Shrub · Ericaceae
Wintergreen
Gaultheria procumbens
Hand it acidic soil and cool shade, and wintergreen turns 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
So what is wintergreen, exactly? It's a low, creeping evergreen from the eastern woods of North America, part of the heath family, and it gets around by underground stems. Crush one of those glossy leaves and you'll catch that classic teaberry smell, and the red berries stick around from fall all the way through winter into spring. With this many nicknames, it's clearly been a favorite for ages.
Think of it as an easygoing shade groundcover to tuck under your acid-loving shrubs. It stays tiny, just 3 to 8 inches (8 to 20 cm) tall, and it'll knit a neat little carpet across cool, damp, acidic ground where hardly anything else wants to grow. It's a slow mover, though, so it asks for patience more than any real work.
Here's the thing: it really just wants steadiness. Keep it in acidic soil, steady moisture, and honest shade and it stays glossy and keeps creeping, but let it bake in hot sun and dry dirt and the leaf edges go brown. Nail the spot and it mostly handles itself, berries and all.
Care
The short version: part to full shade, cool soil that stays evenly moist and acidic at pH 4.5 to 6.0, and lots of organic matter. Mulch to keep the roots cool, feed it hardly ever, and give it time, because it's a slow grower.
Light
Wintergreen's a woodland plant, so it's after part to full shade. A bit of morning sun won't hurt, but hot afternoon sun scorches the leaves and wears the whole mat out. Honestly, deep shade suits it way better than full sun ever will.
Water
Keep the soil cool and evenly moist, watering every 4 to 7 days, and step it up when things dry out. An established mat can handle a short dry patch just fine, but it browns quick in hot, dry, sunny ground. A layer of mulch really helps hold that moisture in.
Soil
This one's an acid lover, plain and simple. Give it rich, humus-rich, well-drained woodland soil at a pH of 4.5 to 6.0, the same stuff rhododendrons and blueberries love. Sweet or alkaline soil? That locks up iron and turns the leaves yellow.
Temperature
Cold barely fazes it. It's hardy all the way down to -40°F (-40°C) and fine up to about 84°F (29°C). It does best where summers stay cool, since a long hot stretch is harder on it than any winter.
Humidity
No need to fuss over humidity numbers outside. What it actually cares about is cool, moist soil and shade, that damp woodland vibe, rather than dry, exposed air.
Feeding
Feeding's pretty much optional here. A light spring dose of an acidifying fertilizer for acid-loving plants is all it'll ever want, and only if growth looks a little off. Pile on more and you'll do more harm than good.
Pruning
Pruning's hardly a chore. A light spring trim or shear to tidy the mat or clear out winter-damaged bits is the whole job, and most years you can just skip it.
Repotting
In a pot it barely needs repotting. Only bump it up when you see roots circling the container, growth slowing down, or the soil drying out way too fast between waterings.
Size & spacing
Each plant stays low, around 3 to 8 inches (8 to 20 cm) tall, and creeps 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) wide on its rhizomes. Want a solid carpet sooner? Just set the plants a bit closer together.
When to plant
Since it keeps its leaves all year, timing isn't a big deal with wintergreen. Pop plants in during spring or early fall, look for flowers from June to August, and then keep an eye out for red berries from September on, with plenty of them hanging around through winter into the next 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 headaches come back to one of two things: soil that's gone too sweet, or a spot that's too hot and dry. The leaves usually give it away early, which is handy. Find what matches below, then go after the cause instead of just the symptom.
