"Charles Woolever" wrote in message
...
| Western New York State. We have a tree that has had a wild wintergreen
| plant growing at the base of it for at least 40+ years. The plant is
| only on one side of the tree and never spreads but otherwise appears
| healthy and pest/disease-free. I'd like to cultivate it else where and
| I'm partially worried about losing it outright although the area sees
| little foot traffic. Just had the soil tested. It is loam with a pH of
| 6.4. The whole area is a simple lawn at a cottage with leaf litter raked
| every fall. Nothing fancy.
|
| Good to know about the specific conditions and may explain why it is
| really behaving like a "niche" plant like you noted. The plant lives in
| a 1 foot square area and no where else!
|
| Thanks,
|
| Charles

Hortus 3rd says ( some snippage )

"Gaultheria L. ( snip) Ericacaceae

About 100 spp of evergreen, erect or prostrate shrubs, or rarely, small
trees, native chiefly to the Andes of S. Amer., but also to N Amer., and
from Asia to Australia.. ( snip description as you have already identified
this)

Moist sandy or peaty soils and partial shade are desirable. Propagated by
seeds, layers, suckers, division, and by cuttings of half-ripened wood"

So there ya have it, its basically an alpine plant, one of those buggers
who'll die to spite you for any TLC offered.

The thriving colony we have at our ( also) summer cottage seems to follow a
water course formed by run-off and overflow from the culvert just above it.
There is a line of white pines along the edge of the dirt lane, and I can
honestly say that there ARE surface roots which direct the water run-off.
We do mow the area as much as possible with the mower set to 3"( to avoid
root scalping and save cranberries for picking!). We never take the string
trimmer to that part of the yard for the same reasons.

Benign Neglect seems to work well.

You are very welcome to any help I've offered.
Sue
Western Maine


| In article ,
| "Sue" wrote:
|
| "Charles Woolever" wrote in message
| ...
| | I'm looking for tips on propagating wintergreen, the evergreen found
in
| | the Eastern U.S. I haven't found much on the web. It seems I can plant
| | the seeds from the berries or take cuttings from the soft wood.
| |
| | Thanks,
| |
| | Charles Woolever
|
|
| Where do you live Charles?????
|
| IME, where conditions are friendly for Wintergreen ( AKA CheckerBerry,
| Tea-Leaf) they spread in mat-like form all by themselves. Coastal
Maine
| ( Hancock county) they are often found in competition with Mountain
| Cranberry, in shallow, acid, forest soil over sharp shale and ledge (
| glacial leavings). The soil is poor, the drainage constant.
|
| 200 miles west in Oxford County, I can't grow either of them on my
| property. I have the acid, forest top layer, but the under-layment is
| sandy loam ( old river-bottom).
|
| I'm suggesting that propagation may not be your only problem-- if you
| don't have the right conditions, they just won't thrive. They are
"niche
| growers".
|
| My 2 cents, not to be a downer.
|
| Sue
| Western Maine