Variegated Wintergreen Teaberry ‘Winter Splash’
Teaberry Plants are a small groundcover shrub native to eastern North America. ‘Winter Splash’ is the only available variegated Gaultheria procumbens variety.
Gaultheria procumbens have been found as far north as Newfoundland in Canada and as far south as the state of Alabama in the US. It’s a favorite plant for holiday decoration because it keeps its light red berries and its green leaves all throughout the winter. Sometimes the leaves on ‘Winter Splash’ change from greens and whites to pinks and plums in the winter. Its berries, the teaberry, is an edible berry, but we don’t recommend eating it in large quantities because of the the wintergreen oil it produces. The flavor of the teaberries and the scent of the wintergreen oil is very similar to peppermint or spearmint, even though it is not a part of the mint family.
The cultivar ‘Winter Splash’ features stunning variegated leaves, creating a dynamic splash of color to shaded ground in your garden. The leaves have colors ranging from dark green to cream white, with flecks of light green throughout. Also, the leaves turn pink in winter, rather than the traditional burgundy of other Gaulthera procumben varieties.
In the spring, teaberry plants produce tiny, white, bell-shaped flowers, which make way for the edible minty berries in late summer. They spread more often through duplication via the rhizomes in their root system, rather than through seed dispersal.
Wintergreen teaberries are a favorite of deer, chipmunks, squirrels, and other woodland creatures native to North America. If you plan to plant them as a low garden border, we recommend taking precautions to prevent deer from trampling into your garden to get to them.
Gaultheria procumbens goes by many, many names – Eastern teaberry, Wintergreen, boxberry, Canada tea, hillberry, grouseberry, deerberry, groundberry, gingerberry, creeping wintergreen, star berry…
