Wentworth Highbush Cranberry vs Small Cranberry - TreeTime.ca

Wentworth Highbush Cranberry vs Small Cranberry

Vaccinium oxycoccos

Viburnum trilobum Wentworth

CUSTOM GROW

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Small Cranberry
Wentworth Highbush Cranberry

Small Cranberry is a native evergreen groundcover found in bogs, fens, and wet meadows. It produces delicate pink flowers that attract a variety of pollinators, including bees, and it serves as both a nectar source and host plant for the Bog Fritillary (Boloria eunomia) butterfly. By late summer, the plant bears deep red berries that are eaten by both wildlife and people. With their high pectin content, the berries are well-suited for making jams and jellies.

Often creeping among sphagnum moss, Small Cranberry thrives in cold, acidic, and nutrient-poor soils (pH 2.9–4.7), making it well adapted to northern wetland environments. With its woody stems, it is technically classified as a shrub and often described as a subshrub or dwarf shrub. It is also valuable for wetland restoration and naturalisation projects.

Note: We use Small Cranberry for Vaccinium oxycoccos. This species is also known by many other common names, including Bog Cranberry, Small Bog Cranberry, and others. Please confirm the scientific name to ensure you are ordering the correct plant.

Wentworth Highbush Cranberry is an ample producer that will make you think of the perfect cranberry sauce when you see it. Its huge fruit is delectable in jellies and sauces. In the spring it bears clusters of white flowers, contrasted against green vegetation that turns a rich red in the fall. Magnificent in garden borders or mass planting, you’ll appreciate your cranberry on your table and in your yard.

Small Cranberry Quick Facts

Wentworth Highbush Cranberry Quick Facts

Zone: 1b
Zone: 2a
Height: 0.1 m (0.2 ft)
Height: 3 m (10 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Light: any
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: wet
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Growth form: creeping, ground cover
Spreading: rhizomes - medium, layering - medium
Suckering: none


Foliage: small, leathery, evergreen
Fall colour: brilliant red
Flowers: pink, nodding with reflexed petals
Bloom time: late spring to early summer
Berries: small red cranberries, edible
Berries: 12mm, edible red berries
Flavor: tart
Harvest: late summer to fall
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Other Names: marshberry, small bog cranberry, swamp cranberry
Other Names: wentworth redwing cranberry