If you purchase an item through links on this page, we may earn a commission. Our editorial content is not influenced by commissions. Read full disclosure.
Are you looking for a landscape plant that isn’t a big showcasing effect, but rather a subtle statement in your garden? Or maybe you want to grow a plant that thrives in a garden with acidic soil or glows through the winter? Well, look no further than heather.
Heather is perfect for landscape or container gardening. It’s easy to grow and requires little food and attention, so what’s not to love?
If you’ve ever thought about growing heather, or are considering it right now, let’s start learning more about this wonderful plant.
Contents
What is Heather?
Heater (Callunum vulgarislisten)) is also known as Scotch heather or Scotch heather. It is an evergreen shrub of the Ericaceae family. You will also find Erica, Daboeciaand Andromeda species of the heather group.
Native to the moors and bogs of cold places like Scotland, Canada and Scandinavia, heather adds color to what is often a dreary landscape. The green leaves are small, and the flowers are traditionally white, purple, or mauve (although other cultivars still come out with brighter colors).
Depending on the height of the heather, some are planted as a ground cover or rock garden, while other heathers are tall enough to form borders.
Best grown in USDA growing zones 5 through 8, depending on species and cultivar. Some even grow up to zone 2.
Best Heather Cultivars
More and more cultivars are being released these days as heaths grow in popularity, so be sure to research all of your options in your area.
Albert’s Gold
If you’re looking to make a bold statement with Heather, E. tree var. alpine ‘Albert’s Gold’ is a good choice. It is a tree-like heather with yellow foliage that seems to glow from within. It has white flowers that appear in winter.
Gold of Arran
Callunum vulgaris ‘Arran Gold’ is a cultivar often grown for its light green to golden foliage. It will bloom from late summer to early fall.
Bonita
The foliage of Callunum vulgaris ‘Bonita’ is green in summer and orange in fall and winter. It grows to about 13 inches tall and the flowers are pink or red.
County Wicklow
Callunum vulgaris ‘County Wicklow’ grows to about 12 inches tall. The lush green foliage is overrun with numerous large pink flowers from mid-summer to late fall.
Darley Dale
Erica X darleyensis ‘Darley Dale’ has bright pink flowers on a compact shrub that does not mind heat and full sun. It blooms during the winter.
Firefly
It is a colored heather. The foliage of Callunum vulgaris ‘Firefly’ starts out light brown in summer and turns red in fall and winter. The flowers start in green/yellow and end in light purple.
Robert Chapman
With yellowish foliage in summer to light red in winter, C. vulgaris ‘Robert Chapman’ grows up to 18 inches tall. The flowers form clusters about 10 inches long and are pink or mauve.
white spring wood
If you live in a hot place, E. meat ‘Springwood White’ is a smart choice. It can handle the heat and the sun and still produces beautiful white flowers.
flame of wickwar
Mauve flowers bloom in summer on beautiful Callunum vulgaris ‘Wickwar Flame.’ Foliage is red and orange in winter and orange and yellow in summer and early fall.
There are other cultivars that may be available in your area, so be sure to look around. You can even find cultivars that will happily grow up to USDA growing zone 8.
Spread of heather
Most people choose to grow heather by buying a seedling and planting their heather that way. If you go this route, plant outdoors in the spring as soon as you can till the soil. Dig a hole slightly larger than the pot and set the plant in place.
Although heather sometimes sets seeds, the resulting plant will not be true to the parent plant, or it may be sterile. Your heather propagation should come from cuttings. If you still want to try seeds (like me), see the method below.
Cuttings
Timing is important for this process. Take your cuttings at the end of summer. Keep them indoors as they root and grow stronger through fall and winter. Plant outdoors in the spring.
- Take a cutting at least six inches in length. Choose a healthy one that is not too oaky. Cut it under a node and make sure there are at least two leaves on the top half of the cut stem.
- Cut the bottom of the stem at an angle and dip in rooting hormone. Often you don’t need rooting hormone with many plants, but with heather it gives her a boost that she seems to appreciate.
- In a pot at least six inches deep, place about an inch of compost. Fill the rest of the pot with vermiculite or a soilless mix.
- Create a deep hole with a pencil and plant the heather cutting. Tamp down and water well with a spray bottle. Place it in a location where it will receive indirect sunlight.
