What's Hot Now: Heath

One of my favorite plants that transition winter to spring is heath, botanically named Erica carnea.  (The memory device I used in school to remember this name was Heath loves Erica, in honor of a classmate named Erica.)

This evergreen shrub performs well in full to partial sun, but I've also seen it shine in bright shade, such as the northside of a house, though not under trees.  The blooms begin as early as January and can last through April.  I've seen them most often in shades of pink and white.  They do not like wet feet, so make sure that your soil is well prepped with compost before planting.  Most mature heaths are 2-3' wide, so make sure to give it space to grow.  This is a common error, especially when you're impatient to get that full garden look.

Calluna on top, Erica on bottom.

Heath is often confused with heather.  The two are not interchangeable, as I was once mistakenly told.  Though they are both low growing evergreen shrubs, heather does not grow as large as heath.  Calluna vulgaris, as heather is known botanically, blooms in summer.  The fastest way to tell them apart though is to look at the leaves.  Actually, they have needles and awls.

 

Calluna/heather on left, Erica/heath on right.

Wow, I love macro lens! As you can see, the heather has awls, which I've always thought were shaped like ship anchors.  Other examples of plants with awls include cypresses and false cypresses (Chamaecyparis, which I LOVE!)  The heath has needles, rather like a hemlock, but much, much smaller.

 This is a great example of proper spacing for heather.  These plants are probably 3-5 years old and are more than two feet wide individually.  In the picture on the right, you can see my car keys to get an idea of dimensions.  The plants are spaced 3-4' on center, allowing plenty of room for growth.  I would have added some rosemary or lamium, to break up the monotony and add a cascading element.  But it's still an excellent example of heath.