- Botanical name: Calluna vulgaris
- Common name: Heather
- Family: Ericaceae
- Key features:
- Attractive to wildlife
Heather (Calluna vulgaris) offers year-round interest, with masses of summer flowers and evergreen foliage. It’s a familiar sight in the wild on moorlands and lowland heaths, growing in such profusion that the land appears to turn purple in the late summer months and filling the air with a honey-like scent from the nectar-rich blooms which are a valuable food source for bees.
Many varieties of heather have been bred for the garden with flowers in a range of colours that include reds, pinks, purples and white, and some with foliage coloured orange or yellow. There are also varieties known as ‘bud bloomers’ that offer a particularly long season of interest as the flower buds never open fully but remain colourful for many weeks. This versatile, very hardy little shrub forms low, bushy or spreading mounds of slender stems clothed with narrow, evergreen leaves which are smothered with masses of tiny, bell-shaped flowers in summer or autumn.
Calluna vulgaris is easy to grow and long lived providing it is planted in acid (lime free) soil, or in peat-free ericaceous compost if grown in pots or raised beds. Heathers look best planted in groups or drifts and suit a range of sites including border edges, banks, rockeries, raised beds, and pots. They make good, weed-smothering, non-invasive ground cover. Keep plants neat and encourage bushy growth by shearing off the stems that have produced flowers, in early spring.
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Advice on buying Calluna vulgaris
- Buy heather as pot grown plants all year round from nurseries, garden centres, or online
- Always check plants for signs of damage or disease before planting
Where to buy Calluna vulgaris
How to grow Calluna vulgaris
-
Plant size
45cm height
60cm spread
-
Aspect
South facing, west facing
- Sun exposure: Full sun, partial shade
- Hardiness: Hardy
- Soil type: Acidic / well drained / light / sandy
Plant calendar
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flowers | ||||||||||||
| Flowers |
J
Plant does not flower in January |
F
Plant does not flower in February |
M
Plant does not flower in March |
A
Plant does not flower in April |
M
Plant does not flower in May |
J
Plant does not flower in June |
J
Plant does flower in July |
A
Plant does flower in August |
S
Plant does flower in September |
O
Plant does flower in October |
N
Plant does not flower in November |
D
Plant does not flower in December |
| Cut back | ||||||||||||
| Cut back |
J
Do not Cut back in January |
F
Do not Cut back in February |
M
Do Cut back in March |
A
Do not Cut back in April |
M
Do not Cut back in May |
J
Do not Cut back in June |
J
Do not Cut back in July |
A
Do not Cut back in August |
S
Do not Cut back in September |
O
Do not Cut back in October |
N
Do not Cut back in November |
D
Do not Cut back in December |
Calluna vulgaris and wildlife
Calluna vulgaris is known for attracting bees.
Attractive to Bees
Does not attract Beneficial insects
Does not attract Birds
Does not attract Butterflies/Moths
Does not attract Other pollinators
Is Calluna vulgaris poisonous?
Calluna vulgaris has no toxic effects reported.
No reported toxicity to Birds
No reported toxicity to Cats
No reported toxicity to Dogs
No reported toxicity to Horses
No reported toxicity to Livestock
No reported toxicity to People