- Take a plastic bag and place it over the pot without touching the cutting. This creates a small greenhouse. Once a day, remove the bag for an hour or two just to make sure the cup is getting decent airflow.
- Once the cutting has sprouted new leaves or buds, remove the bag for good.
- Keep the soil moist until spring and plant it in the garden after it hardens.
Seeds
Heather is often a germ induced by fire. This means it germinates after a forest fire has burned the area. You can actually try recreating this to plant seeds (but don’t light a fire where your heather is).
- Heat your oven to 250ºF. Place your seeds on a heatproof tray in a single layer so they don’t touch each other.
- Put in the oven for 30 seconds. You just want the heat to briefly circulate around them, not cook them.
- Use a soilless mix and fill a pot. Place three seeds in the pot and cover with a light sprinkle of more soilless mix.
- Water with a spray bottle and place in indirect sunlight. You can place a plastic bag over the container, but just make sure no mold is growing on the soilless mix.
- See what germinates. You never know what you’ll get with heather seeds.
How to take care of Heather
Provide heather with at least six hours of sunlight per day. Try to plant where those six hours are not in the hottest part of the day.
Heather has one main rule if you want her to thrive. You should grow heather in well-drained soil. It thrives in the wild in rocky soil, where it is exposed to salt spray and boggy soil conditions, but consistently wet roots are a death sentence.
Soil pH should be around 4.0 to 5.5. You do not need to add fertilizer. Heather is a plant that takes care of itself. This is why it grows so well in the bogs of Europe.
That said, if the heather is struggling, you can add some fertilizer to add nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium as acidic soil is often deficient in these nutrients. However, don’t fertilize until you’ve tested your soil to make sure a deficiency is the problem.
Heather likes soil that doesn’t contain many nutrients, so lack of fertilizer is rarely a problem. Also, do not add lime to alter the soil. Heather likes acidity.
Water well the first year. You want the soil to stay moist at first, so add water if the soil starts to dry out. After the first year, heather should heal to water level, unless you live in a very dry area.
If you do, look for some of the cultivars that can handle hotter, drier conditions, and be sure to irrigate regularly.
Larger, older briar can get a bit long, so prune it to shape it and keep its compact shape. You can also prune in the spring if you want to encourage faster growth.
Planting heather in containers
Heathers grow extremely well in a container, as long as you provide them with the right conditions.
Use a container that drains well and be sure to keep the soil moist. Containers tend to dry out faster. Smaller or dwarf varieties work best in containers. Smaller heather varieties that are perfect for containers include:
- Red December
- Anne Sparks
- dark beauty
- ice princess
Companion Planting for Growing Heather
The best companion plants for growing heather are those that also like acidic soils, such as:
Problems and Solutions for Growing Heather
Being a hardy plant, heather doesn’t suffer too many problems, but there are a few things to look out for.
Falling foliage
If your heather plant has droopy leaves and looks limp, it’s probably not getting enough sun or water. If you have it in a container, move it to a sunnier location. Remember, at least six hours a day is perfect for heather.
If your heather is planted in the garden, consider moving it or removing any obstacles blocking the sun. Check the soil’s moisture to make sure it receives water regularly.
Stems turn brown
Heather is a good communicator. Browning of the stem is a sign that there is a problem with the roots. This problem is usually too much water and insufficient drainage. This is often a problem for heather in containers.
Adjust the amount of water you give the heather and make sure the container drains well. If not, consider repotting in well-drained soil.
Leggy rods
This is a sign that you are taking care of your heather a little too much. Heathers like not too fertile soil. If you fertilize too much, you add too much nitrogen.
Heather sends out its roots in search of nutrients in poor soil. This makes the plant sturdy and compact. If you feed it too much, the roots stay small and this produces excessive foliage, resulting in long stems.
Distorted foliage
If the leaves turn yellow, combined with mottling or other forms of distortion, you may have spider mites.
To learn all about spider mites on your plants, read our in-depth article.
Powdery mildew
Heather leaves are small, so powdery mildew looks like small white spots. To help identify, treat and avoid powdery mildew, read our article.
Top 3 tips for growing heather
- Plant in acidic soil and do not add fertilizer unless absolutely necessary.
- Provide six hours of sun per day.
- Do not overwater the heather. One inch a week is sufficient.
Was this article helpful?
Yes No ×
We appreciate your helpful feedback!
Your response will be used to improve our content. The more feedback you give us, the better our pages will be.
Facebook pinterest