The Heather Plant Is A Great Ornamental Bush Or Ground Cover, Due To Their Low Maintenance NeedsHeather plants are quite popular as either ornamental bushes or ground cover, due to their low maintenance, ability to thrive in marginal soil,and year-round displays of color. This article will give you a brief introduction to the planting, growing and care of heathers. CLIMATE The Heather plant is a plant native to western and northern Europe, thriving in hard cold weather and marginal, rocky soil, such as the famous heather fields of the Scottish Highlands. Unfortunately, it does poorly in the hot summers in much of the United States. Gardeners in the American South or Southwest will find heather gardens an uphill battle. Again, heather is famous for its ability to thrive in marginal European heaths, moorlands, and bogs, so it prefers an acidic soil.
If your soil is pH neutral (6.5 – 7.5), you'll need to raise the acidity with soil additions. Chemicals such as elemental sulfur or gypsum (calcium sulfate) work well. Apply them at a rate of two to three pounds per 100 square feet of soil for each pH unit you need to decrease to soil by. If you dislike artificial chemical additive, organic additive such as damp peat moss, composed bark, or simply a more acidic soil can be used as well. Another option for pH neutral soil is trying a different plant. The Irish Heath (erica erigena), for example, looks and behaves nearly identical to a heather, but is more tolerant of an alkaline soil. If you have a heavy clay soil (which has poor drainage), or the soil is alkaline (above pH 7.5), heather will not grow well, if at all. SUN As a general rule of thumb, this plant needs at least half a day of sunshine. More specifically, plant the heather in a location where it will get at least six hours of sunlight, and up to twelve if planted in a sunny-but-shady area.
SPACING When you plant heather, take into account how much space the mature plant will consume. On average, heather plants grow to be between 8 and 20 inches tall (20 to 50 centimeters) and two to three feet wide. If you want individual heathers at specific places in your garden, plant them at least three feet apart, and at least two feet away from other shrubs to encourage good air circulation. This approach will result in a better shape and easier pruning of the heather plants. On the other hand, if you want to use low-growing heather as ground cover, plant them about a foot part. The heather plants will then quickly grow together, carpeting the ground. To determine how many heather plants you will need, multiply the square foot of your planting area by 0.44. For example, a 10-x-10 foot planning area would require 44 plants, and a 5-x-5 area would require 22 plants. Finally, although you want to allow the heather plants room enough to breathe, avoid locations where the heathers will be subjected to harsh winter winds. As evergreens that live through the winter, this will cause them severe dehydration. PLANTING Heather should be planted in either the spring or early autumn. Plant them in open areas that get some airflow. Heather can be planted in any of the usual ways: by seed, division, layering, or from cuttings. If you take cuttings from existing heather plants, do so in the July or August when the wood is "half ripe". Till (loosen) the soil, then dig holes twice as wide as each plant's root ball to encourage the roots to rapidly grow and spread. If you use mulch, use an acidic one, like pine straw, peat moss, or leaf mold. If planting in the autumn, evergreen boughs make good winter mulch. Depending on the exact type of heather plant you choose it will flower between late July and November. FERTILIZER Be careful with fertilizers, and heathers are rather sensitive to them. Fertilize heathers once when you first plant them, using an acid-type fertilizer such as rhododendron. After that, fully-grown plants do not need to be fertilized, and do so may actually harm them. A yearly dose of fertilizer is actually worse than no fertilizer at all. WATERING After planting, water your plants so that the ground is moist but not soggy, twice a week for the first several months. After two to three years, heather plants are more or less drought-proof and can take care of themselves. After that, be careful not to over-water the plants. Heather grows in marginal soil, and if the ground is to wet the plant will either not grow, or die. Make sure your flowerbeds have adequate drainage, constructing raised beds if you have to. PRUNING Give your plants a yearly shearing to encourage bushiness. This is best done in the spring before the buds have set. Failing that, prune the heather plants in the autumn after the flowers have faded simply by cutting off the dead flowers. PEST CONTROL Heathers are very hardy plants. Once the plants have grown together to cover the soil, they create a thick carpet of vegetation that is virtually impenetrable to weeds. You really only need to worry about weeding heather beds in their first year of life. Heather plants are famously resistant to botanical diseases, insect infestation, and burrowing rodents like gophers and moles. The only danger is the phytophthora cinnamomi fungus, a common root disease in warm and wet climates. Luckily, it can be kept under control through the use of chemical fungicides ________________________________________________________________ Top Of Heather Plant Page This page listed under Landscape Plants |
