Heather is such a lovely evergreen and we have quite a lot of it here in Finland. I just love the four-season interest it provides in landscapes. My Grandma used to gather heather blooms and make tea from it. Didn't need any honey with it since the flowers carried so much flavor. Inspired by the previous video where you planted different kinds of heathers in your garden, I started planting our wild heather (calluna vulgaris) in our garden. The bumblebees a loving it! Thank you for the idea :)!
There was a study online somewhere that said Calluna Vulgaris have beneficial nectar for bees, it's a medicine for them basically. My bees adore these plants.
@@sonnysome3201 from the wiki on Calluna Vulgaris : The nectar of Calluna vulgaris contains a megastigmane, callunene, that is inhibitory at naturally occurring concentrations to a common trypanosome parasite of bumble bees, Crithidia bombi. Koch et al. elucidate the mechanism of activity that results in the loss of the parasite's flagellum, leading to reduced infectivity, because the flagellum is crucial to anchoring in the insect gut.
It is so amazing to see a plant in full bloom to melt out of the snow in the spring. A good way to see if your bees are out and about at that time as well.
I see some heathers in gardens in my area, but not many. It's a beautiful plant and worthy of more attention. Like you said, odd that it hasn't taken off in popularity. You gardens are lovely.
They're typical "graveyard plants" around here in Germany, so I guess people aren't too keen on seeing them in their gardens also. Is it the same in the States?
I have two that I bought at Trader Joe’s and planted them in a very steep, sunny garden in southern Connecticut, never used amendments or anything and about 5 years later they are still here and doing beautifully, probably doubled in size! I had planted a third one, but moved it to a different spot at some point and it did not like that, so plant them and leave them be.
I absolutely adore Ericas. I'm from Cape Town, where Ericas are part of our local 'fynbos' shrubland. They're actually popping into flower now all over foot of Table Mountain. How delightful to see them being planted across the world :)
Heathers and heaths were mass planted along with conifers as part of a gardening style that was very popular in the UK in the 80's and 90's. It was such a sterile, unimaginative style that became almost ubiquitous for such a long time. Some older gardeners still have their gardens in that style, but it became terribly unfashionable and people just stopped growing heathers as a result. I think Roses are going through the same phase here, albeit to a lesser extent.
Thanks for this video. I am in the Hudson Highlands, zone 6b, I love callunas and ericas. I also have neutral to slightly acidic soil and have had some luck growing these without much in the way of amendments. I have them in a bed with azaleas, blueberries and similar plants. So, when I do my annual fertilizing in late winter/early spring, I use Holly Tone on this area. Until this year I have only had a mail order source (Digging Dog, which has a great selection) and the plants were pretty small to start with. I have had a few inexplicable losses -- one plant is thriving and another one right next to it is not, but that, in my experience, is gardening! Recently I saw some nice-sized Blazeaways in my local nursery which, of course, I bought. The nursery also had some containers with a combination of colors for use in fall decorating. I hope this means these plants will be more available in future. The fall and winter color of the callunas is amazing. I have them near coral bark Japanese maples and red-twigged dogwoods. Planning for winter interest is so rewarding in the dark days of January and February!
I fell in love with heath and heather fields while traveling throughout Scotland a couple years ago. The temps there were cool year-round with lots of moisture. I assumed we could not grow them as perennials here due to our hot, dry summers (in zone 7A). Have yours done well year-round in NY climate conditions?
My mother grew these in her garden out in Western Canada. They turned into a beautiful low hedge. She lived in zone 6 and I was shocked that they grew in that zone.
I wonder if they haven't caught on in popularity because they're truly unsustainable in nearly all of the U.S. due their extreme acidic soil preference. Being habitually tied to soil acidifier is the antithesis of sustainable landscaping, low maintenance and low-impact gardening. Pretty much the opposite of what a lot of us ecologically-minded folks strive for. Reminds me of growing up in Las Vegas, everyone who came into the nursery wanted hydrangeas like they had "back home"--totally unfeasible in calcareous desert soils, but some folks just had to learn the hard way! Not bashing you at all, just talking through this point 🙂
All you have to do is search ‘soil ph map USA’ to see that nearly all of eastern US (and lots of smaller pockets in the mid and western regions) have soil on the acidic side. Considering the high population density in these eastern regions, you are looking at roughly a third of the population.
