In addition to the heather, the heather family also includes the common heather, the blueberry and the lingonberry. The heather family are mostly woody and evergreen shrubs. In some species, the foliage can turn brown in winter. The heather, or the heather, is a heather plant that comes from South Africa. Three species are native to Switzerland. These include the snow heather and the hiking heather. Most of the Erika species on sale in the trade are hardy varieties. The color variety of the flowers ranges from lilac, old pink and purple to light green and white. The heather leaves are often arranged in whorls, sometimes opposite, alternate or scattered. In contrast to common heather, which has flaky leaves, the leaves of heather are needle-shaped.
Table of Contents
Rearing and care
The heather can be one of the first flowering plants in spring and the last flowering plant in late autumn or even winter as there are different types of heather. Some of them are called summer heather and others are called winter heather. The latter can be found in many heathland landscapes. Common heather, for example, is part of the summer heather. The winter heather is assigned to the snow heather. But summer heather is also a perennial plant and suitable for wintering outdoors. In areas with particularly harsh weather, it should be covered with winter protection for safety. The English heather, which blooms from March to April, is one of the first flowering heather of the year. Irish heather and bog heather bloom all summer from June to September. A little later, from July to October, the Grauheide and the Cornwallheide are in bloom. Common heather blooms in midsummer and autumn until November. In terms of location and maintenance, Heide is relatively undemanding. An important basis for their ideal growth, however, is the nature of the soil.
The optimal soil for the heather
If you simply plant heather in normal soil, you will see it growing but not flourishing lush. Optimal growth of the heather plants can be achieved with a well-moistened subsurface. Heath loves slightly acidic soil and thrives best on loose, sandy and moderately nutrient-rich humic soil. If you know that the existing soil is very calcareous, you can spread a handful of bone meal per square meter on the earth. In this way the earth receives sufficient nutrients. Usually the existing garden soil is a little heavy for heather. Therefore, it should be well prepared and loosened before planting the heather. It is best to work a 15 cm thick layer of peat or bog soil into the ground. To do this, the earth has to be dug up to the depths of a spade. You can use the opportunity to thoroughly remove weeds and wild growth so that space, light and nutrients are not taken away from the heather plants. Even if a 2.5 cm thick layer of sour bark mulch is mixed under the loosened surface of the earth, you get healthy, splendidly growing heather. It is also advisable to add low-lime sand and gravel to the bog or peat. The summer heather in particular does not like calcareous soils. Winter heather, on the other hand, can tolerate a little more lime, but even it prefers acidic soil. Clay soil is also well tolerated by heather. A bit of Buchenlauberde can be added to it. For soils on which heather is to grow, pH values between 4.5 and 6.5 are best. Mixing a 5 cm thick layer of sour bark mulch under the loosened surface of the earth results in healthy, splendidly growing heather. It is also advisable to add low-lime sand and gravel to the bog or peat. The summer heather in particular does not like calcareous soils. Winter heather, on the other hand, can tolerate a little more lime, but even it prefers acidic soil. Clay soil is also well tolerated by heather. A bit of Buchenlauberde can be added to it. For soils on which heather is to grow, pH values between 4.5 and 6.5 are best. Mixing a 5 cm thick layer of sour bark mulch under the loosened surface of the earth results in healthy, splendidly growing heather. It is also advisable to add low-lime sand and gravel to the bog or peat. The summer heather in particular does not like calcareous soils. Winter heather, on the other hand, can tolerate a little more lime, but even it prefers acidic soil. Clay soil is also well tolerated by heather. A bit of Buchenlauberde can be added to it. For soils on which heather is to grow, pH values between 4.5 and 6.5 are best. Winter heather, on the other hand, can tolerate a little more lime, but even it prefers acidic soil. Clay soil is also well tolerated by heather. A bit of Buchenlauberde can be added to it. For soils on which heather is to grow, pH values between 4.5 and 6.5 are best. Winter heather, on the other hand, can tolerate a little more lime, but even it prefers acidic soil. Clay soil is also well tolerated by heather. A bit of Buchenlauberde can be added to it. For soils on which heather is to grow, pH values between 4.5 and 6.5 are best.
The ideal location
Heather loves open, full sun locations. The heather plants grow best in a sunny spot and bloom in the brightest colors. Especially summer heather feels very comfortable in the sun. The heather also thrives satisfactorily with hourly sunlight. So your location can also be in the light shade or in the partial shade. Strong shadow areas, on the other hand, not only inhibit the growth of the heather, but a dark location also hinders the formation of flowers. In addition, the individual plants have to be far enough apart so that they do not take away the light from each other. In addition, if they are too close together, they prevent each other from growing.
The best time to plant
Heath can be planted from the pot into the ground at any time. However, the most favorable planting times are spring and autumn. Accordingly, most of the heather plants are planted in March, April and May as well as in August, October and November. The soil should have a loose, crumbly structure. This can be achieved, for example, by working bark mulch, peat, sand or pine needles into the surface of the potting soil. Of course, the potting soil should also be free from root weeds and all other weeds. In order for the heather plants to take root quickly, a good water supply should be ensured during and after planting, especially in dry periods in summer.
