Scientific name: Erica carnea
Family: ERICACEAE
Common names: “Heather” “winter heath”
Plant Type: Evergreen, prostrate shrub
Conditions:
Zone: 5-7
Light: Full sun, tolerates some shade
Exposure: Sheltered
Soil: Humus rich soil, acidic
Moisture: Well drained, even moisture, drought intolerant
Aesthetic:
Plant Size: H 8-10″ W 22″
Leaf and Stem shape: Dark linear leaves, stems can grow long and woody if not pruned
Flower: Purple-pink or white flowers (small urns) in racemes, late winter to early spring
Pruning: Shear after flowering before July, all new growth cut back leaving 1″ of green, if cut back to wood it will die!
Maintenance: Mulch after pruning, little or no fertilizer, may bury plant stems a little deeper when planting or mulching, lower stem will become roots
Landscape use: Use as ground cover or with dwarf conifers or dwarf bulbs, in rock gardens, plant has 8-10 year lifespan so a good use for it is to fill short term gaps in newly planted gardens
Propagate: by seeds, layering, and cuttings
Pests & Disease: No pests or diseases
*Deer resistant (but they have been known to pull it up for no reason)
Comments: Not very nice when not pruned regularly, and when the stems have become long and woody there is nothing to do but dig it up and plant another
~several varrieties are AGM winners
Cultivars: over 150 different kinds, and they have a society:
http://www.bcheathersociety.org/
