Essential: Wintergreen’s a seasonal favourite
Graceful berry colours dark days
The gaultheria procumbens or wintergreen is also known as checkerberry, partridge berry and mountain tea. It has beautiful foliage and dainty berries and there is no better shrub to rid you of those winter blues and help you through the dark winter days. November is the perfect month to give this graceful plant a spot in the garden and for this reason, wintergreen is The Joy of Plants Garden Plant of the Month of November.
Berries and flowers
Wintergreen provides spectacular colour and enjoyment all year round. In the spring and early summer, it is a real asset to any garden, with its white or pale pink bell-shaped flowers. As the temperatures fall, the flowers mature into beautiful scarlet berries that will often survive until the following spring and, when crushed, the brilliant, glossy green foilage exudes a wonderful wintergreen fragrance.
Interesting facts
- The leaves and branches of the winterberry are used to produce herbal tea (Mountain Tea) in its native habitat, North America.
- The ‘oil of wintergreen’ produced from the leaves provides a minty flavouring which is used in beer, sweets, toothpaste and chewing gum.
- Wintergreen also has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. Its oil is used in massage oils to relieve back pain and rheumatism, as well as relieving the symptoms of myalgia, sprains, neuralgia and catarrh. It is also widely used as a diuretic.
Hardy
Wintergreen is an evergreen, often dioecious, shrub which will spread quickly, thereby helpfully inhibiting weed growth in bare soil. It is an incredibly easy and hardy garden plant to care for but it flourishes best in moist soil in a sunny or partially shaded position. It is very versatile, being equally at home in banks, borders, flowerbeds and containers and it is guaranteed to add vibrancy to your garden or terrace all year round.
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