wintergreen
Gaultheria procumbens
RHS AGM 1993
USDA zones3 to 9
SunHandles partial sun to full shade
WaterHandles dry to wet soil
Size4 to 8 inches tall6 to 12 inches wide
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn, winter
- Bloom color
- White , pink
- Foliage color
- Dark green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acid, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) is a shrub for ground cover, shade gardens, woodland gardens, and rock gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 3, or down to -40°F (-40°C). This plant likes part sun to full shade and dry to wet, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. The shiny, dark green leaves turn reddish in cold weather. White, bell-shaped flowers nod in the leaf axils, and aromatic red fruits follow them. Birds eat the leaves during winter.
Pairs well with Woodland phlox, Christmas fern, Yellow trout-lily, and Sedge.
Native range
Oceania.