Andromeda, Calluna, Daboecia, Ericaspp.
For a knotty plant that frustrate hungry deer , marauding rabbit , drove of aphids , and even most diseases , heather has a delicate stunner all its own .
While it comes from regions that sport some pretty inhospitable surroundings , heathers have learned to adapt to all variety of areas .
With flowers that range from white to neon pink , it can add color to the drab winter garden , or offer up nearly maintenance - liberal interest during the hottest summer month .
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I wo n’t lie , I first fall for ling because they ’re so low - maintenance , but once I discovered the mountain range of colour in both the foliage and the blossom , I was surcharge . Maybe you feel the same way ?
In this guide , we ’ll help you pluck the practiced specimen for your garden , whether you live in the desert or chilly New England , and show you how to make it look its best .
Here ’s what you may expect :
What You’ll Learn
Get ready to sit around and just revel your heather ! No hardcore maintenance required .
What Is Heather?
heather all total from the Ericaceae house and belong to to either theCalluna , Erica , orDaboeciagenus . Andromedaspecies ( bog rosemary ) are also included in this grouping .
The so - called “ genuine ” heather , or Scotch heather , isC. vulgaris . It ’s the only plant in the genus . It ’s also call summer heather or ling ko .
Ericaspecies are called winter heathers , but not all of them blossom in the winter . Daboeciaspecies all bloom in summertime .
They are all woody , evergreen perennial that last out fairly short at under 24 inch , and all have tiny musical scale - comparable leave of absence and small but profuse ashen , purple , red , pinkish , or mauve flower .
They ’re native to North America , temperate Asia , Africa , the United Kingdom , Ireland , northerly Europe , and parts of the Mediterranean .
They generally do well inUSDA Hardiness Zones5 to 8 , though some are o.k. all the direction down to Zone 2 . And heather can be exceptionally hardy and resilient – to a mistake .
In some areas of North America , like North Carolina , Massachusetts , and Rhode Island , Scotch heather mixture is count invading .
In other areas like California , Utah , and Nevada , you have to beg it to produce . It has domesticate in persona of Washington , Oregon , Michigan , Maine , Vermont , Massachusetts , New York , and West Virginia .
Do n’t fuddle these plant with Mexican or false ling , Cuphea hyssopifolia . They depend a little standardised but this is an completely different plant from those in the family Lythraceae , which includespomegranatesand crape myrtle .
On the other hand , if you ’re wonder what the heck the difference of opinion is between heathland and heather , the solvent is : not much . heath areEricaspecies that have acerate leaf - like leave-taking . Heathers tend to arise a turn taller , but not always .
Do n’t get mired in the language . Heathers and heaths are similar and have similar growing requirements .
Some of the most common species and hybrids ( and season when they bloom ) include :
We ’ve been breed ling for a long meter , so you ’ll undoubtedly find many other loanblend and a whole lot of cultivars . Speaking of , let ’s talk over the account of this classic works .
Why do n’t we discuss it over a cheeseburger , or some such … ?
Cultivation and History
You only have to picture heather ’s preferred aboriginal surroundings to understand what will keep it happy in your garden . While bouldery stain and piquant consideration wo n’t phase it , it needs acidic , moist soil that is well - enfeeble to really fly high .
It ’s also not afraid of cold weather . It can survive long exposure to temperatures down to 4 ° farad .
C. vulgarisgrows in Iceland and the Faroe Islands , and it has been found above 8,000 feet on muckle in Switzerland , so that should secern you all you need to do it .
Of incredible grandness among the masses of several different cultures , these industrial plant are far more versatile than many people agnize . There are century of native mintage in South Africa ( known as Cape heaths ) , a dozen in England , and North America has just two .
Heather was used to build hutch , roofing , and brooms in Scotland , and the Picts used it to make beer . The plant was also used in Iceland for similar purposes , as well as to make dyestuff .
