HEATHER. If you happen to have this rewarding small shrub in your garden, the bees will soon be buzzing around its pink flowers enjoying the nectar immensely. Right next to your yellow forsythia also in full bloom when spring finally arrives. Spring, isn't it wonderful? Oh, how I long for its return, don't you? When the trees bud out and the warm air soothes. Then again... It's February. But still, I can daydream. Won't you join me?
After admiring my neighbor’s pink heather one day, I knew I wanted one in my rock garden. I now have four in the ground and will likely add more. The tidiness and hardiness of this shrub is admirable. As an evergreen, heather is attractive all year long and does well in Desert Aire. I have yet to notice any insect problems.
Heather is a low-spreading shrub that grows to about two feet tall, three feet wide. My neighbor and I have pink heather, but the colors vary a lot (e.g., red, white, and purple). Over the winter the foliage on mine has a purple hue, but this too can vary. There are hundreds of species of this cultivar to choose from.
Heather can tolerate poor, rocky soil, but like other evergreens, it prefers acidic soil conditions. You can plant heather in pots as well. Just make sure the potting mix is “evergreen friendly.” To make your own potting mix, combine 50% peat moss, 20% perlite and 10% each of garden soil, sand, and compost (or farm manure). Early spring (coming, I promise😏) is a good time to plant heather. You can locate in full sun or light shade. You can also plant during the Fall. Once established, heather is pretty much maintenance free.
In Victorian times, white heather was gifted to friends and young lovers💑 for luck and protection. Scottish brides always carried heather for good luck, when walking down the aisle. Similarly, purple heather represented beauty, admiration and solitude. The tradition continues to this day.
Canadian poet laureate Bliss Carman (1861-1929) wrote, “Here's to the day when it is May. And care as light as a feather. When your little shoes and my big boots. Go tramping over the heather.”
Happy Gardening Everyone! I'll be tramping over the heather in my daydream till spring arrives, when I hope to plant more of these gems.
2 comments:
That's a surprising amount of color for such a dry and generally barren environment. Does Heather have any stickers or thorns?
Much can grow here with irrigation. We have grape orchards, apples and more. No, heather does not have stickers or thorns.
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