Soil is less of an issue than climate, much of the USA is too hot during the summer for many varieties of either heath or heather as both are quite sensitive to heat but there are more heat tolerant varieties that grow in the Mediterranean & parts of Africa so if heat tolerant varieties are available in nurseries then even climate shouldn't be as much of an issue. In the early 2000s, several nurseries here in the Sacramento Valley of California were carrying heath & heather but they weren't very popular plants with many casual home gardeners because they didn't have big showy flowers. The varieties that are native to Mediterranean climates & should do well in the hot dry summers here but don't seem to be readily available. Heath & heather often grow quite well in the coastal regions of western North America from the Bay Area of California northward. Pacific Horticulture has a fascinating article on heathers for warmer climates in their resources on Growing for Biodiversity. I'm hopeful that someday I might be able to successfully grow heath & heather in my zone 9B northern California garden if I can find the right varieties.
@@NicolesGardenNS You're right. It's always bigger than one element, isn't it. My citing pH alone was short-sighted. When we consider all aspects of the Scottish moorland, there's very little of the US that's similar, if any. It's a unique place. Of course, nearly anything can be done with enough resources and diligence. That said, most of us want things that don't require such an effort. Not that we're lazy, but things that "just work" are more fun. Things that take constant input and monitoring can wear out even the best of folks after a while.
I love Heathers and would love to plant them. I have only seen them sold as annuals at Home Depot in my zone 5b area, so maybe they are not cold hardy for me. I have never seen Heath.
ok, i gotta try these again, maybe last winter they got too dry during the really odd winter we had last year, because i'm in the perfect acidity range as well
Some English gardens do a great job of planting for winter interest and I’ve been wanting more of these too. Can you please provide the source? I look forward to seeing this evergreen bed flourish.
Someone who daringly, creatively, passionately, paints their own home canvas, to fit into their of picture of things, will attract different reviews and critique, from those, just visiting the gallery show. A gallery show, gives birth to a new one, over and over. A video of this, is one thing and being there, experiencing it with all senses, must be wonderful. Anyway, everything you touch is a learning experience. Choices also depend on your goals. We have a place called Tropical Island. It is a huge building, placed in an area, with pine trees and farmland. The rent is cheaper out there. Imagine, inside, it's Hawaii. 🏖️⛱️ 🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴 You can go overnight camping there, on the inside beach. It's what someone once imagined and they earn good. 😂 Yes, the truck from Holland comes twice per week full of these little, colorful plants. They are especially, very popular this time of year. Our Bumblebees pollinate them outside, right up until they are sold out.
I have some heaths that I planted on a steep hillside, more than 20 years ago. They bloom every winter, 7a, and literally require no maintenance and rabbits and deer leave them alone.
Summer verdigris is VERDY GREE not verdigious please. 🙂 From the french word 'vert de gris' referring to the greenish grey blue colour of oxydising of copper.
Heather is such a lovely evergreen and we have quite a lot of it here in Finland. I just love the four-season interest it provides in landscapes. My Grandma used to gather heather blooms and make tea from it. Didn't need any honey with it since the flowers carried so much flavor. Inspired by the previous video where you planted different kinds of heathers in your garden, I started planting our wild heather (calluna vulgaris) in our garden. The bumblebees a loving it! Thank you for the idea :)!
There was a study online somewhere that said Calluna Vulgaris have beneficial nectar for bees, it's a medicine for them basically. My bees adore these plants.
@@andrewgilroy2758 Well, there you go :). Thank you for the info!
