Red Candy Lingonberry
Click here for Lingonberry Care Guide
Vaccinium vitis-idaea – ‘Red Candy’ Lingonberry
Red Candy is a low-growing, dwarf evergreen shrub prized for its ornamental beauty and edible bright red berries. Plants form a dense, bushy groundcover of small, glossy dark green leaves and produce attractive sprays of pinkish-white, bell-shaped flowers from late spring into early summer.
Following bloom, plants set clusters of bright red berries that are edible, mildly tart, and pleasantly flavored. Fruit ripens through late summer and can persist into late fall, offering an extended ornamental and harvest window.
This variety is well suited for use as a groundcover, edging plant, or in mass plantings where it can form a dense carpet 8–12 inches tall. It also performs well in containers or rock gardens. In warmer climates, plants benefit from afternoon shade to reduce heat stress.
Lingonberries prefer acidic, high-organic-matter soils and consistent moisture, but require good drainage to prevent root issues. Once established, they are cold hardy and long-lived, slowly spreading to form attractive colonies.
Spacing: 12–18 inches (spreads into groundcover)
USDA Zones: 2–8
Pollination: Self-Fertile (better yields with multiple plants)
Plant Characteristics
- Pest Resistance: Excellent
- Disease Resistance: Excellent
- Drought Tolerance: Poor
- Heat Tolerance: Fair
- Humidity Tolerance: Fair
- Sun Tolerance: Fair
- Wet Soil Tolerance: Poor
- Shade Tolerance: Good
- No-Spray Potential: Very Good
- Salt Tolerance: Poor
- Fresh for Kids: Fair
- Deer Resistance: Good
- Thorns: No
- Plant Type: Evergreen Groundcover Shrub
- Soil Type: Acidic, High Organic Matter, Well-Drained
- Edible Type: Berry
- Self Fertile: Yes
This information is accurate to the best of our knowledge. Comments and observations are always welcome.