The winter heather is so popular as a garden plant partly because it often blooms in February or even earlier, rather atypically. Despite a relatively long flowering period, gardeners have to be content with a somewhat simpler appearance of these heather plants in summer.
How do you care for and propagate winter heather in summer?
The winter heather (Erica carnea) blooms in winter and has a more inconspicuous appearance in summer. Important care measures include regular pruning and occasional fertilization. In summer the snow heather can be propagated by cuttings, cuttings or seeds.
The difference between the common heather and the winter heather
Many hobby gardeners are sometimes confused by the heather plants in garden shops that initially appear very similar, as flowering specimens are offered not only in the first few months of the year, but also in midsummer. A closer look reveals that the specimens that bloom in summer are the so-called common heather. This grows in moor and heath areas with relatively mild climates and can be recognized by its scale-like foliage. The snow heath, on the other hand, is clearly needled and originally comes from more mountainous areas of origin. Therefore, the snow heather is much more hardy than the broom heather. So the choice is relatively simple: For summer blooms, choose the common heather; you can only experience winter blooms with the winter heather.
Important care measures for winter heather in summer
Immediately after flowering, the winter heather should be cut back by a third every year. This is very important to prevent the plants from balding and to stimulate flower production for the following year. In addition, the plants can be fertilized regularly and sparingly from April to late summer. Irrigation is only necessary in extreme drought and in a correspondingly sunny location. Specimens in balcony boxes naturally require more water.
Propagate snow heather easily in summer
The snow heather can be propagated in different ways:
- grown from seeds
- about lowering tool
- by rooting cuttings
To form depressions, lateral shoots are bent downwards in summer and piled up with a little soil. In the fall, the offshoots rooted in this way are finally cut off and planted in a new location. Cuttings are also ideally made in midsummer; they must be kept evenly moist until rooting.
Tip
Summer is the ideal time to provide balance in your heather garden after the soil may have been washed out by heavy rain. First check whether the relatively shallow roots of the winter heather are still completely covered with soil or are exposed to the sun. In the latter case, you should definitely use some suitable soil to bury the plants well above the roots.
