Carpet of winter colour

Although many plants are showing just the smallest signs of growth, swathes of bright flowering heathers prove the season can put on a colourful display before spring’s arrival

“The brightest hour of unborn Spring, Through the winter wandering, Found, it seems, the halcyon Morn To hoar February born”

Percy Bysshe Shelley, ‘To Jane: The Invitation’

On a bright February afternoon, the sky is blue and cloudless. Although there is little warmth in the air, the season will soon begin to lose its icy grip as it makes way for spring.

Gentle rays of sun filter through the skeletal branches of a tree into a garden where a colourful celebration is taking place. Above the white and gold blooms of snowdrops and winter aconites are mounds of vibrant pink and purple winter flowering heather. They are covered so densely in tiny flowers that, in places, the evergreen foliage beneath can scarcely be seen.

When colourful thickets of cornus stems begin to be peppered with the first new shoots of the year, and the first daffodils light up the landscape, winter flowering heathers carpet the ground in their floral finery, letting even the most unobservant gardener know that a welcome change is coming to the garden.

Winter displays

Varieties of the genus erica, the most widely grown winter flowering heathers are forms of Erica carnea and Erica x darleyensis, which are hardy in the UK. One of the reasons for their popularity is that, unlike other heather species, which only grow well in acid soil, these varieties will also tolerate limey, or alkaline, soils. They need rich soil that drains well and struggle in heavy or waterlogged soils. On alkaline soils, regular mulching with leaf mould, pine needles or ericaceous compost each spring is beneficial.

The chosen location should be well-lit for the best display of flowers. A shady area beneath mature trees may look like the ideal situation to place winter flowering heathers for a blanket of colour, but they will not thrive in these conditions.

The tubular flowers of Erica carnea appear from winter until the end of spring, usually in shades of pink and purple, although there are also white forms. The blooms are held on short, vertical stems, with the plants typically broader than they are tall, with heights between 8-16in (20-40cm). The stems are clothed in narrow, needle-like leaves in shades of green, bronze, golden yellow and orange. The leaves are held above soil level rather than prostrate, allowing the flowers to be seen in all their glory.

Erica x darleyensis varieties are more vigorous than Erica carnea. They are also taller, with heights from 18-36in

(45-90cm), making them good choices for gardeners looking to cover large areas to suppress weeds. In addition, they flower slightly longer than Erica carnea, with bell-shaped flowers in shades of cream, pink and red first appearing in autumn and continuing until late spring.

Erica carnea originates from various mountainous areas of Europe, where it grows on woodland slopes. The Latin word ‘carnea’ means ‘flesh pink’, referring to the colour of the flowers. There are more than 100 varieties of this species available. Erica x darleyensis is a hybrid between Erica carnea and Erica erigena. The first seedling was discovered more than 100 years ago in Darley Dale, Derbyshire; hence the species name of darleyensis, and today, there are numerous varieties of it in cultivation.

If grown in a sheltered place away from strong winds, the winter flowering tree heather, Erica arborea, can prove hardy in the UK. As the name suggests, it is an upright form and makes a large, evergreen, conifer-like tree, capable of reaching 20ft (6m) when mature. There is a shorter variety, called Erica arborea var. alpina, which will reach 6ft 6in (2m). This erica makes a fine evergreen focal point for garden borders, heather beds or containers and bears masses of white, honey-scented flowers. Erica arborea is native to Mediterranean shrublands.

Care and maintenance

Heathers are best bought when in flower to ensure that they are of the desired colour. The plants should be bushy, with no bare areas in the centre. Spring is the best time to buy them, as the plants will be transplanted into soil that is warming up and less likely to be overly wet.

They should be planted so that the compost surface is just below soil level. After removing the soil to make the planting hole, ericaceous compost is mixed into it before replacing the soil. A handful of grit should be added and mixed into each planting hole when planting into heavy soil.

Feeding is only necessary if growing winter heathers on alkaline soils. A feed each spring and summer with an ericaceous fertiliser, such as Gro-Sure Ericaceous Plant Food, will prevent the leaves from yellowing, which can be an issue in highly alkaline soils.

For container growing, John Innes ericaceous compost is recommended. This is a heavy soil-based compost that will hold moisture well. A handful of grit is mixed into the compost for each heather being planted to aid drainage. The container should be lifted off the ground by placing pot feet underneath it to allow water to escape.

Winter flowering heathers need pruning in order to remain tight, dense and compact, and to ensure a dense block of colour at flowering time. To prune, the plants need to be trimmed back immediately after the flowers have lost their colour. Pruning should be carried out before May, otherwise the plant will have put on new growth, which will produce

the next batch of flowers. The easiest method is to cut back the whole plant using sharp shears. For Erica carnea, it is recommended to lightly trim off old flowers and the tip of each shoot after flowering, removing approximately a quarter of each stem. Regular trimming prevents the formation of old, thick woody stems, which can result in a bare, flowerless area in the centre of the plant. These plants are best replaced if this occurs, as winter heathers do not regenerate well if these old stems are cut back. Erica x darleyensis is more vigorous and can be pruned further if it is invading the space of other plants.

Propagation

The easiest way to propagate winter heathers is by layering, and this can be carried out at any time. A shallow trench is dug around some of the stems on the outside of the heather. A nearby stem is bent into the trench and pegged down into the soil with a piece of bent wire. The tip of the stem is positioned so it faces upwards and the soil replaced to cover the rest of the stem, mounding it around the tip. The soil is then watered around it. New plants should root well within 9 months.

Easy to grow, easy to propagate and easy to use in the garden to make a big impact, winter heathers are a rare thing of beauty in winter. The season is not often considered a time of abundance in the garden, but these plants save a bold and bountiful display for the final throes of the coldest season. It is a celebration of surviving another winter and of savouring that feeling of a new spring being within touching distance.

“God Almighty first planted a garden. And indeed, it is the purest of human pleasures”

Francis Bacon

The pink blooms of Erica carnea ‘Pink Spangles’ darken and become brighter with age, contrasting beautifully with white varieties, such as Erica x darleyensis ‘White Glow’.

Clouds of purplish-pink Erica carnea line a pathway to bring alive a winter garden. These plants are perfect for covering large areas of ground at a low level.

The stamens of winter heathers are typically a different colour to the rest of the flower and are easy to access for early foraging bees looking for food during mild spells. The brilliant-white, chocolatetipped tubular flowers of E. carnea f. alba ