Winters Heaths

How to Grow Heaths

Because heaths have fibrous, shallow roots, so plants grow best in sandy, well-drained soil. Add peat moss or compost to improve drainage, or plant in raised beds or mounds. And as for other plants of this family, they need slightly acidic soil. If your soil is alkaline or nearly so, use fertilizers recommended for azaleas and rhododendrons, or similar acid formulations. Winter-blooming heaths can also be planted in containers but don't perform well inside the house or on a shady porch.

Plant heaths in full exposure to the sun. Plants can tolerate partial shade, but they won't bloom as well and tend to get leggy.

In most areas, early spring or early fall are best planting times. Prepare a hole at least twice as wide as the size of the rootball. Partially fill the hole with compost or topsoil. Don't plant too deep! Heaths have shallow roots and do best if planted at about the same depth as they grow in the pot. Water well after planting.

Good drainage is important. 

Scoring or lightly scratching the root ball in two or three places helps plants establish quickly. Established heaths are quite drought resistant, but failure to water adequately the first two seasons is the prime reason for plant loss.

Winter-blooming heaths require very little pruning. It is safest to prune, when needed, as soon as flowers fade because buds are set almost immediately for the next season. To encourage compactness and flowering, prune around the edges of the plant and very lightly over the top. Spring pruning may also be necessary to repair winter damage. Clip off broken or dead branches, and shape the plant. Heaths can take severe pruning when necessary but can be damaged if heavily pruned before hard frosts.

Winter protection is necessary where subzero temperatures are common, particularly when they occur before significant snow accumulation. If your plants will be exposed to months of severe cold, use evergreen boughs, straw, or canvas to protect them from cold or from drying winds. Avoid heavy mulches, such as leaves, which will mat and possibly injure the plant. Anti-desiccant sprays can also be applied.

A light application of acid fertilizer in spring is usually enough. A granular type that can be watered into the soil is best. Don't apply fertilizer to the foliage, and keep it at least two inches from the stem.

Growing Heather flowers

• Heaths and Heathers prefer full sun and well-drained, acidic soil, and they need protection from cold winter winds.
• Heather plants can be planted anytime when the ground is not frozen.
• The soil for planting should contain mix peat moss, compost or processed manure with your existing soil.
• The addition of a little non-burning fertilizer, mixed into the planting soil, will encourage new root growth.
• First, the Heather plants must be planted so the root-ball is level with the soil surface.
• Second, be careful not to pile mulch up over the root system. In fact, it is best not to mulch them at all.
• Third, heather must be planted in soil that is well drained, they will not tolerate continual wet feet.
• Firm the soil around the plant and water-in.