuss what few issues might come up so you’re ready to deal with them.

Growing Problems

A shot of developing leaves and berries of a perennial shrub in a well lit area outdoors
Overwatering is the main cause of growth issues.

The only real growing problems arise when one of two things happen.

If it has watering issues (too wet or too dry), you may have issues. I mentioned them briefly in the watering segment above. To prevent those, make sure that the soil is consistently moist but not soggy. Mulching can help keep the soil moisture from evaporating off too quickly.

Otherwise, the biggest problem I encounter is when the berries fall to the ground. If stepped on, the tiny seeds can get stuck to the bottom of shoes or bare feet and can be spread around the yard. You may have a sudden wave of young seedlings in the spring. Avoiding this problem’s easy: clip off the berry clusters before they ripen.

Pests

A shot of several leafcutter ants damaging a leaf in a well lit area
Leafcutter ants, birds and mealybugs plague the plant and its berries.

Pests on ardisia are almost completely unknown. This contributes to their invasive nature, unfortunately. Nothing seems to find it really tasty! But having said that, there are some things that may be found near your shrubs. Let’s go over those.

Leafcutter ants find the leaves to be useful for growing leaf mold. If your region is prone to leafcutter ants, you’re likely to find some marching up your tree. Arborist sticky paint will prevent them from going up the trunk.

Birds seem to adore the coral berries. They will pluck them off the shrub or ground and gobble them up, and carry some off for later. Unfortunately, this results in seed spread. If you want to prevent the spread of the seeds around your area, prune the berries before they’re ripe. Watch for raccoons as well, they may find the berries tasty too!

Ever an opportunistic pest, mealybugs may make a home in the leaves. Keep them at bay with the occasional spray of neem oil on all leaf surfaces.

Diseases

A close-up of a plant's roots affected by a fungus, showing discolored, decaying roots and dark soil.
The plant is vulnerable to fungal root rot that is a result of overwatering.

The single weakness which your assortment of ardisias might encounter is fungal root rot. There’s many fungi which thrive in overly-wet soil, and these can wreak havoc on plant roots.

If your soil seems more like mud than soil, and doesn’t drain away excess moisture, you’re at risk. The fungi will spread within your soil and can attack. Rot can rapidly form and cause your shrubs to yellow, wilt, and die.

Soil mycorrhizae can help defend the roots from many fungal diseases. Your best defense, though, will be to ensure the soil is consistently moist but not wet. Something which is about as damp as a wrung-out sponge is ideal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ardisia and indoor plant?

Yes, if you live in an area where ardisia is invasive, use it as a houseplant.

Why is my ardisia dropping leaves?

This may be the result of nutrient deficiencies. Feed indoor ardisia monthly with a slow-release fertilizer.

Is ardisia edible?

Some varieties are considered edible, but some are also toxic. Be absolutely sure the variety you have is edible before eating, or stay away completely.

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