Shrub · Ericaceae
Wintergreen
Gaultheria procumbens
In acidic soil and cool shade, wintergreen spreads low and glossy, its evergreen leaves set among bright red berries.
Partial shade
Every 4–7 days
USDA 3–8
3–8 in · 8–20 cm
Overview
Wintergreen hugs the ground, a low creeping evergreen from the eastern North American woods and a member of the heath family that runs outward on stems hidden just under the soil. Its glossy leaves stay green through the year, and crushed between the fingers they give off the sharp, sweet teaberry scent. By fall the plant carries bright red berries that sit close to the foliage and hold their color through winter into spring.
Up close it reads as a dense, low mat rather than an upright plant, standing only 3 to 8 inches (8 to 20 cm) above the soil. The creeping stems press against the ground and knit the leaves into a continuous, glossy sheet. It thickens slowly, so the carpet fills in one small increment at a time across the cool, damp, acidic floor of a woodland.
The plant's character shows in that contrast of surfaces: firm, shining evergreen leaves against small, round, vivid red fruit. Kept in acidic soil, steady moisture, and shade, the foliage stays smooth and glossy, while heat and dry ground scorch and brown the leaf edges. The look is low, tight, and evergreen, with the red berries as its one bright note.
Care
The short version: part to full shade, cool soil kept evenly moist and acidic at pH 4.5 to 6.0, and plenty of organic matter. Mulch to keep the roots cool, feed only rarely, and expect slow growth, since the glossy mat thickens gradually.
Light
Wintergreen is a woodland plant built for part to full shade. A little morning sun does no harm, but hot afternoon sun burns the glossy leaves and stresses the whole mat. In deep shade the foliage keeps its smooth, even green far better than it does in the open.
Water
Keep the soil cool and evenly moist, watering every 4 to 7 days and more through dry spells. An established mat rides out a brief dry patch, but in hot, dry, sunny ground the leaf edges brown and crisp. A layer of mulch over the roots holds the moisture the glossy leaves depend on.
Soil
This plant roots into acidic ground. Give it rich, humus-rich, well-drained woodland soil at a pH of 4.5 to 6.0, the same soil rhododendrons and blueberries grow in. Sweet or alkaline soil locks up iron, and the leaves lose their deep green and yellow between the veins.
Temperature
The glossy evergreen leaves hold up to hard cold, down to -40°F (-40°C), and to warmth up to about 84°F (29°C). The plant looks its best where summers stay cool, since long heat, more than any freeze, dulls and browns the foliage.
Humidity
There is no humidity figure to hit outdoors. What keeps the leaves smooth and glossy is cool, moist soil and shade, the damp air of the woodland floor, rather than dry, exposed conditions.
Feeding
The plant asks for very little feeding. A single light spring dose of an acidifying fertilizer for acid-loving plants is enough, and only when the foliage looks thin or weak. More than that harms it.
Pruning
Pruning is a light touch here. A spring trim or shear to even the mat or clip away winter-damaged leaves is all it needs, and most years the low, glossy carpet holds its own shape.
Repotting
In a container it rarely needs a bigger pot. The signs to watch are roots circling the container, growth slowing, and soil drying out too fast between waterings.
Size & spacing
Each plant stays close to the ground, just 3 to 8 inches (8 to 20 cm) tall, and creeps 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) wide on its low stems. Set plants closer together for a denser, unbroken sheet of leaves sooner.
When to plant
The glossy leaves stay on the plant all year, so there is little timing to track. Set plants out in spring or early fall, watch for the flowers from June to August, and then look for the bright red berries from September, most holding their color 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 trouble shows first in the leaves: a loss of that even green, a browning along the edges, or a dulling of the glossy surface. Soil that has turned too sweet or a spot too hot and dry is usually behind it. Match the look below, then correct the cause rather than the surface sign.
Leaves yellowing between green veins
When the leaves pale to yellow while the veins stay green, that is chlorosis, and the soil has turned too sweet for an acid lover. Above pH 6.0 the roots cannot take up iron, so the tissue fades between the still-green veins. Bring the pH back into the 4.5 to 6.0 range with elemental sulfur or peat, lay down pine-needle mulch, and keep lime and alkaline tap water off the plant.
