Heaths and heathers are popular evergreen shrubs in the Ericaceae family, beloved in temperate gardens for their flower and foliage colors, spreading habit, and easy care.
And they propagate readily with the right treatment.
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Winter heaths, Erica carnea, hybrids, and other Erica species are known as winter/spring heathers and they have outstanding cold hardiness.
Flowering when it’s too cold for most plants, they’re among the first to bloom and create gorgeous waves of fuchsia, magenta, mauve, pink, or white in late winter to spring, providing an important early food source for bees.
Scotch, summer, or ling heathers, Calluna vulgaris, are the summer/fall varieties and these also have exceptional cold hardiness.
These varieties bloom in midsummer and fall, with flower colors in mauve, pink, purple, ruby, or white.
And many C. vulgariscultivars have vibrant, color-changing foliage – starting out with bronze, burgundy, chartreuse, coral, gray, green, or gold foliage in spring, they turn mostly green for summer, and then take on bronze and plum hues in winter.
Varieties in both genera are easily cultivated and make beautiful accents, borders, ground covers, and container or rockery plants.
Plus, they have excellent drought tolerance once established, are salt resistant, and deer leave them alone.
Regardless of the type growing in your garden, propagation methods are the same.
These woody shrubs take some time to root, but with a little patience, you can enjoy many multiples of your favorite varieties, with colors and characteristics true to the parents – or not, if you prefer to take your
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