Bearberry

Sun

Full sun to light partial shade; flowers and fruits best in sun.

Water

Water regularly while establishing; once rooted, it tolerates dry spells. Avoid persistently damp soil.

Soil

Acidic, sandy or gravelly soil with excellent drainage; tolerates poor, stony ground but dislikes heavy clay and alkaline soil.

Height

0.5-1 ft (0.15-0.3 m)

Spread

3-6 ft (0.9-1.8 m), eventually wider where stems root

Flowers

Spring; small, urn-shaped white flowers flushed pink.

Foliage

Evergreen. Small, leathery, rounded to spoon-shaped green leaves, often turning bronze or reddish in winter.

Growth

Slow initially, then moderate once established.

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Cold hardy
• Wildlife
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   0.2 ft (0.06 m)

2. After 1 year

   0.4 ft (0.11 m)

3. After 2 years

   0.5 ft (0.16 m)

4. After 3 years

   0.7 ft (0.21 m)

5. After 5 years

   0.7 ft (0.22 m)

   full size

About 3 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Mildly toxic: may upset a stomach

Native to

the US, Canada and the UK

Growth rate

Slow

• Plant small container-grown plants; established plants resent root disturbance.
• Water through dry spells during the first growing season, letting the surface soil dry between waterings.
• Do not routinely feed; rich soil and heavy fertilising encourage unsuitable soft growth.
• Use a light gravel mulch and keep it clear of the main stems.
• Remove weeds by hand until the stems form a continuous mat.
• Keep foot traffic off the planting; it is not a walkable lawn substitute.

Pruning. After flowering, lightly shorten shoots that extend beyond the intended area and remove dead or damaged stems. Avoid hard cutting into old, leafless wood.

Early spring

Check for winter damage and remove dead stems once new growth makes them easy to identify.

Spring

Plant into free-draining soil and water thoroughly.

Late spring

After flowering, trim stray shoots only where necessary.

Summer

Water young plants during dry spells and hand-weed gaps in the mat.

Late summer

Take semi-ripe cuttings from healthy, non-flowering shoots.

Autumn

Remove fallen leaves that smother the mat and check that drainage remains clear.

• Cover sunny, sandy banks with a low evergreen mat that helps protect the soil once established.
• Let stems trail over low retaining walls or between large rocks.
• Combine with heathers and dwarf conifers in an acidic gravel garden.
• Use beneath widely spaced pines where there is enough light and little competition from dense roots.
• Plant beside paths for winter foliage and berries, keeping it outside the walking surface.

Garden styles it suits: Alpine rock garden, Dry gravel garden, Wildlife garden, Low-maintenance, Winter interest and Mountain lodge.

Plant it with: Heather, Creeping juniper, Dwarf mountain pine, Blue fescue and Lingonberry.

Wildlife: Flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees. Birds and mammals eat the berries, and the dense mat offers shelter for small animals.

• Root rot in wet or heavy soil: improve drainage or replant on a raised, sandy mound; do not keep watering a wilting plant if its soil is already wet.
• Leaf spots and shoot dieback: remove affected growth, clear trapped debris and avoid overhead watering.
• Pale leaves on alkaline soil: test the soil and move plants to a suitably acidic site rather than repeatedly applying fertiliser.
• Poor growth in hot, humid conditions: provide excellent drainage and some afternoon shade; choose another groundcover if summer decline recurs.

Not generally considered poisonous to cats, dogs or horses, although species-specific safety information is limited. The berries are not generally considered poisonous to people, but large amounts may upset the stomach. Leaves contain arbutin and should not be eaten or used as a home remedy; concentrated preparations or large doses can be harmful.

• Lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea)

  Usually forms more upright shoots; its leaf undersides have tiny dark glandular dots, unlike bearberry.

• Bearberry cotoneaster (Cotoneaster dammeri)

  Has open, five-petalled white flowers rather than urn-shaped flowers; leaves are generally more pointed and have more obvious veins.

• Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens)

  Has larger, finely toothed leaves, often clustered near shoot tips; crushed leaves have a distinct wintergreen scent.

Both the Greek-derived Arctostaphylos and the Latin uva-ursi mean 'bear grape', referring to bears eating the fruit.

Propagation. Layer a low stem into sandy soil and separate it after it has rooted well, or take semi-ripe cuttings in late summer. Seed requires dormancy-breaking treatment and can germinate slowly and unevenly.

Accepted botanical name

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

In the US and Canada

Native in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, the lower 48 states and St. Pierre and Miquelon.

Native range

Alaska, Albania, Alberta, Aleutian Is., Amur, Arizona, Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, British Columbia, Bulgaria and Buryatiya.

Measured

Soil pH 5.5 to 8. Average height 12 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.