Wintergreen

Wintergreen is the low, creeping evergreen groundcover with glossy leaves that smell unmistakably of wintergreen when crushed, the original source of the flavor in gum, candy, and liniment before synthetic production took over. It grows just four to six inches tall, spreading slowly by underground rhizomes into a tidy mat. Small, urn-shaped white flowers appear in summer, followed by bright red berries that persist through winter against the dark green foliage. Native to the acidic woodlands of eastern North America, from Newfoundland to Georgia.

Wintergreen thrives in the acidic, moist, well-drained soils that characterize many residential sites in Western Washington, particularly under conifers and in woodland gardens. It wants shade to part shade and consistent moisture, conditions that overlap perfectly with rhododendron and blueberry culture. No significant disease or pest concerns are tracked. The challenge is pace: wintergreen is slow to establish and slow to spread. It will not cover a large area quickly the way kinnikinnick or sweet woodruff will. What it offers instead is year-round foliage, winter berries, fragrance, and a refined scale that works beautifully in small woodland plantings, along shaded paths, and as a living mulch under acid-loving shrubs.