Shrub · Ericaceae
Wintergreen
Gaultheria procumbens
Give it acidic soil and cool shade, and wintergreen spreads into a glossy evergreen mat dotted with red berries.
Partial shade
Every 4–7 days
USDA 3–8
3–8 in · 8–20 cm
Overview
Wintergreen is a low, creeping evergreen from the eastern woods of North America, a member of the heath family that runs along the forest floor by underground stems. The glossy leaves carry the classic teaberry scent when crushed, and bright red berries hang on from fall right through winter into spring. Step on a patch and you understand why it has so many folk names.
It earns its place as a shade groundcover under acid-loving shrubs. The plant stays just 3 to 8 inches (8 to 20 cm) tall and weaves a tidy carpet through ground that most plants won't touch, the cool, damp, acidic soil of a woodland edge. Growth is slow, so it asks for patience more than effort.
What it needs is consistency. Acidic soil, steady moisture, and real shade keep it glossy and spreading, while hot sun and dry ground turn the leaves brown at the edges. Get the site right and it largely takes care of itself, berries and all.
Care
The short version: part to full shade, cool and evenly moist soil that runs acidic at pH 4.5 to 6.0, and plenty of organic matter. Mulch to keep the roots cool, feed rarely, and give it time, since this one grows slow.
Light
Wintergreen is a woodland plant that wants part to full shade. It will take a little morning sun, but hot afternoon sun scorches the leaves and stresses the whole mat. Deep shade suits it better than full sun ever will.
Water
Keep the soil cool and evenly moist, watering every 4 to 7 days and more often in dry spells. An established mat shrugs off a brief dry patch, but it browns and declines fast in hot, dry, sunny ground. A layer of mulch goes a long way toward holding that moisture.
Soil
This is an acid lover through and through. Give it organically rich, humus-rich, well-drained woodland soil with a pH of 4.5 to 6.0, the same ground that suits rhododendrons and blueberries. Sweet or alkaline soil locks up iron and yellows the leaves.
Temperature
Wintergreen is tough where cold is concerned, hardy down to -40°F (-40°C) and content up to about 84°F (29°C). It does its best in regions with cool summers, since prolonged heat is harder on it than any winter.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor humidity is plenty, so there's no number to aim for. What it really wants is cool, moist soil and shade, the damp woodland feel, rather than dry, exposed air.
Feeding
Feed rarely, if at all. A light spring dose of an acidifying fertilizer made for acid-loving plants is all it ever needs, and only when growth looks weak. Too much does more harm than good.
Pruning
Pruning is barely a chore here. A light spring trim or shear to shape the mat or clear winter-damaged growth is the whole job, and most years you can skip it.
Repotting
In a container it rarely needs repotting. Move it on only when you see roots circling the pot, growth slowing, or the soil drying out far too quickly between waterings.
Size & spacing
Each plant stays low, just 3 to 8 inches (8 to 20 cm) tall, and spreads 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) wide by creeping rhizome. Set plants closer together when you want a solid carpet sooner.
When to plant
Wintergreen keeps its leaves all year and asks for little fuss over timing. Set out plants in spring or early fall, watch for flowers from June to August, and look for the red berries from September on, where many hold through winter into the following spring.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: late winter after cold stratification of seed
- Plant: spring or early fall
- Harvest: flowers June to August; bright red berries September into winter and following spring
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 3–8
Temperature: down to -40°C
Troubleshooting
Most wintergreen trouble traces back to the soil being too sweet or the site being too hot and dry. Read the leaves and you'll usually spot it early. Match what you see below, then fix the root cause rather than the symptom.
Yellow leaves with green veins and a fading plant
This is chlorosis, and it means the soil is too sweet for an acid-loving plant. Once the pH climbs above 6.0, the roots can't pull up iron, so the leaves pale between green veins. Lower the pH back into the 4.5 to 6.0 range with elemental sulfur or peat, mulch with pine needles, and stop using lime or alkaline tap water.
Fix:
- Amend soil with elemental sulfur, peat, or acidifying products to lower pH into the 4.5 to 6.0 range
- Mulch with pine needles or composted leaf litter
- Avoid lime and alkaline tap water
Browned leaf edges and wilting in the sun
Leaf scorch shows up when a woodland plant is asked to take too much sun or dry soil. The edges brown, the leaves wilt, and the whole mat looks tired through a heat spell. Move it into part to full shade, keep the soil evenly moist, and mulch to hold the roots cool.
Fix:
- Relocate or establish in part to full shade
- Keep soil evenly moist and mulch to keep roots cool
- Water during dry spells
The mat takes its time filling in
This is slow spread, and it's the plant's nature rather than a problem. Wintergreen creeps by rhizome, so a healthy patch widens only a little each year. Give it the acidic, moist, shaded soil it likes, space the plants closer if you want faster cover, and let the rhizomes do their work over a few seasons.
Fix:
- Be patient; allow rhizomes to creep over several seasons
- Provide ideal acidic, moist, humus-rich shade to encourage spread
- Space plants closer for faster coverage
Occasional aphids, thrips, or spots on the leaves
Now and then aphids and thrips turn up on new growth, and powdery mildew or leaf spot can settle in where the air sits still. None of it amounts to much on a healthy plant. Hose off or treat light insect outbreaks, open the planting up for better airflow, and keep water off the leaves.
