Calluna vulgaris, the Common heather

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Its flowers crowd into upright ears, or panicles, above low evergreen foliage, and they keep coming from summer into autumn — over five months of colour. Common heather (Calluna vulgaris) covers ground well and suits rocks, edges, embankments and garden boxes alike; give it heath soil and sun, and it asks for almost nothing else.

Caring for it is easy and it is guaranteed to produce a great decorative impact!

Planting common heather

For Calluna heather, spring is the best time to plant so that it can already bloom end of summer.

If you have chosen winter heather (also called Erica heather), on the other hand, it is better to plant end of summer or during fall.

Water generously at the beginning and provide for maritime pine bark mulch.

• Unravel the roots that are at the base of the plant.
• Let the bunch sit in water for a few minutes.
• Add heath to your garden soil to guarantee proper plant development.
• The Erica variety tolerates clay and even chalky soil.
• Growth is relatively slow.
• Read more on how to plant heather plants.

Another possibility: potted common heather

Because it grows slowly, common heath is actually well suited to growing in pots.

You probably won’t notice it, but in time you’ll realize that this plant can stay for years in the same old 12 inch (30 cm)-deep pot.

• Be careful though to water regularly, since soil dries up much faster in pots, especially in summer.

Pruning and caring for heather

Common heath is such an easygoing plant that it requires almost no care.

• Light pruning after blooming is over, without removing old growth.
• Water in case of prolonged dry spells or heat waves.
• Add special heath fertilizer in spring.

• Water with rainwater whenever you can, since the lime in hard tap water locks up iron and turns heather foliage yellow.
• Top up the maritime pine bark mulch as it breaks down to keep the shallow roots cool and the soil moist, though the mulch will not meaningfully acidify the soil beneath it.

Heather planting and care at a glance

Heather asks for very little, but each job has its moment in the year. Here is what to do and when, depending on whether you grow summer-flowering Calluna or winter-flowering Erica.

Alternate the two types and the bed carries flowers all year round.

Which Calluna vulgaris to choose

Nearly all garden heathers on sale are named cultivars of Calluna vulgaris, and they differ far more in foliage colour and flower form than the plain species suggests. Use the table to pick a combination of flower colour, leaf colour and flowering time that keeps the bed interesting from midsummer well into autumn.

All there is to know about heath or heather

Common heather is a small shrub that comes in many varieties, each with its own blooming season.

• If you alternate Calluna vulgaris and Erica heather, you’ll have flowers all year round!
• Calluna or common heather plant flowers form ears (panicles is the botanical term) and bloom from summer to fall.
• Erica plant flowers spread into umbels and bloom from fall to winter.

This perennial usually covers surfaces well which can be interesting, and its bushy appearance and abundant flowers will certainly make for a beautiful addition to your garden.

Even though it flowers for over 5 months every year, common heath only needs little care and adapts equally well to rocks, edges and embankments – and your garden boxes, too.

Indeed, balconies and terraces are perfect locations for this plant because growing in pots is ideal and its low maintenance requirements make it easy to care for.

Common heath is the plant that is also called summer heather, or Calluna vulgaris, whereas winter heather is the plant that bears latin name Erica.