Heather and Heath
Heather and heath are easy care evergreen plants that can give year-round garden color. They range in size from prostrate or spreading groundcovers to upright tree heaths. With careful planning, you can have one or more varieties in bloom almost every month of the year. Foliage colors include many shades of green, gray, yellow, orange, red, and bronze. Flower colors are white and shades of pink, red and purple.
Where To Plant
They grow best in full sun, but can tolerate partial shade. Plants in shade will not bloom as well and tend to get leggy. Most varieties do best in well drained slightly acid soil. (Soil can be improved with the addition of peat and proper fertilizer.) Use as a hedge, in a rock garden, heath/heather garden, as a border planting or as a companion plant with rhododendron, azaleas, and dwarf conifers.
How To Plant
Prepare a hole at least twice the size of the root ball. Partially fill the hole with compost or topsoil. Do not plant too deeply. Heath and heathers have shallow root systems. Scoring or lightly scratching the root ball in two or three places often helps plants become established more quickly and can prevent plant loss. Plant 12-30î apart (20-24î is a good average), depending on variety and landscape effect desired.
Care After Planting
Particularly with newly planted heath and heather - never allow them to dry out! This is one of the most common reasons for plant loss. Watering deeply at least once a week during hot weather is a good guideline, but is very important for all new plantings. Sometimes winter protection may be needed in the coldest months. If so, it is helpful to cover the plants with straw, pine boughs or branches from a discarded Christmas tree. Also, remove weeds carefully and be careful with weed killers. Keep mulch away from stem and crown of plants - do not smother!
Pruning
Pruning is not always necessary on a regular schedule, especially with low growing winter blooming varieties. Pruning keeps plants bushy, well shaped and improves flowering. Upright growing summer blooming varieties will become leggy and out of control if not pruned. Pruning should be done after flowering or very early in spring before new growth starts.
Fertilizing
Fertilization is almost always helpful. Light applications of rhododendron type fertilizer in early spring are recommended. Fertilizer should not be applied to the foliage and should be kept two inches from the stem of the plant.
Blooming Times
Heath varieties: Erica hybrida, erica carnea - January to April Erica vagans - July to September Erica tetralix - July to November Heather varieties : Calluna vulgaris - June to November