Calluna vulgaris

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Calluna vulgaris

Calluna vulgaris

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HeatherFamily: Ericaceae

Height: 45cmSpread: 60cm
Hardy

Attractive to wildlife

Position

Sun Exposure:

Full sun, partial shade

Aspect:

South facing, west facing

Soil

Acidic / Well Drained / Light / Sandy

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

Plant calendar

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPlantyesyesyesyesyesyesyesFlowersyesyesyes**yesDivideyesyesyesyesyes**yesCut Backyes

Calluna ‘Vulgaris’ and wildlife

Calluna ‘Vulgaris’ is known for attracting bees.

Is known to attract Bees

Bees

Is not known to attract Beneficial insects

Beneficial insects

Is not known to attract Birds

Birds

Is not known to attract Butterflies/Moths

Butterflies/Moths

Is not known to attract Other pollinators

Other pollinators

Is Calluna ‘Vulgaris’ poisonous?

Calluna ‘Vulgaris’ has no toxic effects reported.

No reported toxicity to:

Is not known to attract Birds

Birds

Is not known to attract Cats

Cats

Is not known to attract Dogs

Dogs

Is not known to attract Horses

Horses

Is not known to attract Livestock

Livestock

Is not known to attract People

People