Setting distances and planting depth
After the areas prepared for planting have been loosened with the rake, planting holes are dug. The ideal planting distance for heather plants is around 20 to 35 cm. The differences are due to the different heights and strengths of the individual varieties. Between 8 and 25 heather plants can be planted on one square meter. It is important to lower the heather so deep into the earth that the upper edge of the root ball is completely covered with earth even after the ground has settled. After inserting a heather plant into its planting hole, this can be filled with soil. The fast and reliable growth of the plants can be promoted by pressing the soil as firmly as possible and then giving it water.
Soil that is put into the planting hole can be used with
- peat
- Sand
- Rindenmulch
- Moorbite substrate
- Fumes
- and organic fertilizer
be enriched.
The arrangement of the heather in the garden
The design of heather gardens is particularly successful when several types of heather are combined with one another. However, you should always plant heather in groups. A group can always contain ten to twelve plants of the same variety. In this way, attractive colorful splashes of color are created on beds, on slopes and on borders. Flowering heather is particularly effective if it is not planted too symmetrically but rather irregularly. An irregularity can also be caused by hills, hollows or small pieces of rock or large tree roots between the groups of plants. Winter heather can ensure that gaps are filled in perennial beds and the beds do not look so bare during winter. The heather can be accompanied by Christmas roses.
The design of the heather garden
If you put the heather together skillfully, the heather garden can bloom all year round. The heather can be combined well with azaleas, rhododendrons or blueberries, which like the same soil conditions. In addition, small conifers, ornamental grasses or gorse can be placed between the heather plants. The different heights of the herbs, berries and bushes create a heather garden that offers a very relaxed, natural appearance. Erika plants are also ideal for delimiting beds. Here you can combine summer heather with winter heather so that the beds are always presented in fresh colors. In addition, heather herbs are ideal ground cover plants that can create a carpet that blooms in the most beautiful colors.
Propagation of the heather
Most of the heather species are cultivated forms. They can be increased by subscribers. After the heather has been driven out in spring, you can plant a strong shoot in the ground in summer and pile it up well. With frequent watering and regular sun exposure, the shoot becomes a well-growing new heather plant. An even simpler method of propagation is to cut off cuttings from a heather plant in summer and stick them in the soil that has to be pressed down firmly. With regular watering, they begin to take root and grow into a new heather plant. These two types of propagation are particularly suitable for summer heather. In order for the new plants to grow well, they need the full attention of the gardener, who has to ensure, for example, that they always have enough water. The new plants reward it with strong growth and strong colors. When the newly planted heather has developed well, it can be used to plant further subsets and cuttings in the earth. As with planting, it is also advisable to add peat, bark mulch and sand to the soil for propagating the heather. By autumn, the summer heather had mostly formed roots.
Care of the heather
Even the withered summer heather can still look beautiful in winter. Therefore, you can wait until spring to cut the heather. Then the summer heather begins to sprout very strongly. Therefore, the stems can be cut back a long way beforehand. Erika can also be cut back vigorously immediately after flowering. This pruning usually takes place in autumn. It prevents the lower part of the plant from becoming completely bald. Cutting back the flowers encourages them to grow particularly vigorously in the next year. However, if the summer heather is only to be trimmed, which is sufficient for normal growth, it is advisable to always cut the branches at an angle. For winter heather, pruning is recommended in spring and summer heather is generally pruned in late autumn. For strongly growing varieties, they have to be cut back a lot. Accordingly, poorly growing varieties need only be pruned back a little.
In addition, the soil must always be evenly moist. Even during the winter months, care must be taken that it never dries out completely. This is ensured, for example, if the plant is piled up with moist leaves or with a bog bed substrate, which is a good moisture store. Additional fertilization is not necessary in winter. Non-hardy heather varieties must be piled up with pine needles, earth or dry leaves during the frosty periods.
Only organic or mineral fertilizers should be used for fertilization during the growth phase. These include, for example, horn shavings. The heather is first fertilized when it is planted. 30 grams can be put directly into the planting hole. Then fertilize the next time after the cut. Then 50 g of fertilizer can be given per plant. This fertilization is repeated every year after the cut.
Diseases and pests
Erika does not tolerate long drought. If there is not enough water, the plant will dry up quickly. Otherwise it is very robust and hardly has to fear diseases and pests. But there is one fungus that can completely destroy summer heather. This is the Hallimasch. It usually grows out of the ground. In the summer heather you can see it at the shoots under the bark. The fan-shaped, white mushroom causes the heather to die off. Dead heather plants should be removed from the planting as soon as possible. The same applies to infested tree stumps or bushes near the heather. The infected soil must also be renewed immediately. You must replace the infected soil immediately.
