Heather

Landscape Uses:Alpine garden, Border, Foundation, Ground cover, Massing, Rock garden, Specimen. Requires a light acid soil and a sunny position[138, 182]. Prefers a sunny position but tolerates light shade. Only succeeds if the pH is below 6.5. Prefers a poor peaty soil. Plants are tolerant of fairly dry soils but they dislike prolonged drought. They tolerate wet conditions in the winter. Plants regenerate well from the base after a fire if the heat was not too great, if the fire was slow and intense then new seedlings will quickly become established. Commonly grown in the ornamental garden, there are many named varieties[200, 238]. The flowers are rich in nectar and are very attractive to bees, butterflies and moths[7, 11, 30]. This plant is also an important food source for the caterpillars of many lepidoptera. Special Features:Attractive foliage, Not North American native, Suitable for cut flowers, Suitable for dried flowers, Attractive flowers or blooms. In garden design, as well as the above-ground architecture of a plant, root structure considerations help in choosing plants that work together for their optimal soil requirements including nutrients and water. The root pattern is branching: a heart root, dividing from the crown into several primary roots going down and out [2-1]. References Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information Temperature Converter Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit: Celsius Fahrenheit: The PFAF Bookshop Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants , Edible Perennials , Edible Trees , Edible Shrubs , Woodland Gardening , and Temperate Food Forest Plants . Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical) . Shop Now

Edible Parts: Shoots Edible Uses: Condiment Tea A tea is made from the flowering stems[177, 183]. A kind of mead was once brewed from the flowers and the young shoots have been used instead of hops to flavour beer[7, 183]. References More on Edible Uses

Seed - sow as soon as it is ripe or in February in a shaded part of the greenhouse[78, 113]. Surface sow or only just cover the seed[113, 138]. Cold stratification for 4 - 20 weeks aids germination. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 2 months at 20°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter, planting them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood 4 - 5cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Good percentage. Cuttings of mature wood of the current season's growth, 5 - 7cm with a heel, October/November in a frame. Good percentage. Layering in autumn. Division in spring. Dig up the plant 12 months prior to division and replant it 15 - 30cm deeper in the soil in order to encourage rooting along the stems. When ready to take the divisions, it is just a matter of digging up the plant and cutting off sections of stem with roots on them. These are best potted up and kept in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are well rooted before planting them out in the summer or following spring.