growing and care


If you live near wild heather in Ireland and on the UK moors you may wonder why bother growing your own. For a start, wild heather likes an acid soil that could be a problem in a mainstream garden. If you live far away from heather, there are beautiful winter and spring flowering heathers that like a more pH balanced soil and give either purple or white flowers.

preferred soil conditions?

Indeed, its acid peaty bog soil that is preferred by the wild heather.

preferred light, shade and water conditions?

Needs good sunlight well away from trees on soil that is kept moist all of the time but not waterlogged. Good draining soil is best, but never let it dry out.

Should be kept weed free at all times and mulched with peat

blossoming

Wild heather blossoms from mid August until early September. Cultivated varieties that can take pH balanced soil tend to flower through October and November then again through February and March.

All heather are very popular with bees, with heather honey being the finest of honeys.

fruit and seeds

Heather flowers drop a lot of seeds that tend to lay around the clumps of heather they fall from, germinate and generally expand the heather clump size.



for the healing and nourishment qualities of Heather, please click here