Gaultheria Cherries Berries™

Genus:Gaultheria
Species:procumbens
Variety:’Gaulsidh5′
ppaf:PPAF
Item Form:1-Quart
Zone:3 – 8
Bloom Start to End:Mid Summer – Late Summer
Habit:Spreading
Height:10 in
Width:3 ft
Additional Characteristics:Berries,Bird Lovers,Easy Care Plants,Evergreen,Fall Color,Fragrance
Bloom Color:White
Foliage Color:Dark Green,Purple
Light Requirements:Part Shade
Moisture Requirements:Moist, well-drained
Resistance:Cold Hardy,Disease Resistant,Pest Resistant
Soil Tolerance:Normal, loamy
Uses:Beds,Border,Containers,Fall Color,Foliage Interest,Ground Cover

Gaultheria Cherries Berries is a broadleaf evergreen ground cover offering year-round interest, blooming in mid-spring. Small, waxy, urn-shaped, pinkish-white flowers are followed by super-showy and exceptionally large berries—the size of cherries. The brilliant berries are highly uniform and appear from fall through spring, an important winter food source for birds. The plant has glossy leaves that turn purple merlot in winter and have a wintergreen fragrance when crushed.

A Gaultheria procumbens, commonly called wintergreen, American wintergreen, boxberry, spiceberry, or teaberry, Cherry Berries has a slow growth rate and a low, spreading habit. The plant spreads by rhizomes and eventually forms a dense colony. Shown to best effect when grouped or massed, Cherry Berries is best grown as ground cover and is exceptionally attractive when allowed to gracefully cascade over hardscapes. It’s also a great container and garden plant, nice in beds and borders.

Cold hardy and easy to grow, wintergreen grows best in a shade-dappled location with humidic, well-draining soil, having an acidic pH, preferably lower than 6.5. Wintergreen grows well in areas with mild summer temperatures and average to high humidity; they may suffer in hot, dry climates. The plant is pest and disease resistant.