partridge berry
Mitchella repens
USDA zones3 to 9
SunHandles full sun to full shade
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size1 to 3 inches tall12 inches wide
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Habit
- Herb
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn, winter
- Bloom color
- White , pink , purple
- Foliage color
- Dark green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acid
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Partridge berry (Mitchella repens) is a perennial for ground cover, shade gardens, woodland plantings, and rock gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 3, or down to -40°F (-40°C). This plant likes full sun to full shade and dry to moist, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. Its small evergreen leaves pair with fragrant pinkish-white flowers, and scarlet berries follow. Birds and other wildlife eat the berries. It is not a favorite of deer, though hungry deer will eat almost anything.
Pairs well with Wintergreen, Sensitive fern, Wild geranium, and Sedge.
Native range
AL, AR, CT, DC, and 34 more places. See all 38
AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV; NB, NS, ON, PE, and QC.