Marianne's Response
Gaultheria Procumbens
Hello, so excited to be here. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with NW gardeners. After the holidays I purchased 4 in 3″ pots, Gaultheria plants. Reading it’s a evergreen shrub low growing creeper. I have a rock wall L shaped, 2 years new on Lake Roesiger. Full sun.. Still trying to fill spaces. Lower maintenance then in my last home in Everett. Will this be a good fit? I thought planting 2 together for more mass? See my photos.
Posted by Janean Draper on January 8, 2020
Marianne's Response
We are so excited to welcome you to PlantersPlace! So sorry but I can not see any photos that you mentioned you sent to me. Keep trying as once you get the hang of it posting questions with images to this site is easy and so helpful. Now for your question about Gaultheria procumbens or wintergreen. This evergreen groundcover will not do well in full sun in a raised bed near a wall. It likes full to partial shade, cool soil and even moisture with lots of peatmoss or compost in the soil. I have killed this adorable plant many times before I decided to research what it likes and now I know how much of a woodland plant it is. It is so worth growing as the bright red winter berries and fragrant leaves can be used for wintergreen tea. Just tear a leaf and take a whiff. Smells like a breath mint. Instead for your full sun area another evergreen groundcover to consider would be low growing Euonymus fortunei, Kinninnick (Arctostaphylos) or for a large area Cotoneaster 'Lo-Fast'. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti
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