This short and sweet cutie patootie is a mat-forming, ultra-low-growing shrub (yes, a shrub!) found in woodlands all over eastern North America. Partridgeberry has so many admirable qualities, from its lustrous, evergreen foliage with white veining to its pairs of fragrant, fuzzy flowers to its large red berries, prized by wildlife and persistent through winter. This is not an aggressive groundcover to outcompete your pesky non-native pachysandra, but a compact and adorable addition to any woodland, rock, or pond garden.
Conditions: Part shade to full shade; rich, moist, well-drained soils; tolerates occasional drought
Size: 2” tall, 2' spread
Zone: 3 - 8
Wildlife Value: Pollinated by bumblebees; fruit eaten by all manner of critters including grouse, quail, wild turkey, red fox, eastern skunk, and eastern chipmunk
Photos: Samantha Nestory