As with many important plants , people began to cultivate it for both utility and stunner in its respective regions . From there , it begin to spread alfresco of its native range of a function . We do n’t have clear record book to indicate when this begin , but these species have been cultivated and conduct around the creation for centuries .
The first mention of import Scots heather in North America see back to the other 1800s .
Propagation
The easiest pick is to lead to the baby’s room and grab a plant or two , but Calluna vulgaris can be propagated in all sort of different ways .
If you see a plant you know in a neighbor ’s yard , ask them if you could take cuttings or do some layering . Otherwise , you may buy or harvest seeds for planting .
From Seed
If you do n’t mind whether the works grow dependable to the parent or not , you’re able to turn heather from seed . You ’ll be spin the wheel of chance in full term of what the result plant will look like , but that can be a effective thing .
You might cease up with some gorgeous specimen that no one has ever seen before . Or you might cease up with a perfectly adorable flora that would fit into a field of wild heathers .
You should n’t collect germ from hybrid plants because these are aseptic .
If you desire to attempt to create a plant with specific characteristics , you ’ll need to hand pollinate the plant by touching a small brush to the inside of the flower on one works and touching it to the inside of the blossom on another works .
Mark the offshoot of the pollinated flower and harvest the seeds from that branch to use in your experiments .
At all other times , the plants both require to be covered or isolated indoorsin a greenhouseso they wo n’t be pollinated by insects .
Collect the seeds after the efflorescence have wither – the seeds will mature a few weeks later . The capsule will palpate dry and descend easily from the plant when it ’s ready .
Sow the seeds in the early drop spaced an column inch apart on the control surface of a loamy , slightly acidic seeding metier in a seed tray . Lightly cover with a thin layer of seed medium .
If you ca n’t determine an ericaceous seeding premix , use a standard mix and work some peat moss in a proportion of about one part peat to four parts grime .
Spray the territory exhaustively with a spray feeding bottle so you do n’t raise up the seeds . Place in an area with burnished , collateral sunshine .
Keep the ground moist but not soggy at all clock time . you’re able to place a piece of credit card or glass over the top to aid hold back wet , but even still , tally several time a day to see if the medium needs to be irrigate .
You ’ll need to be extra patient because the seeds take two or three months to germinate . Once the seedlings emerge , it takes another few calendar week for the cotyledons to shape and straight leaf to emerge .
Once they do and the seedlings are about an inch tall , pinch the superlative to boost branching and shaggy-coated growth .
Do n’t get too excited , though , you ’re not quite there yet .
You still need to wait until fountain and after the last project frost particular date in your orbit to transplant the seedling . Alternately , you could wait until the decline to plant if you want to continue to nurture the seedling for a bit longer in a control environment .
From Cuttings
you could take cuttings and propagate your heather at any time of twelvemonth . The outgrowth takes about six months .
Cuttings can be a little thought-provoking to root , but this method acting is a surefire way to reproduce a plant that will have the same characteristics as the parent .
Timing and theme natural selection count on the mintage . C. vulgarisandDaboeciacuttings are best taken in the middle of summer after flowering is complete .
Ericacuttings are considerably take on in the summertime as theme are depart to bud . But do n’t use inflorescence branches – opt those that are n’t blooming yet .
To remove a cutting , gently and slowly pull a bow down to undress it off the chief base . The goal is to ensure that you remove a footling bit of “ heel ” along with the stem .
station the carving into a four - inch pile ( not a compostable one ) filled with half sand and half well - rotted compost . unshakable around the thinning and drench the intermediate well with water .
pose a pliant bag over the potful . you may tent the charge plate out from the carving by placing a chopstick or pencil in the pot . Place in a spot with burnished , collateral light with temperatures that do n’t vacillate too dramatically .
retard daily to ensure that the soil is moist but not soaking wet . The charge plate should also have some condensation on the inside . If not , add weewee .
Keep an eye on the soil and the cutting for any polarity of mold or mould . If you see any , spray the cutting with copper fungicide every two weeks until the fungus is no longer present .
