Is Creeping Wintergreen deer resistant?
Gaultheria procumbens
Plant typeGroundcoverHardinessZones 3–7LightFull shade to part shadeMature height4–8 inBloomSummer
MaintenanceLow, mostly leave it alone
Native range26 US states
About Creeping Wintergreen
Crushed leaves smell strongly of wintergreen, which is where the oil came from. Needs acid peaty soil and shade, and will not tolerate lime.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 4.5 to 6
- Drainage
- Consistently moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 12 to 18 in apart
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Maintenance
- Low
Similar to Creeping Wintergreen
Other groundcovers with the same deer rating.
Where Creeping Wintergreen grows
Hardy across most of these 48 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvanianative
- New Jerseynative
- New Yorknative
- Connecticutnative
- Massachusettsnative
- Virginianative
- Marylandnative
- Michigannative
- Wisconsinnative
- Ohionative
- Indiananative
- Illinoisnative
- Minnesotanative
- Missouri
- North Carolinanative
- Tennesseenative
- Georgianative
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshirenative
- Vermontnative
- Mainenative
- Rhode Islandnative
- Delawarenative
- West Virginianative
- Kentuckynative
- South Carolinanative
- Alabamanative
- Mississippi
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbianative
Highlighted states are within its native range according to the USDA PLANTS database, where it is native to 26 US states in total.
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Every list Creeping Wintergreen belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Creeping Wintergreen
- Is Creeping Wintergreen deer resistant?
- Creeping Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- What hardiness zones does Creeping Wintergreen grow in?
- Creeping Wintergreen is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 7. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Creeping Wintergreen grow in shade?
- Yes. Creeping Wintergreen tolerates full shade to part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Creeping Wintergreen get?
- Mature height is roughly 4–8 in. Growth rate is slow.