@@sonnysome3201 from the wiki on Calluna Vulgaris :
The nectar of Calluna vulgaris contains a megastigmane, callunene, that is inhibitory at naturally occurring concentrations to a common trypanosome parasite of bumble bees, Crithidia bombi. Koch et al. elucidate the mechanism of activity that results in the loss of the parasite's flagellum, leading to reduced infectivity, because the flagellum is crucial to anchoring in the insect gut.
It is so amazing to see a plant in full bloom to melt out of the snow in the spring. A good way to see if your bees are out and about at that time as well.
I see some heathers in gardens in my area, but not many. It's a beautiful plant and worthy of more attention. Like you said, odd that it hasn't taken off in popularity. You gardens are lovely.
They're typical "graveyard plants" around here in Germany, so I guess people aren't too keen on seeing them in their gardens also. Is it the same in the States?
I have two that I bought at Trader Joe’s and planted them in a very steep, sunny garden in southern Connecticut, never used amendments or anything and about 5 years later they are still here and doing beautifully, probably doubled in size! I had planted a third one, but moved it to a different spot at some point and it did not like that, so plant them and leave them be.
I absolutely adore Ericas. I'm from Cape Town, where Ericas are part of our local 'fynbos' shrubland. They're actually popping into flower now all over foot of Table Mountain. How delightful to see them being planted across the world :)
You. have such a good eye when you plant. Love the knowledge you share.
Heathers and heaths were mass planted along with conifers as part of a gardening style that was very popular in the UK in the 80's and 90's. It was such a sterile, unimaginative style that became almost ubiquitous for such a long time. Some older gardeners still have their gardens in that style, but it became terribly unfashionable and people just stopped growing heathers as a result. I think Roses are going through the same phase here, albeit to a lesser extent.
Thanks for this video. I am in the Hudson Highlands, zone 6b, I love callunas and ericas. I also have neutral to slightly acidic soil and have had some luck growing these without much in the way of amendments. I have them in a bed with azaleas, blueberries and similar plants. So, when I do my annual fertilizing in late winter/early spring, I use Holly Tone on this area. Until this year I have only had a mail order source (Digging Dog, which has a great selection) and the plants were pretty small to start with. I have had a few inexplicable losses -- one plant is thriving and another one right next to it is not, but that, in my experience, is gardening! Recently I saw some nice-sized Blazeaways in my local nursery which, of course, I bought. The nursery also had some containers with a combination of colors for use in fall decorating. I hope this means these plants will be more available in future. The fall and winter color of the callunas is amazing. I have them near coral bark Japanese maples and red-twigged dogwoods. Planning for winter interest is so rewarding in the dark days of January and February!
I fell in love with heath and heather fields while traveling throughout Scotland a couple years ago. The temps there were cool year-round with lots of moisture. I assumed we could not grow them as perennials here due to our hot, dry summers (in zone 7A). Have yours done well year-round in NY climate conditions?
Thank you Ms. Summer. 🍁🍂🍁💚🙃
My mother grew these in her garden out in Western Canada. They turned into a beautiful low hedge. She lived in zone 6 and I was shocked that they grew in that zone.
I wonder if they haven't caught on in popularity because they're truly unsustainable in nearly all of the U.S. due their extreme acidic soil preference. Being habitually tied to soil acidifier is the antithesis of sustainable landscaping, low maintenance and low-impact gardening. Pretty much the opposite of what a lot of us ecologically-minded folks strive for. Reminds me of growing up in Las Vegas, everyone who came into the nursery wanted hydrangeas like they had "back home"--totally unfeasible in calcareous desert soils, but some folks just had to learn the hard way! Not bashing you at all, just talking through this point 🙂
All you have to do is search ‘soil ph map USA’ to see that nearly all of eastern US (and lots of smaller pockets in the mid and western regions) have soil on the acidic side. Considering the high population density in these eastern regions, you are looking at roughly a third of the population.
Soil is less of an issue than climate, much of the USA is too hot during the summer for many varieties of either heath or heather as both are quite sensitive to heat but there are more heat tolerant varieties that grow in the Mediterranean & parts of Africa so if heat tolerant varieties are available in nurseries then even climate shouldn't be as much of an issue.
