We love partridgeberry (Mitchella repens) for its evergreen foliage, white spring flowers and bright red winter berries. This native groundcover can be found in the woodlands of much of eastern North America, making it a good choice for shade gardens.
Common name: Partridgeberry
Botanical name: Mitchella repens
Flowers: Small, four-petaled, fragrant white flowers with a tubular shape are held in pairs above the foliage in spring. The plant may rebloom lightly in fall.
Fruit: Scarlet-red berries ripen in late summer and persist into winter or until consumed by birds and small mammals.
Related: "Native Berries to Plant for Birds"
Foliage: Broadly oval, each leaf reaches about a half an inch long. Their color is a rich green through most of the year. New growth in spring is brighter green. Partridgeberry is an evergreen plant.
Habit: Partridgeberry is a creeping evergreen perennial that reaches just two inches tall. Its trailing stems root to the ground where they touch the soil.
Season: Year-round for foliage; spring for flowers; late summer and fall into winter for berries.
Origin: Mitchella repens comes from the woodlands, stream banks and slopes of roughly the eastern half of North America, from Nova Scotia and Minnesota south to eastern Texas and north Florida.
How to grow partridgeberry: Plant it in full or part shade and well-drained soil. This woodland perennial prefers rich soil high in organic matter and even moisture, although it can take some drought once established. If partridgeberry is sited in part shade, it will need more frequent watering than if it's in full shade. Partridgeberry does not like to be disturbed or transplanted after it is established in the garden. USDA Zones 4–8.
Image credits: Berries by Ayotte, Gilles/CC BY-SA 4.0; Flower by Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz/CC BY-SA 4.0
