The characteristic differences of the plant, how to grow heather in the open field, possible methods of reproduction, difficulties in leaving, note the gardener, varieties.
Heather (Calluna) belongs to the monotypic genus of flowering representatives of the flora belonging to the Heather or Ericaceae family. Only Common Heather (Calluna vulgaris) is considered a natural species, but the number of its varieties, according to recent estimates, reaches half a thousand. Heather is considered to be the native land of growth in the regions of southeast Asia, but today the area occupies vast territories. It can also be found on European lands and in the coastal areas of the Atlantic Ocean of the North American part of the continent, where a temperate climate prevails. This also includes Greenland, the North African regions and the islands of the Azores archipelago. On the territory of Russia, heather is not uncommon in the West and East of Siberia, as well as the European part of the state.
Calluna prefers to grow mainly in swampy areas on peat bogs, burnt-out areas and in pine forests. In combination with some of the species that are part of the Erica genus, it can form large thickets, called heather wastelands or heaths. The first name of such areas is due to the fact that if heather grows in some area, then no more plants grow there.
| Family name | Heather |
| Life cycle | Perennial |
| Growth type | Evergreen shrub |
| Reproduction | By seed or by rooting cuttings, cuttings or dividing the bush |
| Open ground planting period | Late April or early May, September-October |
| Disembarkation scheme | Depends on the variety |
| Substrate | Sour, peaty or sandy |
| Illumination | Preferably open, sunny place, will tolerate partial shade |
| Required humidity | Moderate, moisture stagnation undesirable, drainage layer needed |
| Special Requirements | Unpretentious |
| Height | 0.3–0.7 m |
| Flower color | Mauve, white, crimson |
| Inflorescence shape | Carpiform or umbellate, pronounced one-sidedness |
| Flowering period | Second half of summer |
| Decorative period | Spring-summer |
| Where is used | Borders, rock gardens, rockeries |
| USDA zone | 4–7 |
The plant owes its name to the Greek word "kalunei", which means "to cleanse." And if we talk about the name in Russian, then its origins go to the Old Slavic "varisnets", meaning "frost", since the color of the foliage often had a whitish tint, as if the leaves were covered with frost. In Polish, you can find the name - Veresen, Veresen or wrzesien.
Heather is a shrub that can vary in height within the range of 30–70 cm. It has evergreen foliage covering rather branched stems. The outlines of small leaves are triangular, they are somewhat reminiscent of rolled tubes, but they have no petioles. The color of the leaf plates can take on a bluish-white or, in extreme cases, a golden-orange tone. It is the last shade and even burgundy colors that are inherent in the heather foliage after the first frost period.
During flowering, an inflorescence is formed, which has a racemose or umbrella shape. Moreover, its outlines are one-sided. In the inflorescence, from 5 to 30 buds can be connected. By their appearance, heather flowers resemble small bells. Flowers have a hue ranging from snow-white to dark purple. The length of the calyx exceeds the corolla, their color is lilac-pink. A fragrant aroma is heard during flowering. Flowering begins at the heather in the second half of summer.
Due to the large amount of nectar, heather thickets are considered an excellent honey plant and the resulting honey is the most useful of these products. Heather propagates by means of seeds.
Since the plant is unpretentious, they like to decorate alpine slides with them, planted along garden paths. Also, heather thickets carry out the formation of curbs. Nearby, for greater efficiency, it is recommended to plant dwarf conifers.
How to grow a heather plant outdoors - planting and care
- Accommodation for landing heather is picked in a sunny and, if possible, open place. As a last resort, partial shade will do. It is important to organize protection against draft and wind.
- The soil. When caring for heather, it is important not to be mistaken with the soil. Calcareous is categorically not suitable, you need a wet and peat substrate or dry sandstones. Its acidity is maintained at a pH of 4, 5–5, 5. If you compose the substrate yourself, it is recommended to mix coniferous substrate (organic matter from tree bark), coarse sand, peat, in proportion 2: 1: 3. Apical red peat is mixed for acidification.
- Planting heather. The best period for planting is the end of April or the first days of May. Also, the operation can be postponed to the beginning-mid-autumn period. Planting of seedlings is carried out in accordance with the variety. 6-10 bushes are planted per 1 m2, the depth of the hole is 25-35 cm. The bush is located so that the place where the stem passes into the root is flush with the ground. If the soil is clay, put a drainage about 5–10 cm in the hole. Bone meal (30–50 grams) and nitrophosphate (20–30 grams) are also poured there. Each bush is watered with 4–5 liters of water. The soil is mulched after watering or rain. Subsequent transplants are not recommended.
