Illustration
American Wintergreen
Gaultheria procumbens
Also called boxberry, creeping wintergreen, eastern teaberry, teaberry and checkerberry
Also comes in pink.
American Wintergreen blooms from June through July.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing American Wintergreen
Plant it in part shade. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–8. Expect it to reach about 8 in tall and 8 in wide at maturity, in roughly 4 years (a house reading).
Is American Wintergreen toxic to cats?
- Not yet checked for dogs.
- Listed as toxic to cats by NC State Extension.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
What was checked
Nine facts were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Soil, diseases, pests, toxicity and the plant's own names have not yet been read for this plant, and its trait tags are the ones a feature uses rather than every word a page prints. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant American Wintergreen
Plant American Wintergreen in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 5, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 8, spring means April to June and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from June to July.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 5, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 5 in April. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does American Wintergreen get?
8 intall5 ft 7 inan adult8 inwideSee American Wintergreen in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant American Wintergreen
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space American Wintergreen about 8 in apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add American Wintergreen to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
American Wintergreen's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags were checked against 8 published sources on October 21, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionGardener Plant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Mt. Cuba Centerheight, hardiness zones, sun, water and bloom months and color
- illinoiswildflowers.infoIllinois Wildflowers, John Hiltyheight, sun and bloom months and color
- Oregon State UniversityLandscape Plantsheight, hardiness zones and bloom months and color
- cornellfarms.comCornell Farm nursery, Portland, Oregonheight, spread and hardiness zones
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight and bloom months and color
- University of Wisconsin HorticultureUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extensionbloom months and color and trait tags
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Where it grows wild
Native to 26 states and 7 provinces
United States: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and 14 more
Canada: Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec
Recorded growing wild in 600 counties.
Range data from the World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 4.0, adapted) and USDA PLANTS. How the native range is credited.
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.