PlantFiles: Wintergreen, Teaberry, Checkerberry
Gaultheria procumbens

An evergreen creeper with small white flowers in the spring and lovely red berries in the fall - a very nice accent plant. However, this is a very particular plant, and once it's gone it's gone. In one area of my yard it's spreading and doing great and in another I cannot keep them alive. But I like the look, so I keep trying.

Eastern Teaberry is native to the eastern US and Canada. It is listed as endangered in Illinois.

Even though I amended my clay soil, all of these died. I had two different sets, over two years and no success with any of them.

So far, so good. I planted a patch in spring. They grew nicely, so added a few more in the fall. They are growing, but very slowly-- sending up a few runners. It's now December, and they have berries and are turning a bit purple. They are very, very pretty.

Unfortunately, I have clay soil. I ammended the soil at planting, and I have mulched with pine bark. I plan to add compost this coming spring.

After all the stories I have heard about how hard it is to grow, I am especially pleased at their appearance and growth. We'll see how they continue. They are native to this area (Maryland) so I at least have that going for me.

Got to say that I smile just about every time that I look at 'em. If you are hesitant, I'd say go ahead and give them a try. They're worth it.

Keep you posted on how they do come spring.

An evergreen groundcover. White flowers in spring followed by red berries in fall. Leaves are used for making tea. Prefers shade and rich acidic soil.

I had absolutely no luck w/ this plant.
I first tried it 5 years ago.
It came on strong then gradually wasted away.
As we had the perfect light conditions for it,
I knew that couldn't be the problem.

In an old 1908 English gardening book I found the problem.
Growing it in heavy clay or limey soil is a sentence to a slow death.
It has to be in very acid soil.

We pulled the plants, potted them up in a topsoil/peat mix and planted the pot.
This was 3 years ago.
We've had no problems since.

This plant used to grow wild in the woods in New Hampshire when I was growing up. We used to pick the berries and chew them, and sometimes we just admired the little star shape on the bottom of the berries. They were used in terrariums around the holidays and also decorated fresh wreaths. Since they grew wild, no one cultivated this plant in gardens. I am looking forward to trying it in my Northern California garden next year.

I have three happy clumps of this that are spreading quickly in soil that is adjacent to spruce trees and artificially acidified. I also mulched the area with pine bark mulch. It's low growing (3-6"), attractive, and the berries are quite interesting--the texture is similar to an apple, but the taste is...well...wintergreen. Even the leaves have the flavor. They are found in Northern Minnesota, and seem to do very well in Southern Minnesota given acidic soil.

I use very small amounts of the essential oil from the leaves, for muscle rubs in my clinic. Very effective.
It has been/is used for flavouring in toothpaste, chewing gum, root beer, Coca-Cola, and other soft drinks.

It is mid - April here in zone 7b and I await a wakening;
it must be a late starter

Evergreen shrublet, creeping, to about 6 inches (15 cm) tall, stoloniferous and in time providing a dense ground cover. Leaves simple, crowded at branch tips, elliptic to elliptic-obovate, 2-5 cm by 1-2 cm, dark green, glossy above. Flowers urn-shaped, 7 mm, white or pinkish, single or rarely in small racemes. Fruits globose, 8-15 mm, red, very aromatic when rubbed, persistent from October to late spring.