Fix:
- Hose off or treat minor aphid and thrip infestations
- Improve air circulation and avoid overhead watering to reduce fungal disease
Toxicity
The garden plant is low-risk, and a ripe red berry or two is the source of the familiar teaberry flavor. The real warning is for the concentrated oil of wintergreen, which is almost pure methyl salicylate and acts like a heavy aspirin overdose. Keep any essential oil or liniment well away from pets and children, and remember that cats handle salicylates worst of all.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Caution
A nibble of berry or leaf usually brings only mild stomach upset, but cats are the most fragile here. They can't break down salicylates the way other animals do, so even a little of the concentrated oil of wintergreen can trigger vomiting, tremors, and organ failure. Keep the essential oil and any liniments well out of reach.
Dogs Caution
Chewing the plant or its berries tends to cause nothing worse than a queasy stomach. The concentrated oil is the real danger, acting like a heavy dose of aspirin and bringing on vomiting, gut ulcers, and kidney or liver strain.
Horses Caution
Grazing a little of the leaves or berries is low-risk and rarely does more than upset the gut. Because a horse is large the plant itself poses little threat, but the concentrated oil of wintergreen is a potent salicylate and should never reach them.
Rabbits Caution
Small amounts of foliage may pass with only mild digestive upset, yet the methyl salicylate in the leaves means wintergreen isn't a safe browse. Steer rabbits toward their usual greens and keep any of the oil far away.
Livestock Caution
Cattle, goats, and sheep can take a casual mouthful without much harm, though the same salicylate compound runs through the plant. Heavier grazing or any contact with the concentrated oil is where the trouble starts.
Birds Caution
Wild birds eat the ripe berries through winter with no apparent harm, and that is a big part of how the seed spreads. Treat the concentrated oil as off-limits, since salicylates hit small bodies hard.
People Caution
A few ripe red berries are the source of the familiar teaberry flavor and are fine to nibble. The warning is for the concentrated oil of wintergreen, almost pure methyl salicylate, where even a small amount equals a large aspirin dose and is genuinely dangerous to swallow.
Keep the harmless garden plant separate in your mind from the concentrated oil of wintergreen. Store any essential oil, liniments, or wintergreen products well away from pets and children. Cats are especially vulnerable because they lack the liver enzyme needed to metabolize salicylates.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Only a few named forms turn up in the trade, mostly chosen for heavier berries, alongside a couple of close cousins worth knowing.
Very Berry
A selection bred for unusually heavy crops of large, bright red berries.
Berri Magic
A combination planting that pairs male and female-type plants in one pot for a reliable, abundant berry display.
Gaultheria shallon (salal)
A taller Pacific Northwest cousin, a broadleaf evergreen shrub that carries edible dark berries.
Gaultheria hispidula (creeping snowberry)
A tiny creeping relative with white berries and the same wintergreen flavor, far smaller in leaf than G. procumbens.
Companions
Wintergreen pairs naturally with the other acid-loving plants of the woodland garden, tucking in beneath shrubs that share its taste for cool, low-pH soil.
Plant near
Rhododendron: Both are acid-loving Ericaceae; wintergreen makes a low groundcover beneath rhododendrons in woodland shade.
Azalea: Shares the same acidic, moist, shaded woodland conditions as an underplanting.
Blueberry: Fellow acid-loving heath-family plant that thrives in the same low-pH soil.
Mountain laurel (Kalmia): Acid-loving shrub companion for shaded woodland and rock garden plantings.
How to propagate
The simplest way to get more wintergreen is to lift what the creeping mat has already rooted for you, though cuttings and seed are options if you have the patience.
DivisionEasy
Spring or early fall · One growing season
The easiest way to make more wintergreen is to dig and split rooted sections of the creeping mat in spring or early fall. Replant the pieces in acidic, moist, shaded soil, and they settle in over a single growing season.
LayeringEasy
Spring to summer · One season
Wintergreen layers itself with no help at all. The creeping stems root where they touch the ground, so from spring through summer you can find rooted runners, cut them free, and move them, with each one established within a season.
Stem cuttingsModerate
Summer · Several weeks to months
Cuttings take a bit more care. Root semi-ripe stems in an acidic, moist medium under high humidity through the summer, and give them several weeks to a few months to put out roots of their own.
SeedDemanding
Sow after cold stratification
Seed is the slow road and best left to the patient. It needs a cold stratification before it will break dormancy, then germinates unevenly and is slow to establish once it does come up.
Myths
Wintergreen and its red berries are dangerously poisonous because they hold oil of wintergreen.
The garden plant is low-risk, and its ripe red berries are safe for people to nibble in small amounts, since they carry only a trace of methyl salicylate. The real danger is the concentrated essential oil, which runs almost 99 percent methyl salicylate and behaves like a strong aspirin overdose, and it hits cats hardest of all. Never confuse the harmless plant with the concentrated oil.