Arctostaphylos uva ursi - Bearberry 'Massachusetts'

Bearberry, Bear's grape, Hog Craneberry, Kinnikinnick, Sandberry 'Massachusetts'
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Massachusetts'

Charming, fine-textured, low growing evergreen shrubs, with leathery dark green foliage turning bronze in winter. Adorable tiny white to pink flowers in late spring to early summer transform into colorful red berries in fall, providing visual interest and helping to feed wildlife. These low maintenance and slow growing plants are long-lived when provided with full sun and very well draining soils. Once established, these sturdy plants are drought tolerant, erosion resistant, and tolerate dry heat well - wow!

They are in the Ericaceae family, and are related to blueberries and cranberries, which they resemble. Like other members of their family, they are well-adapted to acidic soils with low fertility. These plants, especially their waxy, leathery foliage, contain medicinal compounds and have a long history of human usage across numerous indigenous tribes across the northern hemisphere. 

'Massachusetts' was selected from wild plants found in Massachusetts, and features extra flowers and smaller foliage than usual.

Ideal for Butterfly Gardens, Cottage Gardens, Drought Tolerant Gardens, Edible Gardens, High Altitude Gardens, Pollinator Gardens, Rock Gardens, Wildlife Gardens, Winter Gardens, and more.

🐦Help Birds: Birds and other small wildlife value the berries. Hummingbirds will feed from the tiny flowers. Interestingly, their berries are sturdy enough to handle winter weather, and provide much needed food in late winter when other food sources are scarce.

🦋Help Butterflies: Bearberries are the host plant for Brown Elfin, Hoary Elfin, and Freija Fritellary butterflies.

🛡️Naturally Disease Resistant: 'Massachusetts' is resistant to leaf gall and leaf spot, especially when planted in a dry climate with well-draining soils.

US Native to colder areas up North, and also to the West all the way up into Canada. They are also found in Scotland, and other very northern regions.

Full sun.

12"T x 4'W.

Zones 3a-7b, cold hardy down to -40F.

💚Plant Nerd: Native Americans make extensive use of these plants. The astringent berries are edible and used as a flavoring agent or where otherwise valued as survival food; the foliage is used to make medicinal herbal teas, and also dried to use in part of a smoking mixture (Kinnikinnick is Algonquin for "smoking mixture"). As for the name, Arctostaphylos is Greek for "bear grapes", and uva ursi is Latin for "grape of the bear", but many different kinds of wildlife enjoy the berries, especially birds. 

Bearberries are found in many places across the cooler parts of the northern world. Their fossils - dating back to 2 million years ago - are found in northern Greenland. Pretty amazing!

We will text or email you when your plants are ready. Please plan to pick up within 10 days of notification. Unclaimed preorders cannot be guaranteed and are non-refundable. Can't make your pick up window? Let us know and we will do our best to help.