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HEATHERS AND HEATHS
Heathers have long been our go-to plant for winter color, flowering when most other plants quit, appreciating our acidic soil, and graciously holding onto their leaves in the process.
What many folks don’t know is that there are so many kinds of heather out there that if planted with a bit of forethought, one could have heathers blooming all year long. Add gorgeous gold, blue, orange and chocolate leaves to the mix and the result is spectacular.
CALLUNA - Heather, Scotch Heather, Ling
Calluna comes from the Greek word kallunein, meaning to cleanse, probably because the twigs were used to make brooms.
Callunas have just a single species, C. vulgaris, but over 800 cultivated forms are in existence.
Flowers: Tiny bell shape flowers during summer in colors ranging from white to crimson. Bud-bloomers are flowers that never mature beyond the bud stage and because of this, maintain their color for a long period. Double flower forms have more petals, so they look like pearl-size balls along the branches.
Foliage: Evergreen leaves are feathery or sometimes scale-like. Leaf color can be silver, green, gold or variegated, and many Callunas change color in the winter, turning brilliant orange, red or chocolate. Several varieties have red, coral or white new growth in spring.
Calluna vulgaris 'Robert Chapman'
DABOECIA - Irish Heath
Daboecia is named for the Irish Saint Dabeoc (Linneus transposed the o and e when formulating our present Latin system of naming plants and the misspelled version stuck).
D. azorica and D. cantabrica (shown below) exist in nature and D. x scotica is a man-made hybrid of the two naturally occurring forms.
Flowers: Bell flowers are the largest of all the Heathers to ½” long and can be white, pink, red, magenta or purple. Flowers are held in racemes above the foliage & bloom from June to October.
Foliage: Evergreen leaves are dark green and glossy and resemble a simple leaf more than Callunas or Ericas.
Daboecia cantabrica 'Alba'
ERICA - Heath
Erica is from the Greek work ereiko meaning ‘to break’. Possibly because the stems break easily and possibly because of the medieval belief that it could be used medicinally to dissolve gall stones.
Flowers: Small bell-shape flowers can be white, pink, mauve, cerise, magenta or purple. Bloom-time varies per species.
Winter/Spring flowers: E. carnea, E. darleyensis (shown at left)
Summer/Fall flowers: E. cinerea (shown below), E. griffithsii, E. stuartii, E. tetralix & E. vegans
Foliage: Evergreen leaves look like tiny needles and can be green, gold or blue.
Erica darleyensis 'Kramers Rote'
FUN FACTS: HEATHERS
Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Calluna CAL-EW-NA
Origin: Callunas span the whole of Europe, from the western coast to the Ural Mountains, expanding to North Africa & the southern fringe of the Arctic Circle. They’ve naturalized in eastern Canada from seed contained in packaging from early settlers.
Size: Varies from ground-hugging 2”x18” to upright 24”x30”
Culture: Sun, acidic, well-drained moist soil. Soils west of the cascades are acidic due to copious rain, but often drainage is a problem, so adding compost when planting helps. Callunas are tolerant to drought once established.
Hardiness: USDA Zone 5
Problems: Very few. Over watering and dense heavy soils can cause plants to rot or lose foliage in the center. Bugs and diseases are rare in Portland.
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Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Daboecia, DAB-OH-SHE-A
Origin: Daboecia is found in coastal areas of Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal and the Azore Islands off of the coast of Portugal.
Size: Vary from 8”x20” to 16”x28”
Culture: Sun, part shade, acidic soil, tolerant of drought once established, but prefer even moisture. Trim annually after bloom to keep foliage full.
Hardiness: USDA Zone 6
Problems: Can look straggly if not pruned annually after bloom.
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Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Erica ERR-I-CA
Origin: Ericas encompass over 800 species originating from South Africa, Europe & Turkey.
Size: Most Ericas are low-growing shrubs ranging between 12” & 24” tall. Tree heathers (E. arborea & E. australis) are upright-growing varieties that can reach 20’ in their native habitats. In Portland we see 4-5’ easily, perhaps taller if planted in an area that is not too windy.
Culture: Ericas are happiest in sunny spots with well-drained, moist acidic soil. Several species will adapt to dryness, alkaline soil and partial shade. Prune annually to keep heathers looking full.
Hardiness: Varies per species from USDA Zone 4-9
Problems: Ericas suffer from heavy soils and can die out in the center or lose portions from root-rot. Amend with compost to help create good soil drainage when planting. Pests and diseases are typically not seen in Portland.
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