Do n’t have copper fungicide in your gardening toolkit already ? snap up Monterey ’s Ready - To - expend limpid copper fungicideat Arbico Organicsin a 32 - troy ounce spray bottle .
Monterey Liquid Copper Fungicide
After about four or five month , you ’ll belike start to see new growth , or if you give the cutting a slight jerk , it will refuse . That means roots are forming . If after six months neither of these thing are encounter , the cutting failed to root and you should toss it .
Once your cuttings have several new farewell ( and assuming the weather is veracious , with no sight of hoar for at least a month ) , establish out in the garden as you would a graft .
Before you sic it in the ground , harden it off for about a hebdomad . This involves come out the clipping outside in a protect orbit for about an hour and then bringing it back in .
The next day , add an hour before convey it back on . bear on adding an hour each day until the cut is able to stay outside for a full eight hours .
From Seedlings or Transplanting
Heathers have long , deep roots , so you need to be deliberate as you get rid of them from their container and transplant them into their fresh home . You also ask to dig a sufficiently deep hole .
However grandiloquent the recollective stem is , dig up a jam at least three times as abstruse and doubly as wide . move out the plant from its container and hold it over the cakehole so the cap sit at the same peak it was in the container .
Fill the hole back in with loosened soil and place the seedling or graft in the hole . While you are still holding the plant , sate in around it with soil . piss well and add together extra soil if needed .
Layering
Layering is my favorite method of propagating heathers because it ’s so fabulously unproblematic and requires short endeavor .
lightly pull out down an outer outgrowth or multiple branches on different sides of the industrial plant . labor a deep where the subdivision will lay and weightlift the branch into the trench .
underwrite with soil and peg it in place using rocks or bent wire . Make certain the tip is out of the dirt and direct up .
Keep the flora watered as you normally would and just let nature take its trend . After at least nine calendar month , but probably more , roots will have form on the bury section .
hit the ground tackle and give the press clipping a little jerk . Does it feel firm ? Is there new ontogeny popping up out of the land ? metre to dig it up .
trot the offset out from the principal plant and moil it up , take concern to withdraw the full root structure by prod at least six inches deep and three inches on either side of the cutting .
Read more about heather extension here .
How to Grow
If you inhabit in an area that is evenhandedly nerveless and squiffy , such as the Pacific Northwest , you are in idealistic heather - growing territory .
If you desire to farm true scotch Calluna vulgaris ( Calluna vulgaris ) , with few exceptions , you want to live somewhere with a similar surround to its native part of Scotland and England .
The soil pH should be below 6.5 and stay reasonably moist but still be well - draining , though some species can handle neutral or even alkalic ground .
For most metal money and cultivars , full sun is best , though a little shade in the heat of the good afternoon in place that experience swelter summers is a welcome affair . Less than six hour of sun per day , and your works will be long-legged and they wo n’t bloom well .
If you do n’t course have acidic soil , you canbuild a raise bedor grow in container .
Do n’t stress to alter the pH of your soil – it ends up being a invariant battle and the plant life will never be as happy as they would otherwise .
Instead , pickE. carnea , E. erigena , E.xdarleyensis , E.xgriffithsii , D. cantabrica , orD.xscotica . These are all hunky-dory in neutral to alkaline soil with a pH of up to 8.0 .
Most mintage like systematically moist land , though the top half - inch of dirt can dry out without earnestly harming the works .
Once build , they can tolerate episodic drouth . If you live somewhere that tends to be dry , take one of the species name in the plane section below .
Heathers for Warm Regions
You probably jazz that heathers enjoy cooler weather . Anyone who has show a novel base in Scotland has heard about the heather flower across the rolled hills of the moorlands .
What you do n’t get wind about are the luscious domain of heather inflorescence in the rough California Sunday .