In the early 2000s, several nurseries here in the Sacramento Valley of California were carrying heath & heather but they weren't very popular plants with many casual home gardeners because they didn't have big showy flowers. The varieties that are native to Mediterranean climates & should do well in the hot dry summers here but don't seem to be readily available. Heath & heather often grow quite well in the coastal regions of western North America from the Bay Area of California northward.
Pacific Horticulture has a fascinating article on heathers for warmer climates in their resources on Growing for Biodiversity. I'm hopeful that someday I might be able to successfully grow heath & heather in my zone 9B northern California garden if I can find the right varieties.
@@NicolesGardenNS You're right. It's always bigger than one element, isn't it. My citing pH alone was short-sighted.
When we consider all aspects of the Scottish moorland, there's very little of the US that's similar, if any. It's a unique place. Of course, nearly anything can be done with enough resources and diligence. That said, most of us want things that don't require such an effort. Not that we're lazy, but things that "just work" are more fun. Things that take constant input and monitoring can wear out even the best of folks after a while.
I planted these in Colorado after watching Flock, in full sun, amended soil (EKO original compost), no fertilizer. Gorgeous!
Love pink Heather. And deer don't mess with it by me so that's a plus. It never seems to do well though. My dog pees on everything I plant Lol
I love Heathers and would love to plant them. I have only seen them sold as annuals at Home Depot in my zone 5b area, so maybe they are not cold hardy for me. I have never seen Heath.
I'm loving these. ❤
This plant about to see more popularity now thanks to Project Moon's game
ok, i gotta try these again, maybe last winter they got too dry during the really odd winter we had last year, because i'm in the perfect acidity range as well
Some English gardens do a great job of planting for winter interest and I’ve been wanting more of these too. Can you please provide the source? I look forward to seeing this evergreen bed flourish.
Might be good as ground cover for rhododendrons and azalea.
Someone who daringly, creatively, passionately, paints their own home canvas, to fit into their of picture of things, will attract different reviews and critique, from those, just visiting the gallery show. A gallery show, gives birth to a new one, over and over.
A video of this, is one thing and being there, experiencing it with all senses, must be wonderful. Anyway, everything you touch is a learning experience. Choices also depend on your goals. We have a place called Tropical Island. It is a huge building, placed in an area, with pine trees and farmland. The rent is cheaper out there. Imagine, inside, it's Hawaii. 🏖️⛱️
🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴 You can go overnight camping there, on the inside beach. It's what someone once imagined and they earn good. 😂 Yes, the truck from Holland comes twice per week full of these little, colorful plants. They are especially, very popular this time of year. Our Bumblebees pollinate them outside, right up until they are sold out.
Love heather ❤
I have tried growing heather a couple of times. They seemed to do well but did not Winter over each time. I live in a zone 4 area.
They really are pretty!.❤ Could you use Holly Tone?
Old comment but I use plant tone for everything and buy bulk bags of sulphur chips to use on acid lovers. Basically the same thing as Holly Tone.
The Denver Botanic Garden reports that Erica carnea withstands limey soil.
Are they deer and rabbit resistant? I'm in NJ and really got hit this year with deer and bunnies eating everything 😢
Yes they appear so. The animals haven't touched the heathers and heaths I had planted in the Memorial Garden.
I have some heaths that I planted on a steep hillside, more than 20 years ago. They bloom every winter, 7a, and literally require no maintenance and rabbits and deer leave them alone.
Summer verdigris is VERDY GREE not verdigious please. 🙂 From the french word 'vert de gris' referring to the greenish grey blue colour of oxydising of copper.
YES THANK YOU. I've been saying it incorrectly all this time.
PRO TIP: If you're buying soil acidifier for your garden, your skill / knowledge level is just below novice.
Another PRO TIP for you: the video “includes paid promotion brought to you by Espoma Organic”