Yellow leaves with green veins on a fading plant
Those yellow leaves with green veins are chlorosis, and it means the soil's gone too sweet for an acid lover. Once the pH climbs past 6.0, the roots can't grab iron, so the leaves pale out between the veins. Nudge the pH back into the 4.5 to 6.0 range with elemental sulfur or peat, mulch with pine needles, and lay off the lime and 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
Brown leaf edges and wilting in the sun
Leaf scorch turns up when a woodland plant gets more sun or dry soil than it can take. The edges brown, the leaves wilt, and the whole mat looks beat during a hot spell. Move it into part to full shade, keep the soil evenly moist, and mulch to keep those 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's taking its sweet time
If it's filling in slowly, that's just slow spread, and it's the plant's nature, not a problem. Wintergreen creeps along by rhizome, so a healthy patch only widens a bit each year. Give it the acidic, moist, shaded soil it likes, space plants closer if you want faster cover, and let the rhizomes do their thing 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
The odd aphid, thrip, or spotty leaf
Every now and then aphids and thrips show up on new growth, and powdery mildew or leaf spot can settle in where the air's stuck. On a healthy plant it's really no big deal. Hose off or treat small insect flare-ups, 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
Good news first: the garden plant is low-risk, and a ripe red berry or two is where that teaberry flavor comes from. The thing to actually watch is the concentrated oil of wintergreen, which is nearly pure methyl salicylate and acts like a big aspirin overdose. Keep any essential oil or liniment well away from pets and kids, and know that cats handle salicylates the worst of all.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Caution
A nibble of leaf or berry usually just means a mildly upset stomach, but cats are the fragile ones here. They can't break down salicylates like other animals can, so even a little of the concentrated oil of wintergreen can set off vomiting, tremors, and organ failure. Keep the essential oil and any liniments well out of their reach.
Dogs Caution
Chewing on the plant or its berries usually leads to nothing worse than a queasy stomach. The concentrated oil's the real problem, though, working like a heavy aspirin dose and bringing on vomiting, gut ulcers, and kidney or liver strain.
Horses Caution
A little nibble of the leaves or berries is low-risk and rarely does more than upset the gut. A horse is big enough that the plant itself isn't much of a threat, but the concentrated oil of wintergreen is a strong salicylate and should never get near one.
Rabbits Caution
Small amounts of foliage might pass with just mild digestive upset, but the methyl salicylate in the leaves means wintergreen isn't safe browse. Point rabbits back to their usual greens and keep any of the oil far away.
Livestock Caution
Cattle, goats, and sheep can grab a casual mouthful without much trouble, though the same salicylate runs through the whole plant. Heavier grazing, or any contact with the concentrated oil, is where things go wrong.
Birds Caution
Wild birds eat the ripe berries all winter without any apparent harm, and that's a big part of how the seed spreads. Just treat the concentrated oil as off-limits, since salicylates hit small bodies hard.
People Caution
A few ripe red berries are where that familiar teaberry flavor comes from, and they're fine to nibble. The warning's really about the concentrated oil of wintergreen, almost pure methyl salicylate, where even a small amount equals a big 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
There aren't many named forms out there, mostly ones picked for bigger berry crops, plus a couple of close cousins that are handy to tell apart.
Very Berry
A selection folks grow for unusually heavy crops of big, bright red berries.
Berri Magic
A combo planting that puts male and female-type plants together in one pot, so you get a reliable, generous batch of berries.
Gaultheria shallon (salal)
A taller cousin from the Pacific Northwest, a broadleaf evergreen shrub that carries edible dark berries.
Gaultheria hispidula (creeping snowberry)
A tiny creeping relative with white berries and that same wintergreen flavor, though its leaves are way smaller 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
Want more wintergreen? The easiest route is to grab what the creeping mat has already rooted, though cuttings and seed work too if you're not in a hurry.
DivisionEasy
Spring or early fall · One growing season
The easiest way to make more is to dig up and split rooted chunks of the creeping mat in spring or early fall. Just replant the pieces in acidic, moist, shaded soil and they'll settle in over a single growing season.
LayeringEasy
Spring to summer · One season
Wintergreen basically layers itself, which is handy. The creeping stems root wherever they touch down, so from spring through summer you can find rooted runners, snip them loose, and move them, with each one settled within a season.
Stem cuttingsModerate
Summer · Several weeks to months
Cuttings take a little more fuss. Root semi-ripe stems in an acidic, moist mix under high humidity through summer, and give them several weeks to a few months to grow their own roots.
SeedDemanding
Sow after cold stratification
Seed is the slow way, and it's really for the patient. It needs a cold spell to break dormancy first, then it comes up unevenly and takes its time to get going.
Myths
Wintergreen and its red berries are dangerously poisonous because they've got oil of wintergreen in them.
Not really, actually. The garden plant is low-risk, and its ripe red berries are fine for people to nibble in small amounts, since there's only a trace of methyl salicylate in them. The real danger is the concentrated essential oil, which is almost 99 percent methyl salicylate and acts like a nasty aspirin overdose, and it hits cats the hardest. Just don't mix up the harmless plant with the concentrated oil.