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, crisped edges on wilting leaves
Leaf scorch shows as browned, dried edges on leaves that wilt and lose their gloss, the mark of too much sun or dry soil on a shade plant. Through a heat spell the whole low mat looks scorched and tired. Move it into part to full shade, keep the soil evenly moist, and mulch over the roots to bring the leaves back.
Fix:
- Relocate or establish in part to full shade
- Keep soil evenly moist and mulch to keep roots cool
- Water during dry spells
The glossy mat thickens slowly
A mat that widens by only a little is showing slow spread, the plant's nature rather than a fault. Wintergreen creeps on low stems, so even a healthy sheet of leaves gains just a small margin each year. Give it acidic, moist, shaded soil, set plants closer, and let the creeping stems fill the gaps 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
Aphids, thrips, or spots on the leaf surface
Now and then aphids and thrips cluster on the soft new growth, and powdery mildew or leaf spot dull the leaf surface where the air stays still. On a healthy plant the damage is slight. Rinse off or treat light insect outbreaks, open the planting 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 plant itself is low-risk, and a few of those bright red berries carry the familiar teaberry flavor. The real hazard is the concentrated oil of wintergreen, almost pure methyl salicylate that acts like a heavy aspirin overdose. Keep any essential oil or liniment well away from pets and children, and note that cats tolerate salicylates least of all.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Caution
A nibble of a leaf or berry usually brings only mild stomach upset, but cats are the most fragile here. They cannot break down salicylates the way other animals do, 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 reach.
Dogs Caution
Chewing the leaves or the red berries rarely causes more than a queasy stomach. The concentrated oil is the true danger, landing like a heavy dose of aspirin and driving vomiting, gut ulcers, and kidney or liver strain.
Horses Caution
A little grazing on the leaves or berries is low-risk and seldom does more than upset the gut. A horse's size blunts the plant's threat, but the concentrated oil of wintergreen is a potent salicylate and should never reach one.
Rabbits Caution
A small mouthful of foliage may pass with only mild digestive upset, but the methyl salicylate in the leaves keeps wintergreen off the list of safe browse. Point rabbits toward their usual greens and keep any of the oil well away.
Livestock Caution
Cattle, goats, and sheep can take a casual mouthful without much harm, though the same salicylate runs through leaf and berry alike. Heavier grazing, or any contact with the concentrated oil, is where the trouble begins.
Birds Caution
Wild birds pick off the bright red berries through winter with no apparent harm, and that scattering spreads the seed. The concentrated oil stays off-limits, since salicylates hit small bodies hard.
People Caution
A few ripe red berries give up 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 reach the trade, mostly for a heavier crop of berries, along with a couple of close relatives set apart by berry color and leaf size.
Very Berry
A selection that carries unusually heavy crops of large, bright red berries.
Berri Magic
A combination planting of male and female-type plants in one pot, set up for a full, dependable crop of berries.
Gaultheria shallon (salal)
A taller Pacific Northwest cousin, a broadleaf evergreen shrub whose berries ripen dark rather than red.
Gaultheria hispidula (creeping snowberry)
A tiny creeping relative with white berries and the same wintergreen flavor, its leaves far smaller than the ones on 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 creeping stems root themselves against the ground, and lifting those rooted pieces is the simplest way to get more, with cuttings and seed the slower routes.
DivisionEasy
Spring or early fall · One growing season
Division is the simplest route: dig up rooted sections of the creeping mat in spring or early fall and pull them apart. Set the pieces into acidic, moist, shaded soil, where they take hold over a single growing season.
LayeringEasy
Spring to summer · One season
Wintergreen layers itself as the low stems root against the ground. From spring through summer, find those rooted runners, cut them loose, and move them, each one taking hold within a season.
Stem cuttingsModerate
Summer · Several weeks to months
Cuttings take more patience. 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 push out roots.
SeedDemanding
Sow after cold stratification
Seed is the slowest way. It needs a cold spell to break dormancy, then comes up unevenly and is slow to fill out once the seedlings show.
Myths
Wintergreen and its bright red berries are dangerously poisonous because they contain oil of wintergreen.
The plant is low-risk, and its ripe red berries are safe for people to nibble in small amounts, holding only a trace of methyl salicylate. The real danger is the concentrated essential oil, almost 99 percent methyl salicylate, which acts like a strong aspirin overdose and affects cats most of all. The glossy little plant and the concentrated oil are worlds apart.