Bearberry vs Falsebox - TreeTime.ca

Bearberry vs Falsebox

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

Paxistima myrsinites

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

CUSTOM GROW

Bearberry
Falsebox

Bearberry is a dwarf shrub known for its creamy pink flowers and red edible fruits.

It is great as a filler in gardens and flowerbeds in place of invasive ground cover plants, like English Ivy.

Bearberry will attract hummingbirds, butterflies and bees to your property. It is one of the top 12 plants recommended by the Alberta Native Bee Council to support pollinators.

Falsebox is a hardy, native evergreen shrub found in forests, rocky slopes, and open woodland sites. Though small and easily overlooked among the leaves, the maroon flowers still supply nectar and pollen for pollinators such as native bees and flies. Blooming in spring, they provide an important early-season food source. Its year-round greenery adds visual interest through the winter.

Falsebox is a low-growing shrub that tolerates a wide range of conditions, including drought once established. It thrives particularly well beneath the shade of mature trees, where few other plants succeed. With its resilience and ecological value, Falsebox is well-suited for naturalization, restoration projects, and diverse landscape plantings.

Bearberry Quick Facts

Falsebox Quick Facts

Zone: 1b
Zone: 5a
Height: 0.1 m (0.3 ft)
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: any
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: slow
Growth rate: slow
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Growth form: prostrate to spreading
Spreading: layering - medium
Suckering: medium


Foliage: leathery, evergreen
Foliage: evergreen, leathery leaves
Bark: reddish-brown
Flowers: small, purple-white
Flowers: small, maroon-purple, fragrant
Bloom time: summer
Berries: small red berries
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Native to: AB, BC
Other Names: kinnikinnick, mealberry, sandberry
Other Names: false box, mountain boxwood, mountain lover, myrtle boxwood, oregon boxleaf, oregon boxwood