Habitat: part shade
Soil: with plenty of humus
Height: 50 cm
Flowering: early summer
Width: 60 cm
There are some medium-sized shrubs in this genus, but most are very low, spreading plants, with lots of small, creamy white flowers, almost invariably described as urn-shaped. The only urn I know is a metal cylinder, so that isn’t much help. The flowers are tubular, usually hanging downwards, constricted at the mouth and often then with a flared section. These are followed by showy fruits, white, blue, purple, perhaps black, which look good for a long time against the small, evergreen leaves. Note that plants in the genus Pernettya are now also considered to be Gaultheria.
Gaultheria mucronata SDR7051 looks really good twice a year, with its dark green, glossy foliage as the background for masses of small, white flowers, followed by rich pink berries.
9 cm pot £3.50
| Gaultheria procumbens is a low growing form with white flowers followed by red berries which last into the winter. | |
| Gaultheria SDR7006 is a small sub-shrubby, slowing spreading plant with neat, small leaves and typical near-white flowers, followed by creamy white fruit. |