Hardy Heathers:
Exploring the expectancies of winter gardening pave the
way up a realm of creativity and resourcefulness. Fighting with the cold season
as a time to experiment with various crops and methods could have surprising
results. As the snow cover the garden soil and beds, the dedicated gardener
sees not a barren landscape but also a canvas of potential. With the experience,
knowledge and hand tools, winter gardening becomes a rewarding outcomes that
connects individuals to the rhythms of nature in a profound and meaningful way.
The plant diversity and resiliency of the heather and
heath, changing colors with the change of seasons and blossom time with
intricate textures and personalities all attracts the eyes.
They are low-maintenance, deer-resistant, most
are Cold Tolerant, they will bear wind and seacoast wind with and show no problem, they look fresh in
containers, they tolerate low water availability when become mature, and if
the proper management is made, the blooms could be seen around the year on
evergreen plants with shiny and great foliage. All you need is proper
drainage and little sunshine to do the great results.
Erica carnea L. or spring
heath, is a perennial evergreen shrub, which belongs to the Ericaceae botanical
family and Erica genus. The plant attain the height of 50 cm with thick leaves,
narrow and short needles, Cluster blossoms, usually longer from one side,
capsule shape fruits enclosed seeds in them. The plant naturally grown in
Central and Southern Europe and South Africa in the mountains, in deciduous,
coniferous or mixed forests, while in Serbia it founds in the Tara Mountain.
Heath (Erica) flowers are
bisexual, with 4 whorls, with colorful Petals (corollas). They occur in small racemes
inflorescences at the stem tips. The corolla is found gamopetalous, bell or
cup-shaped. Two whorls are distinguished in the androecium which is composed of
8 stamens. The pistil found with superior ovary with long style. The perianth Found
in petal-shedding blooms, where it dries up and surrounds the forming fruit. The
fruit is a capsule which contains tiny numerous seeds.
Erica carnea L. has flowers with
pink, light carmine or white Petals (corollas) forming short hanging racemes.
It bloom from March to May (Spring) in tropics. Evergreen leaves are almost 8
mm long with needle-like shape, dark green borne with four whorls. Erica carnea
L. is native to the mountainous regions of South and Central Europe. This plant
very frequently grown in gardens. Representatives of this species are clumped
shrublets, reaching a height of 20 – 50 cm.
Cultural requirements of Erica Carnea
The Erica carnea required acidic
soil. Heathers need at least 450mm spacing between plants and rows, ultimately 5
plants must be planted to 1 m square of space. All the members of Ericaceae
family are not hardy. Temperature, light and moisture are considered necessary for
their growth and healthy development. They need a specific amount of moisture
for their growth and development. If it did not grown on the hills then growing
on the raised beds can be the great idea, but if the natural drainage be
insufficient, a layer from six to nine inch thick of coarse gravel is necessary
I also found one clone of E.
cinerea, namely ‘Atrosanguinea’, which survives the winter where all
other bell heather cultivars fail to survice. No trees to compete for nutrients
or provide allele-chemicals to thwart the heather.
The affiliated societies and their histories
Gesellschaft der Heidefreunde
e.V., the German Heather Society, which was founded in 1977 after those in
Great Britain, the Netherlands and the USA. “Fritz” was head gardener at the
‘Heidberg’ hospital in Hamburg-, where he became more and more passionate about
heathers. So he decided to create the first public heather garden in Germany on
the site of a former military training ground.
The North American Heather Society (NAHS) was started on 29 October 1977 at the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden in Vancouver.
Throughout its history, NAHS has
supported – either financially, with advice, or with labor – the planting of
heathers or improvement of heather areas in public parks and gardens. This
society also financially supported research into heather hardiness and
mycorrhizal companions. Heather news quarterly (“quarterly” was added when the
journal was redesigned in 2003) remains the glue that links North American heather
enthusiasts with each other and with heather growers around the globe.