But word flash ! you could grow heather in ardent region . I had a lovely patch in my Utah garden and I ’ve seen slews of people succeed in California and Nevada . You need to foot the right place and you should choose a species that does n’t beware a small heat .
Tree heathers ( E. erigenaorE. mediterranea ) andEricaxdarleyensisand its cultivar such as ‘ Darley Dale , ’ ‘ Furzey , ’ ‘ George Rendall , ’ ‘ Silberschmelze , ’ and ‘ Arthur Johnson ’ do well even in the long , dry summers of westerly regions .
E. herbacea‘Springwood White,’C. vulgaris‘Sister Anne,’and‘Californian Midge,’as well asE. vagans‘Mrs D.F. Maxwell ’ are also felicitous in warmer , drier weather .
Give them full Dominicus and be sure to keep the grime moist . They may also benefit from some good afternoon shade .
Fertilizing
opine heather growing on a rocky , verbose hillside near the ocean and you could probably see why this plant is n’t demanding when it comes to fertilizer . You probably wo n’t ever take to fuss with fertilizer , particularly if you offer mulch .
Potted heathers will need eat . Use one forge for ericaceous plants .
Down to Earth makes an acid - be intimate plant mixture that will put to work perfectly . beak up a one- , five- , or 15 - punt supplyat Arbico Organics . use once in the spring for summer - blooming types or in pin for wintertime type .
Down to Earth Acid Mix
Alternately , fertilize with well - rotted compost mixed with adequate partspeat moss . unremarkably , I deter people from using peat since it is a limited resource , but with heather , the two go together like peanut butter and jelly .
Peat is acid and it helps to keep the ground squeamish and false , just like heather wants it to be .
Growing Tips
Pruning and Maintenance
Add mulch every year in the bounce for summer types and in the fall for winter types . Mulch with leafage mold , peat moss , or shredded wood such as pine .
Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree Calluna vulgaris should be thinly trimmed , removing about a quarter of the duration off of all of the stem , in the pin for the first two or three years . After that , do n’t dress them back at all except to remove dead or pathological wood and spent blossoms .
TrimC. vulgarisandDaboeciaflower heads off in February or March before new growth and blossom starts . At the same time , ignore the stem back by about a third .
Otherwise , they tend to become leggy and woody , and flowering is reduce . Do n’t rationalize into spare wood , because the prow wo n’t formulate any growth beyond that full point and you ’ll be left with an ugly bare stem .
Winter - bloomingEricaspecies require the same treatment later in the year , usually around March or April , when they ’re done blooming and seeding .
Do n’t wait too late in the year because you ’ll be cutting into the tissue paper that will bring forth next year ’s efflorescence . Summer - blooming types should be pruned in the same way in the fall after florescence .
E.xwatsonii , E.xwilliamsii , E.xdarleyensis , andE.xoldenburgensiscan all be pruned back by one-half or more because they blossom on unexampled Grant Wood and do good when sternly pruned back to maintain a good bod .
If the foliage begin to bend scandalmongering , test the pH of your soil . alkalic filth will make the foliage turn yellow .
In regions that feel fluctuations between warm Clarence Day and extreme cold during some years , like New England and parts of the northerly midwest , the wood may become discredited and split . If this happens , dress the industrial plant back to the ground to encourage new growing to come forth .
Species and Cultivars to Select
There are some beautiful broom out there , and Modern cultivar and cross are popping up all the prison term .
You ’ll normally find the ones that are intimately accommodate to your area by lead to a local nursery .
large chains and home storage tend to carry the types that do well in most neighborhood , but if you want to witness those that will really thrive in your particular environment , it ’s worth seek them out from local memory board or online .
Also , a quick Federal Reserve note on those shockingly vibrant heathers you might see in some nurseries or garden centers : These so - called “ painted ” heathers are covered in dyestuff and they will eventually grow out into their instinctive color . If you like the bright coloration , plan on it only bewilder around for a year or two at most .
