Gaultheria: plant care, propagation & varieties

Gaultheria is a low-growing bog plant. It is especially appealing with its decorative flowers and berries, as well as low maintenance. However, the berries are not suitable for consumption.

The plant genus, also known as partridge berry, includes numerous species that differ from each other in growth height and colour of flowers and berries. We present the most beautiful species for the garden and give tips on how to care for and plant Gaultheria.

Gaultheria: origin and characteristics

Gaultheria (Gaultheria) is a genus of plant from eastern North America and is also known as partridge berry or American periwinkle. However, it is also found in South America, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The evergreen shrubs or semi-shrubs belong to the heather family (Ericacea) and can also be cultivated in our latitudes as an ornamental plant. The genus includes about 135 species that reach heights between 10 and 250 cm. However, the species used in the garden do not grow taller than 1 m.

Gaultheria comes into bloom between May and September. The flowering time differs from species to species. The flowers are bell-shaped or tubular and usually white or pink. Bumblebees also like to visit the Gaultheria at this time. The fruits are not true berries, but only false berries, which are actually capsule fruits with fleshy sepals. This also explains the trivial name of Gaultheria. Depending on the species, the fruits can be red, white, pink, purple or blue and appear after flowering.

The leaves of Gaultheria have lengths from 1.5 to 5 cm and are green and shiny. Their shape is ovate, sometimes pointed, and the leaf margin is toothed or notched. The leaves turn bronze in the autumn months. The Gaultheria is perennial, so you can enjoy it for many years.

Tip: The leaves of Gaultheria contain a lot of salicylic acid methyl ester, which helps against fever and pain. Therefore, before the artificial production of salicylic acid, the leaves of Gaultheria procumbens were used similarly to aspirin. It is still available today as wintergreen oil.

The most beautiful Gaultheria species and varieties for the garden

The genus Gaultheria includes about 135 species. Some of them can also be planted in the garden. Let us introduce you to the most popular varieties of Gaultheria.

• The eastern teaberry Gaultheria (Gaultheria procumbens): It is probably the most popular Gaultheria for the garden and is also called checkerberry, boxberry, or American wintergreen. This is due to its creeping growth and red fruits that appear in autumn. It grows to around 20 cm tall.

• Shallon Gaultheria (Gaultheria shallon): This species is also called Salal Gaultheria and can reach growth heights of up to 100 cm. It develops almost black fruits after the white-pink flowering.

• Gaultheria ovatifolia: This species remains quite small at 15 – 30 cm and has red fruits as well as white flowers.

• Prickly heath (Gaultheria mucronata): Prickly heath can produce pink, red or purple berries depending on the variety.

• Gaultheria adenothrix (Gaultheria adenothrix): This species also has beautiful flowers with striking red, hairy sepals. It originates from Japan and can only tolerate temperatures down to about -7 °C.

Planting Gaultheria: location and procedure

Gaultherias need a location with suitable weakly acidic to acidic, as well as moist and loose, peaty soils. The Gaultheria thrives best in partial shade. If there are already rhododendrons or azaleas (Rhododendron) in the garden, Gaultheria will also develop well under them, as it prefers the same locations. Always plant Gaultheria flat or in groups to show it off well as a ground cover.

It easily tolerates the root pressure that prevails under the shrubs and benefits from the slightly higher humidity. Dry periods, dry air and wind are not tolerated by the Gaultheria.

Tip: Gaultheria can be combined well with other bog plants such as bell heath (Erica tetralix) or bog cranberry (Vaccinium oxycocco).

The time of planting Gaultheria has proven to be the month of March, to give the plant enough time to acclimatise. However, planting in autumn is equally possible.

Instructions: planting Gaultheria

• Loosen the soil first.
• Work acidic substrate into the soil over a wide area. A bog bed substrate, such as our Plantura Organic Ericaceous Compost, is ideal. It has an acidic pH and is produced with a reduced amount of peat.

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• For each partridge berry dig a planting hole twice the size of the root ball.
• Unpot the plant and place in a bucket of water until the root ball is full.
• Pull bales apart a little with your hands to stimulate branching.
• Insert Gaultheria, fill the planting hole with acid soil and press firmly.
• Water generously.
• Cover interspaces with mulch, such as organic pine bark. This is sustainably produced in Europe and helps keep the soil moist and suppress weeds.

Planting Gaultheria in a pot: It is also possible to keep Gaultheria in a pot or balcony box. However, this requires daily watering, because the small volume of substrate dries up faster. On the other hand, it is easier to maintain an acidic pH in the small volume. Again, our Plantura Organic Ericaceous Compost is an excellent substrate. To prevent waterlogging, a drainage layer should be created in the pot with clay shards. It is best to use a glazed pot for this so that less water evaporates.

Caring for Gaultheria: Watering, pruning and more

Gaultheria species are considered hardy and undemanding, which is why they are very popular with amateur gardeners, and the Gaultheria is also used as a grave planting. However, Gaultheria is dependent on watering, as it does not tolerate drought. It is imperative to use rainwater or decalcified tap water and water the partridge berry not from above, but directly into the substrate.

Care of Gaultheria includes pruning in March or April, but this only needs to be done every two to three years. Pruning old branches by one-third will encourage re-sprouting. This keeps the plant young and full of flowers. Faded flowers of Gaultheria should be left in the bush, so that they can develop into berries.

From the second year of growth, Gaultheria should be supplied with fertiliser. For this purpose, a special fertiliser is suitable for plants that like an acidic environment, such as our Plantura Hydrangea Food. This gradually provides the plants with all the essential nutrients and lasts for three months. Thus, it is enough to fertilise the Gaultheria once in April and once in July.

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Propagating Gaultheria

In addition to self-seeding and propagation by runners, you can also self-propagate the Gaultheria. For this purpose, suitable cuttings or even the division of the mother plant on the root ball, as well as sowing.

For cuttings propagation, cut about 10 cm long, semi-mature shoots from the mother plant in the fall. These should not have flowers. Add a little rooting hormone to the cut and put the cuttings in potting soil. These are placed in a warm and bright place without direct sun at about 12 to 15°C. Keep the soil moist. If new leaves grow back, the propagation is successful, and you can plant the cuttings outside in the spring.

You also have the option of obtaining seeds yourself by harvesting the ripe fruit in the spring and separating out the seeds. Clean the seeds with water and spread them on an acidic substrate. The seeds should not be covered with soil but kept well moist. To increase the humidity, you can stretch a film over the pot and later put a plastic bag over the seedlings.

Is the Gaultheria hardy?

However, with all the benefits of Gaultheria, the question remains: is the Gaultheria hardy? Yes, Gaultheria is hardy and tolerates temperatures up to -20 ° C. If it gets colder, cover with spruce or fir branches in the bed is suitable. Since the soil in the pot freezes through faster than in the bed, the Gaultheria is not hardy here and should be protected by a fleece and a layer of mulch. Covering is also recommended in the year of planting. Mild weather can be used for watering Gaultheria. Gaultheria, however, is not only hardy, but as a cold germinator, it even requires the cold temperatures for propagation.

Is the Gaultheria poisonous?

The false berry is poisonous if its fruits are consumed. For example, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting may occur. Children in particular should be kept away from partridge berry. Dogs, cats and birds do not avoid the plant for nothing, because it can also be poisonous to animals. The leaves, on the other hand, are edible and are used, among other things, for the production of chewing gum and toothpaste. Due to the contained salicylic acid methyl ester, the leaves also have analgesic and antipyretic effects.

Blueberries are also bog plants with similar requirements as the Gaultheria. Read our guide to planting blueberries here.