- Watering. Since the roots are not elongated, regular moisture will be needed when caring for heather. If there is no precipitation, the water is acidified. The soil should always be slightly damp. To retain moisture, the surface of the earth next to the bush is mulched. Watering is carried out once every 14 days, and more often in extreme heat. After watering, the substrate is loosened. In long dry weather, evening spraying of the heather bush is recommended.
- Fertilizers needed annually to maintain heather. Top dressing when caring for heather is carried out in April. Take a complete mineral complex (such as Kemira Universal). If the preparation is dry, it is sprinkled on the ground and watered. It is important that the product does not get on the leaves and flowers.
- Pruning. In the spring, you need to shorten the shoots in order to form the crown in order to stimulate the growth of young branches. Intensive pruning is performed for plants 3 years after planting in open ground. Cut the branch to the middle or 2/3. The cut pieces are crushed and scattered on the soil as a mulch layer.
Heather propagation methods
When caring for heather, both seed and vegetative propagation methods are used (cuttings, jigging and dividing the bush).
The seed method is quite long, but only 10% of the seed material does not emerge. A peat-sand composition or soil, including peat, coniferous soil and river sand (2: 1: 1), is poured into the pots. Before sowing, it is watered. Seeds are spread over the ground without covering. The container is covered with polyethylene, in some cases a piece of glass is placed on top. The temperature during germination is maintained at about 20 degrees and the first week will require increased humidity. The first shoots are visible after 4 weeks. After that, they begin to open the shelter a little every day so that the young heathers are tempered. After another month, you can dive - plant the seedlings in separate pots. Planting on a flower bed is carried out only when the plants reach 2 years of age.
When cutting heather cuttings at the end of summer, blanks are taken from the tops of strong shoots. Planting is carried out in a flowerpot with a peat-sand mixture (proportion 3: 1). After planting, the cuttings are placed in a place with a temperature of 15-18 degrees. It is best to keep the soil only slightly damp. When the heather seedlings are 2 months old, it is recommended to fertilize with urea (at the rate of 1 gram of the drug per 1 liter of water) or use micronutrient fertilizers. In April, you can transplant into open soil.
Since old shoots can lie down and take root, a lot of cuttings are formed. You can also bend the branch to the ground on your own and fix it there, pour a peat layer up to 1 cm upstairs. Soon the shoot will release the roots, but the rooted cuttings are separated only after a year and immediately planted in a prepared place in the garden.
The easiest way to propagate heather is to split the rhizome of the plant. With the arrival of August, an adult bush is dug up and the rhizome is carefully cut, but so that each part of the bush has roots and young branches. Sprinkle the cut with crushed charcoal. Before planting, the old branches are removed and the division is planted on a flower bed.
Protection against diseases and pests of the heather plant
Heather diseases are distinguished:
- Gray rot which arose due to very dense soil or if after winter the snow melted quickly and moisture stagnated at the roots. In a plant, then the stems are covered with a bloom, then the leaves die off rapidly, and then the branches. In case of illness, it is necessary to carry out treatment with fungicides (such as Topaz or Fundazol). When the damage to the bush is critical, it is recommended to spray it 3 times with 1% copper sulfate every 5-10 days.
- Powdery mildew in which the foliage is covered with a loose whitish bloom, and the young branches begin to wither. Treatment with fungicides is also needed.
- Rust manifested by a mottling of a reddish-brown tint on foliage. Spraying with fungicidal preparations is carried out.
If the disease of outdoor heather is viral, flowers and foliage become irregular and unnatural in color. The disease is not treated, the bush must be destroyed, and the soil is treated with a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate.
Pests infest heather very rarely.
Heather in horticulture
If we talk about nutrients, then flavonoids are present in heather flowers and tops of branches. They are derived from substances such as quercetin and myricetin. It also contains the glycoside arbutin, the composition includes tannins and essential oil, there are polysaccharides. Because of these components, medicinal preparations are made from heather. At the same time, heather products can have anti-inflammatory, diaphoretic effects, promote wound healing, have an astringent, cleansing and sedative effect.
Like other varieties, heather honey is considered an antiseptic. For a long time, healers have used it for bronchial asthma, it helps to cleanse the blood and can serve as a diuretic. With its help, stones are removed from the bladder and kidneys, relieve the symptoms of joint inflammation. Heather tincture is often made in homeopathy.
Heather varieties
Common heather (Calluna vulgaris)
the only one in the family. Heather is mistakenly called Erica, which is its close "relative", but in essence these are different representatives of the flora. There are a very large number of different varietal variants, their number reaches 500 units. Basically, gardeners divide them into 6 types.
