Light Needs
Mature Height
Mature Spread
Growing Zones
An edible ground cover. That's Vaccinium macrocarpon ‘Pilgrim’. Dense mats of glossy green leaves, first covered in tiny pink blooms, later replaced with red berries that help to suppress weeds in even the wettest of garden spots. Cranberry is a true North American native that looks good and tastes good.
Pilgrim Cranberry attracts wildlife to the garden with its tasty nectar and juicy berries. Birds, butterflies and bees will all take turns enjoying this evergreen shrub. Cranberry is somewhat drought tolerant after it has been established for the first two years and would do well as ground cover at the dappled sunny edges of a woodland garden or as a spilling element in a mixed seasonal container.
Pilgrim Cranberry Care
Pilgrim Cranberry flower and fruit best in a sunny to part shade spot. The soil must be acidic. Preferably a pH of 4.0-4.5. Cranberries are tolerant of extra wet soils as long as they have their heads in the sun. A well drained soil that stays moist with a good mulch is the perfect home for these shrubs.
Maintenance is a non-issue with Pilgrim cranberry. Cranberries will freely bloom and fruit without any complicated pruning regime. The only pruning needed will be to keep the plants confined to where you want them to grow. Although this is a native plant, fertilizing it will help the shrubs to maintain vigorous fruiting. A wide range of hardiness zones makes Pilgrim Cranberry a useful edible plant for most gardens.
Pilgrim Cranberry Spacing
Pilgrim Cranberry has a compact height of 6-12 inches and a width of 18-24 inches. Spacing for use as a groundcover is recommended at 20 inches, center on center. Container grown Cranberries can be added to a mixed planting as the spiller element. Placing the shrub next to the edge will ensure that it has room to spread and drape. Cranberries are also good for planting on a slope for erosion control.
Pilgrim Cranberry Plant Facts
Growing Conditions
- Hardiness ZonesGrowing Zones
- USDA Zones 4 to 8 (perennial); grown as an annual elsewhere (outdoors year-round); grown indoors elsewhere (outdoors year-round); grown in containers elsewhere (grown as a seasonal crop)
- Sun Exposure
- Full Sun (6+ Hours Direct Sun)
- Mature Height
- 6-18 Inches
- Mature Spread
- 6-18 Inches
- Growth Habit
- , Spreading, Upright
- Water Needs
- Consistently Moist
Flowers & Foliage
- Flower Colors
- , Pink
- Flower Description
- Pink
- Bloom Time
- Late Spring to Early Summer
- Blooms On
-
Old Wood
?
"Blooms on" tells you which stems produce flowers, which decides when it's safe to prune.
- New Wood: Flowers form on stems that grow this season. Prune in late winter or early spring without losing blooms.
- Old Wood: Flower buds form on last year's stems. Prune right after flowering. Pruning in fall or early spring removes next year's blooms.
- Both New and Old Wood: Blooms on last year's stems and again on new growth, so it flowers even after a hard winter or a mistimed pruning. Prune lightly after the first flush of blooms.
- When to Prune
- Right after flowering
- Foliage Color
- , Green
- Foliage Description
- Dark Green
- Foliage Type
- , Evergreen
- Seasonal Interest
- , Spring Flowering
Garden Benefits
Plant Overview
- Common Name
- Pilgrim Cranberry
- Botanical Name
- VACCINIUM MACROCARPON 'PILGRIM'
- Plant Type
- Edible Plant
Simple Plant Spacing Calculator
Please Note: The pictures below are to give a general representation of the different container sizes. The actual size/ages of plants are estimates and will vary based on type of plant, time of year, last pruning & many other factors.
Also Known As:
Quart
Plant Age:
~ 6 months - 1 year
Plant Size:
~ 4"-8"
Pot Size:
~ 4.75"H x 4.5"W
Volume:
1.50 quarts
Also Known As:
2.5 Quart Pot
Plant Age:
~ 1 - 2 years old
Plant Size:
~ 8"-12"
Pot Size:
~ 6.5"H x 6.5"W
Volume:
2.20-2.30 quarts
Also Known As:
#1 Container
1 Gallon
Plant Age:
~ 1 - 2 years old
Plant Size:
~ 10"-14"
Pot Size:
~ 7"H x 7.75"W
Volume:
2.26-3.73 quarts
Also Known As:
#2 Container
2 Gallon
Plant Age:
~ 1.5 - 3 years old
Plant Size:
~ 12"-18"
Pot Size:
~ 9.5"H x 9.5"W
Volume:
1.19-1.76 gallons
Also Known As:
#3 Container
3 Gallon
Plant Age:
~ 2 - 4 years old
Plant Size:
~ 12"-30"
Pot Size:
~9.5"H x 11"W
Volume:
2.32-2.76 gallons
Also Known As:
#5 Container
5 Gallon
Plant Age:
~3-4 years old
Plant Size:
~ 20" - 60"
Pot Size:
~11" H x 10 1/2” W
Volume:
3.5 - 4 gallons
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