Below are a few cultivars that we love . They all have stand - out semblance and are known to be particularly hardy and showy . As the iconic Heather Chandler once said , “ I shop , therefore I am , ” so rent ’s start shopping .
Albert’s Gold
E. arboreavar.alpina‘Albert ’s Gold ’ is a tree heather with golden - green foliage that much glows in the garden .
Of course , the white-hot flowers are beautiful , but the leaf is so pretty that it alone is enough to advocate it . This variety flower from February to March in most areas .
Dark Beauty
Royal Horticultural Society ’s ( RHS ) Award of Garden Merit winnerC. vulgaris‘Dark Beauty ’ is a standout because of its bluff , ruby - ruby-red flower that emerge in July and cohere around through October .
A sportswoman from another exceptional cultivar called ‘ dark , ’ it has rich green foliage and stays passing compact .
Darley Dale
Ericaxdarleyensis‘Darley Dale ’ is one of those Scots heather that does n’t squinch if you keep it in a gay , dry , strong orbit .
It ’s also cover in pink and violet prime from December through April , which think of color galore all wintertime long .
Firefly
‘ Firefly ’ is aCallunacultivar that offers year - round colour , which is part of the reason that it nail the Award Garden of Merit from the RHS .
The reddened - browned foliage stands out in a garden of green during the saltation and summertime before turning bright brick red in the declension and wintertime . Meanwhile , from August to October , tall spikes of purple flowers crown the plant .
Kerstin
The lovely ‘ Kerstin , ’ aC. vulgariscultivar , is all prune up in vivid mauve flowers during the summer . The foliage is grey and the new shoots , which come forth in the winter , are pallid yellow .
As a result , you could enjoy year - round of drinks color when you welcome her to your garden . This is another RHS Award of Garden Merit winner .
Silver Queen
C. vulgaris‘Silver Queen ’ is an RHS Award of Garden Merit winner too , and it ’s easy to see why .
The silvery leaf is topped by lavender - mauve flowers during the summertime , and the leafage wo n’t fade or deform green during the winter as it does with some cultivars .
It has a compact growth substance abuse that is as wide as it is tall , which make it various in the garden . Because of all these combined characteristic , it has earned a reputation as one of the best silver leaf type .
Springwood White
E. carnea‘Springwood White ’ is another cultivar that can handle juiceless , warmer areas without suffering . It has a trailing growth habit and scads of silvern - white , urn - shaped flowers that bloom nonstop from December through May .
Perfect for hanging basketball hoop or winter container color , this is yet another RHS award winner in the Garden of Merit class from 1930 , and it has remained a dependable and beloved plant ever since .
There is also a ‘ Springwood Pink ’ adaptation that was cultivated from a seedling of this works . It ’s similar in all ways except it sports bright pink flower .
Vivellii
If you opt anEricaspecies and require class - cycle color involvement , E. carnea‘Vivellii ’ is a fresh choice .
Not only does it bloom from January through March with bright pink and majestic bloom , but the foliage turn a cryptic bronze at the same sentence . For the rest of the year , the leaves are intermediate greenish .
Wickwar Flame
RHS Award of Garden of Merit winner ‘ Wickwar Flame ’ is an extraordinaryCallunacultivar that give you vivacious four - time of year colour .
The foliage is golden yellow and red during the summer before transition to bright copper - red in the fall and winter . While the mauve summertime flowers are lovely , they ’re really secondary to the prominent leafage .
Managing Pests and Disease
If you constitute your heather in the proper spot and bring home the bacon it with a minimal amount of maintenance , probability are pretty near that you wo n’t ever have to deal with pests or diseases .
That said , no flora is resistant to problem . So , what ’s your hurt , Heathers ? have ’s figure it out .
Insects
I do n’t know about you , but when I occur across a type of plant that is n’t pestered by aphids , I want to satiate my integral yard with them . Can you relate ? If so , heather is about to become your unexampled right friend .
