Growing heather in the garden is one of the easiest things a budding grower can do. A wide variety of varieties of common heather with flowers of various colors makes it possible to use this undersized shrub for composing compositions in different colors. Minimal maintenance is required for decorative heather, the main thing is to avoid trimming old wood in late autumn.
How to care for decorative heather in the garden
Landing features. The distance between plants is 0,3-0,4 m in groups or per 1 m2, 6-8 specimens of strong-growing and 12-15 weak-growing varieties are planted. Planting depth 25-35 cm strictly to the level of the root collar. It is better to plant in open sunny places at the age of 1,5-2 years, when the plants have the greatest decorative effect. For planting and successfully growing heather, it is better to use a soil mixture of the following composition: peat, sand, bark compost or coniferous soil (3: 1: 2). Coniferous land is a semi-decomposed litter of a coniferous forest, spruce or better pine, it is taken from a depth of 5-7 cm.The substrate must be acidic (pH = 4,5-5,5), therefore, red high-moor peat is used (pH = 3,2 ). Planting time: second half of April – early May or autumn in late September – early October. Dry weather is not an obstacle to planting if the plant is pre-watered abundantly. Drainage is needed if the soil is clayey, and consists of sand and broken brick with a layer of 5-10 cm.
Top dressing. When growing and caring for heather, it is recommended to annually feed the complete mineral fertilizer “Kemira Universal”: 1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water. When planting, 1 matchbox of nitrophoska and 2 tablespoons of horn flour for low-growing varieties of heather and 2 matchboxes of nitrophoska and horn flour for vigorous varieties are added to the substrate.
Mulching. A necessary condition for growing heather is mandatory mulching immediately after planting with peat or coniferous wood chips, since it contains the necessary mycorrhiza.
Pruning. Pruning is done in moderate spring. Intensive pruning is not recommended for the first two years after planting. After flowering in autumn or early spring, old plants are cut with pruning shears so as to capture part of the stem below the faded inflorescences. In the process of caring for decorative heather, it is necessary to maintain the shape of the crown when pruning. Avoid pruning old wood in late fall when some heathers are cut for winter bouquets.
Preparation for winter. When growing and caring for heather in the garden in late autumn, when the soil is 5-7 cm frozen (about November 10), it is recommended to sprinkle peat or a dry leaf with a layer of up to 10 cm on top of the plant. In mid-April, the shelter must be removed, the peat must be removed from the root collar in order to ensure the full flowering of the heather.
The photo “Growing and caring for heather” shows all the main agricultural techniques:
Common heather varieties for open ground in the Moscow region (with photo)
Heather (Calluno) is a plant from the Heather family. Common heather (C. vulgaris) is a low-growing shrub, 20-70 cm tall. The crown is quite compact, almost round.
As you can see in the photo, the heather shrub has flowers on short pedicels, several pieces are collected in dense racemose inflorescences up to 25 cm long, lilac-pink, rarely white:
Flowering time: July August. Photophilous, withstands weak partial shade. Winters without shelter, quite winter-hardy. For cultivation in the gardens of central Russia, the best varieties are:
“Alba Plena” (“Alba Plena”) – a low evergreen shrub with a height of 20-40 cm, a crown diameter of 40-45 cm. The crown is compact, spherical. The flowers are white, double. Decorativeness manifests itself during abundant and prolonged flowering, in August-September, 50 days. Winter-hardy. It is better to cover young plants with a dry leaf and spruce branches for the winter.
“Allegro” (“Allegro”) – height 40-50 cm, rarely 60 cm, crown diameter 50 cm. The crown is compact, dense. Blooms in the suburbs from early August to late September. The flowers are simple, shiny, carmine red. Winter-hardy.
“Annemarie” (“Annemarie”) – height 40-50 cm, crown diameter 60 cm. The crown is loose, wide-bushy. Blooms from late July to late October. The buds are purple-red, later the flowers become dark pink. Terry flowers.
“Boskop” (“Boskoop”) – height 30-40 cm, crown diameter 40-50 cm. The crown is compact. Leaves are coppery orange-red in autumn and winter. Outdoors, this heather variety blooms from August 25 to late September. The flowers are lilac-pink, simple.
“Carmen” (“Carmen”) – height 30-40 cm, crown diameter 40-50 cm.The crown is broadly oval or spherical. Blooms in Moscow from early September to mid-October, 45 days. The flowers are simple, pink-purple.
“Darkness” (“Darkness”) – height 30-35 cm, diameter of a compact, dense, spherical crown 40-50 cm. It blooms from late August to mid-October, abundantly, about 50 days.
Look at the photo – the decorative heather of this variety has simple, purple-red flowers, densely located on peduncles up to 15 cm long:
“Dark Star” (“Dark Star”) – height 20-30 cm, crown diameter up to 40 cm.The crown is compact, spherical. Blooms profusely from late August to late September, 30 days, rarely until early October. The flowers are semi-double, ruby red, shiny. Weak bush, annual growth of 3-5 cm.
Long White (“Long White”) – height 40-60 cm, crown diameter 60-70 cm. The crown is loose, spherical. In Moscow, it blooms profusely from late August to early October, 40 days, in Europe – from September to late October. The flowers are white, simple, collected in long inflorescences (25-30 cm).
“Marlin” (“Marleen”) – height 20-30 cm, crown diameter 40-50 cm. The crown is compact. In Moscow, it blooms profusely from late August to late October, 65 days, in Europe, September-November. The buds are pink-lilac or bright purple, never open.
Peter Sparks (“Peter Sparkes”) – height 40-50 cm, crown diameter 50-60 cm.The crown is oval. This variety of heather in the Moscow region blooms from early September to late October, 55 days, abundantly, in Europe – in September-November. The flowers are double, dark pink.
“Radnor” (“Radnor”) – height 20-30 cm, crown diameter 40-50 cm. The crown is compact. Blooms in the suburbs from August 20 to mid-October, about 50 days. Terry flowers, pale pink, collected in inflorescences 10 cm long.
“Red Star” (“Red Star”) – height 20 cm, crown diameter 40-50 cm. The crown is compact, spherical. Blooms in the suburbs from mid-September to early November. Double flowers, red. Densely located on long (more than 10 cm) inflorescences. Profuse and late long flowering, 48 days. A very beautiful variety.
Silver Knight (“Silver Knight”) – height 20-30 cm, crown diameter 40-45 cm. The crown is compact, cushion-shaped. In winter, the leaves take on a purple hue. Very beautiful foliage. Blooms profusely in the Moscow region from mid-August, about 45 days. The flowers are simple, light purple or lilac.
As shown in the photo, at the heather of this variety, the tops of non-flowering shoots are drooping:
The garden centers are currently receiving varieties from the Garden Girls and Beauty Ladies series. These plants are interesting in that their buds never open.
