Robert Flogaus-Faust · CC BY 4.0
Salal
Shrub·Gaultheria shallon
Part shade
Sun
Medium
Water
Moist soil
Drainage
Zones 6–9
Hardiness
Salal (Gaultheria shallon) is a shrub. It grows best in part shade and has moderate water needs.
Through the year
GrowingFloweringFruiting
Works well with
from wiki dataNo companions recorded.
WHAT IT NEEDS
Tolerates part shade
Needs moderate water
Tolerates moist soil, as long as it drains well
Prefers soil pH 4.5–6.5
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Prefers loam, sandy loam, clay loam soil
Tolerates some soil compaction
Draws up calcium, magnesium, potassium from deep in the soil
Adds a lot of organic matter to the soil
Partners with mycorrhizal fungi to boost nutrient uptake
WHAT IT GIVES
Gives mulch biomass (medium)
Gives fruit (edible fruit)
Provides calcium
Provides magnesium
Provides potassium
Attracts pollinators
Attracts birds
Attracts mammals
Shelters wildlife
HOW IT GROWS
SIZE & SPACING
Shrub layer
Height50–200 cm
Spacing100 cm (min 75 cm)
Root depthShallow
Width100–200 cm
Width figures are rough estimates, the most variable measurement in our data.
AI estimate · accuracy improves as growers contribute corrections.
HOW TO PROPAGATE
Propagate by seeds, cuttings, division
Difficulty
Establishes in about 2 yr
Self-seeds readily on its own
Where this comes from
Parsed11 Sept 2026
ConfidenceNot recorded
Photograph Robert Flogaus-Faust · CC BY 4.0