Winter Heathers: "They don't break old wood!"

I have a particular fondness for "winter heather." Every January, as you drive through Victoria, Langford, or any Greater Victoria community, you'll encounter these lovely plants. They burst into life with beautiful pink, cream, and white mounds, attracting swarms of bees. The urn-shaped flowers produce nectar that bees love. One of their strengths is providing color during the winter months, and in our region, deer tend to ignore them. These are two admirable qualities for adding them to your garden. This plant serves as a fuss-free ground cover, being a low-growing shrub with soft, whorled green needles. However, they require a regular drink, so it's best in a bed close to the hose or with in-ground sprinklers.

Cultivars can flower from December to June. Combining and arranging them can create some of the most beautiful displays of pinks and whites for entire seasons. Just yesterday, I spent a good hour trimming a few inches off these bushy mounds. They're still blooming, but they needed a haircut. The density of the shrub relies on these haircuts in the season, and as it reaches the end of the growing season, it is time to grab the shears to keep these mounds dense in flowers for next year.

Here's a crucial piece of advice: avoid cutting the branches too far back. This plant "does not break old wood," which means leaves will not bud out from the lower parts of the branch. There's no chance of leaves (needles) regrowing from older stems. Cutting too far back will result in a tangled mess of woody branches, which is quite unattractive. Therefore, when trimming, be careful to maintain your winter heathers in their best condition.

This is a beautiful pathway leading to a home on a property where I work. As you can see, the heathers have spread over the retaining wall. To manage their cascading growth, I've lifted the mounds and trimmed into the old wood beneath. I know they won't grow from old wood, so I don't have to worry about them reaching the ground. This approach will keep them under control for many seasons, allowing me to line trim and mow throughout the season. By lifting the mound and cutting the wood back to a primary stem, I can manage their spreading growth.

Once established, Winter Heathers are extremely resilient plants. These Heathers are not watered frequently. Remember, these are mature and well-established specimens. They serve as an excellent groundcover, offering gentle hues of pinks, whites, and creams for several months, lasting even into June when I trim them. They are still a strong source of food for the pollinators.

An essential tip for maintaining winter heathers is to avoid exposing them to fertilizer on their dense foliage, particularly those with high nitrogen content, as it can cause burning. It's easy to unintentionally grab lawn fertilizer and start spreading it across the yard. A few days later, you might observe burned spots on your heathers, which is quite unattractive. To prevent this, cover your heathers with a tarp when using a spreader. This will help keep them looking their best!

Winter Heathers are resilient plants that flourish in poor soil conditions but need well-drained soil. It's essential to prevent them from sitting in excess moisture, as this can lead to issues for these woody shrubs. If your Heather requires support, use a fertilizer specifically for acid-loving plants, like Rhododendron and Azalea, just as they begin to revive. This will give them the necessary boost for growth during the season. Be sure to read the instructions on the package and apply accordingly. Excessive fertilizer can harm Heathers. Generally, these plants are content with an annual application of mulch or organic matter to maintain their health and soil needs, and fertilizer is less frequently needed. Maybe try a better watering schedule first.

But, after all these tips, let's look at how a Heather garden can play out. The Pacific College of Horticulture (PCH) has a very dedicated Heather specialist. He has put together a mosaic of Winter Heathers and Summer Heathers (Calluna vulgaris) to keep his Heather garden in full bloom YEAR round. It is always full of beauty. An outstanding display!

This garden at PCH is truly stunning; while the seasons and surrounding plants change, this garden continues to flourish. It is an outstanding heather garden, consistently full of vibrant colors. The garden exudes tranquility with its soothing shades of soft pinks, whites, and creams. It is always buzzing with bees and is almost entirely free of weeds. As an efficient groundcover, it provides a magnificent display and a view that everyone can appreciate. With proper planning, you too could create a nearly maintenance-free heather garden. It simply requires thoughtful selection of plant cultivars and a mix of winter and summer heathers.

Remember this when pruning your plants: some plants cannot regenerate from old wood, meaning that older wood cannot produce new leaf buds. It's crucial to understand if your cuts will turn into unsightly features in your garden. However, not all mistakes are irreversible. You can sometimes stimulate new growth by covering the plant with soil. If the plant is barely surviving or you're left with just a cluster of wood, there's no harm in attempting to encourage the plant to develop roots and begin anew. While this does not always work, it is definitely worth the effort, as plants are expensive, and heathers are slow-growing.

I hope my tips for caring for Winter Heather are useful in your gardens and help your Heathers thrive!