This ground covering evergreen offers year round beauty with minimal maintenance. Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) produces beautiful white and pink bell shaped flowers, which turn into red globular fruit. A shrub that is slow growing, and requires full sun to part shade. Grows very well in rocky, well drained, acidic and low-fertility conditions. Bearberry would do well planted alongside other plants that are strong spreaders. A good companion for this shrub is Sweet Fern, as they thrive in similar conditions.
The berries of this plant are typically enjoyed by bears, hence the name. Berries are suitable for human consumption (in moderation), but they lack flavour and can be quite mealy. This shrub is also an important food source for butterflies, serving as a host plant for a number of butterfly larvae. Bearberry is drought tolerant once established, and is ideal for stabilizing sandy or rocky slopes.
