Heather

Heather is a cute little perennial that is particularly well suited to acidic soils and it hence perfect for heath.

Summary of Heather facts

Name – Erica or Calluna
Family – Ericaceae
Type – heath plant

Height – ½ to 5 feet (15 to 150 cm)
Exposure – full sun, part sun
Soil – heath soil

Foliage – evergreen
Flowering – January to December depending on species

Planting heather

Read our tips on how to plant heather plants.

Pruning and caring for heather

Heather can grow without any pruning.
Nonetheless, as years go by, the plant may need to be pruned to a more harmonious silhouette.

  • If so, it is best to prune lightly in spring, without cutting old wood which can’t produce buds anymore.
  • Cut just below flower stems to give your heather a nice shape.

All there is to know about heath or heather

Erica heather flowers peeking out from a mantle of snow.Heather is generally very hardy and doesn’t require any care.
Just mind our planting tips and avoid chalky or limestone soil.

You can plant them along edges, in rocky beds, or create beds together with other heath plants like rhododendron, camellia or azalea.

Heather is famous for its covering properties.

Smart tip about heather

Adding special heath plant fertilizer spectacularly boosts flower-bearing.

Read also

Credits for images shared to Nature & Garden (all edits by Gaspard Lorthiois):
Colorful erica heather shared by nirolfix under © CC0 1.0
Snowy erica shared by MrGajowy3 under © CC0 1.0