However , that does n’t entail you ’re totally out of the woods when it comes to pest problems . Here are a few you might break up against :
Oystershell musical scale ( Lepidosaphes ulmi ) is an armored scale insect that feed on hardwood plants . If you hunker down and front at them very intimately , their shield resemble an oyster shell , hence the name .
The eggs crosshatch in late give and that ’s when you start seeing their numbers really increase . Once that happens , they can quickly draw the life out of your plant , one stem at a time .
Insecticides do n’t really work , since these pests have a protective extinct shell , but they ’re well-fixed to remove .
Just head outside with a plate and a gum elastic scraper and scoop the insects off the wood . Keep at this for a few day and you should have things under ascendance in no time .
Learn to deal ordered series in our guide .
Spider mite are tiny little arachnids in the Tetranychidae folk . In little numbers , they do n’t amaze much of a job , but when the number build up , they can cause the shoots and branches to die off .
Look for fine webbing all over the plants rather than looking for the louse themselves . They ’re tiny .
To learn how to treat them , read our comprehensive scout .
Disease
In general , you do n’t have to accent about diseases taking out your adorable Scots heather . There are two that you really need to keep an middle out for , and both can be treat fairly easy if you catch them early .
If you garden for long enough , you will encounter powdery mildew . It ’s extremely vulgar , especially in warm , dry climates with high humidness .
Rather than looking for the powdery white coating that is evident on many other species , this disease picture up in heather on the young leaf tip .
ab initio , the tips come forth red before transition to yellow and then brownish . After that , they die and fall off the works .
Despite expect dissimilar , you should cover it as you would powdery mildew on any other plant . Our guidebook has lots more information .
There are three types of pathogens that can cause the root of your plant to molder .
The first is induce by the fungusArmillaria melleaand the 2d is because of oomycete metal money in thePythiumgenus . The third isPhytophthora cinnamomi , another water modeling , or oomycete .
The symptom are the same , causing wilting and scrawny growing . Underground , the stems release black and mushy . Once they die off , the top part of the industrial plant will collapse . Armillariaisn’t common , whilePythiumis .
Being heedful about how you irrigate can go a long way to preventing this disease since it is diffuse by water . Do n’t overwater your plants and water supply at the grime stratum rather than on the foliage .
Once this disease taint your industrial plant , your good chance at saving it is to treat the soil with a fungicide that contains the good bacterialStreptomycesstrain K61 .
Mix with water consort to the maker ’s directions and soak the land . You will need to reapply the fungicide multiple times before you may be sure the disease is gone .
Mycostop Biofungicide
Arbico Organics carriesfive- or 25 - gm packets of Mycostop , which contains this admiration bacterium .
E. persolutais resistant to root guff , if you ’d rather just not worry about this trouble in the first place .
Best Uses
heather excel in rock gardens , as container plant life , or in tough spots that do n’t have the loamy soil that most species seem to bed . They ’re an excellent alternative in areas where cervid or cony are a trouble .
Grow winter - bungle with other plants that offercold - time of year gloss like false hellebore . Rhododendrons , azalea , and other spring- or summer - blossom plants in the Ericaceae family all go well with summer bungle .
While a single heather can be lovely , a grouping of three or five can make a assertion . Most of the fourth dimension , heather look considerably when allow to grow informally with a natural shape . They do n’t do well if you ’re seek to give them a formal configuration .
Do n’t institute under trees or in areas that are extremely dry or particularly soggy .
Quick Reference Growing Guide
Foster Healthy Heathers No Matter Where You Live
There are heather for a hatful more areas than many multitude realize , so do n’t sense like just because you are lift plants in sunny California or frigid Maine that you have to forgo the delight of their company .
They ’re much more adaptable than we give them credit for .
Beyond that , they ’re so deer , pest , and disease - resistant that you do n’t have to occupy about cocker them just to keep them alive .
beloved heathers for their ability to work you color during the dreary wintertime months ? Here are a few otherflowering flora that might pique your sake :
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About
Kristine Lofgren
