In contrast to the common heather (Calluna vulgaris), the snow heather or winter heather (Erica carnea) also grows on non-moory and rather calcareous soils, and it is also very frost-hardy due to its Alpine origins. As the name suggests, the winter heather blooms from February to April at a time when hardly any other outdoor plants bloom.
How do you plant winter heather correctly?
To successfully plant winter heather (Erica carnea), choose a sunny to partially shaded location with calcareous soil in spring. The plants should be planted 20 to 30 cm apart and pruned heavily annually after flowering to encourage lush flowering the following year.
When and where do you get he althy plants?
The winter heather is usually offered in garden stores in spring in different varieties and flower colors. This may also be because spring is the absolute best time to plant winter heather.
Which locations does winter heath prefer?
The winter heather loves locations that are as sunny as possible or as partially shaded as possible. The soil should be calcareous and barren soils with a high proportion of gravel or rock are also tolerated well.
What should you consider when planting winter heather?
The pot balls of the plants are usually already very intensively rooted when they are purchased. Therefore, take the winter heather out of the pot and carefully loosen the root ball a little before inserting it into the soil about 1 cm deeper than before.
Can the winter heather be transplanted?
If at all, winter heather should only be transplanted in spring. In principle, the hardy and perennial plants can remain in one location for many years. Older specimens sometimes do not survive being transplanted to a new location very well.
How is snow heather propagated?
Since propagation from seeds is rather negligible for snow heath, the following three propagation methods are usually possible:
- by division
- with rooting half-woody cuttings
- through the formation of sink cores
To grow cuttings, approximately 25 to 35 mm long pieces of half-woody branches of the winter heather are cut off in summer. These are removed from the lower, approximately 10 mm long area and placed in potting soil (€6.00 on Amazon). If the cuttings are kept evenly moist for about 40 days, in most cases the cuttings should have rooted after this period.
When does the snow heather bloom?
The snow heather usually blooms between February and April.
At what distance should winter heather be planted as ground cover?
The winter heather is not only suitable as a winter plant for balcony boxes, but also as an attractive ground cover in the heather garden. To do this, the young plants are planted at a distance of around 20 to 30 cm from each other.
Tip
So that the winter heather does not become bare even after several years in one location, it should be cut back heavily every year after flowering. Pruning is also important for lush flowering the following year.
