Gaultheria procumbens
Overview
Uses: Groundcover in woodland and shade gardens, understory plantings beneath conifers and rhododendrons, shaded rock gardens, edible landscape plantings, naturalized woodland edges.
Benefits: One of very few evergreen groundcovers that genuinely performs in shade. Glossy dark leaves release the familiar wintergreen scent when crushed, take on a burgundy cast in cold weather, and set bright red fruit that holds through the entire winter. Both the leaves and the berries are edible.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3–8
Sun: Partial to Full Shade
Life Cycle: Broadleaf Evergreen Shrub
Growth Habit: Groundcover, Spreading — low creeping mat from underground runners
Bloom Color: White and Pink
Foliage Color: Dark Green, tinting Burgundy in winter
Mature Height: Under 1 ft.
Mature Width: 1–2 ft. spread
Bloom Season: Summer
Growth Rate: Slow
Summary
Wintergreen is the eastern woodland floor plant — the one growing in the acidic duff under hemlocks and oaks from Newfoundland down through the Appalachians. It is a woody shrub, technically, but it tops out around six inches and creeps along by underground stems, so it reads and functions as a groundcover.
What it offers is a full year of interest in a spot where most plants offer none. The leaves are small, thick, and glossy dark green, turning wine-red through winter. Nodding white bells appear in midsummer, easy to miss unless you look for them, and are followed by scarlet berries roughly the size of a pea that persist right through snow cover and are often still there when the new growth pushes in spring.
The scent is the other reason to grow it. Crush a leaf and you get the wintergreen oil that gave the plant its name and once made it a commercial crop in Pennsylvania. The berries are edible and mildly sweet with the same flavor — they are the original teaberry.
Care
Wintergreen Teaberry Care
Plant in partial to full shade. Wintergreen will take a few hours of morning sun in the north but scorches in afternoon sun anywhere, and it is one of the few groundcovers that performs well in genuinely deep shade.
Soil is the make-or-break factor: it needs acidic, humus-rich, consistently moist but well-drained ground. Amend with pine fines, leaf mold, or peat before planting, and mulch with shredded leaves or pine needles. Alkaline soil will not work.
Water regularly and do not let it dry out, particularly in the first two seasons and during summer dry spells. This is not a drought-tolerant plant.
Feeding is rarely necessary in good woodland soil. If growth is weak, one light spring application of slow release fertilizer formulated for acid-loving plants is sufficient. No pruning is required; simply pull back any stems that wander where you do not want them.
Size
What Size is the Wintergreen Teaberry for Sale Online?
Our Wintergreen Teaberry ships in a greenhouse-grade grow pot and is appropriately sized for its container at the time of shipment. If you have specific sizing or planting questions, please contact us.
How Large Does Wintergreen Teaberry Grow?
Wintergreen Teaberry stays under a foot tall — typically three to six inches — and spreads one to two feet wide by underground runners. It fills in slowly, so plant on twelve-inch centers if you want continuous cover within a few years.
Additional Information
What are some common names for this plant?
The most widely used names, in rough order of familiarity, are:
- Wintergreen
- Eastern teaberry
- Checkerberry
- Boxberry
- American wintergreen
Are the berries edible?
Yes. The berries are edible raw and taste distinctly of wintergreen, mildly sweet and slightly mealy in texture. The leaves are also traditionally steeped as a tea. Flavor is strongest after a frost.
Will it grow in dry shade?
Not well. Dry shade under maples or in root-filled soil is the hardest place to establish it. Wintergreen wants shade with steady moisture and acidic organic soil — conditions found under pines, hemlocks, oaks, and around rhododendrons.
How fast does it spread?
Slowly and politely. It travels by underground stems and adds a few inches a year once established. It will not overrun a bed and it will not smother neighbors, which also means it takes patience to close a large area.
Is it a native plant?
Yes — Gaultheria procumbens is a straight species native to eastern North America, from Canada through the Appalachians. See our Native Plants of North America collection, or our Groundcovers collection for more shade-tolerant options.