Type I - has a green foliage:
- Allegro. In height it reaches 0.6 m, with a width of 0.5 m, branches grow densely, closed. Shoots are covered with dark, brownish bark. Scaly leaf plates are green to black. Flowering process: from mid-summer to late October. The size of the flowers is small, the petals are shiny, carmine-red, the inflorescences are elongated. The plant is frost-resistant, with the arrival of winter, young bushes are covered.
- Carmen. Bred in Holland. The branches do not exceed 30–40 cm. The outlines of the bush are spherical, the size of the leaves is small, the color is emerald. The color of the branches is dark brown. The shape of the pinkish purple flowers is simple. The length of the flower brushes is 10 cm. The plant is frost-resistant, but shelter is needed for the winter.
Among gardeners, the most famous varieties are: Radnor, Darkness, Ross Hutton, as well as varietal variations of Mark, Hookstone, Mazurka, Barnett Enley and the like.
Type II with snow-white petals and green foliage:
- Alba. The bush will not grow higher than 40 cm, the shoots are erect, 55 cm in scope reaches a diameter. Saturated green leaves are formed on the ascending shoots. High-density racemose inflorescences formed by buds with white petals.
- Alexandra. The crown of the bushes is in the form of a ball, while its diameter is 0.4 m, and the height of the bush is only 0.3 m. The leaves are dark green, the petals in the flowers are initially pale cream, but by the end of the process they take on a burgundy color.
The following varieties are successful among flower growers: Alba Jay, Long White, and such as Humpty Dumpty, Alec Martin and others.
Type III with grayish-shiny foliage:
- Silver night. Bred in the UK. Shoots grow only up to 0.3 m, the bush is dense, cushion-shaped, with a diameter of 45 cm. Branches are dark brown. The foliage is silvery, the surface is pubescent. In winter, the color of the leaves is measured to burgundy. The cluster inflorescences are 20 cm long and consist of simple pale pink or lilac flowers. Despite the frost resistance, winter shelter is required.
- Peter sparks bred by the British. The bush is 0.5 m in height, oval, with a width of 60 cm. The branches are brown, the leaves are like scales, small. Initially dark green, with the arrival of winter until summer they turn greenish-gray. Terry flowers with dark pink petals. The length of the inflorescences is about 30 cm. The frost resistance is moderate.
The following varieties are popular among gardeners: Annmary and Jan Dekker, as well as Glendwick Silver, Velvet Fashion and others.
Type IV is distinguished by the golden color of the foliage:
- Andrew Praudli. The height of the bush is 15 cm, the crown is 25 cm in diameter. Thin branches are broadly ascending. Leaves are light yellow or orange in color; in winter, their color changes to bronze. Inflorescences are loose, consisting of pink flowers.
- Boskop - the variety was bred by the Dutch. Its height does not exceed 0.4 m, a compact bush with a diameter of 0.5 m. The color of the bark is dark brown. Yellowish-green foliage becomes copper-red by autumn. The color is simple, the color is mauve, the inflorescences-brushes are slightly branched, the length is 0.1 m. Frost resistance is moderate.
The popular varieties are Gold Haze, Aura, Cottswood Gold, and the like - Arran Gold, Crimson Sunset and Blazeaway.
Type V combines bushes with double-shaped flowers:
- Autumn Glow. Sprawling bush, height - 0.3 m, width - 45 cm. The tops of the branches are raised. The tubular leaves are dark green. Dense short brushes are collected from densely doubled, pale pinkish flowers.
- Monica. The crown of a wide-spreading bush is 0.8 m, it is not higher than 55 cm. The shoots are very strong. The leaves are dark emerald in winter, covered with a grayish bloom. The shape of the flowers is terry, the color is reddish-pink. Forms loose inflorescences-brushes.
The distinguished varieties are Dark, Star, County Wicklow, as well as Red Favorite, Alba Plena and Joan Sparks.
Type VI differs in that the formed buds do not bloom:
- David Eason. The height of the spherical bush is not more than 0.2 m, width is 25 cm. The branches grow ascending. The leaves are dark, green. Short cluster inflorescences make up dark lilac-pink buds.
- Marlin - a variety from Germany. The height of the bush does not exceed 0.3 m, the width of the bush is 50 cm. The bark of the branches casts a dark brown color. The leaves, rolled into tubes, are dark green. The buds are not opening, the petals in them are mauve or rich purple color.
The cultivars most loved by gardeners are Fritz Kircher, Minima and Romina.
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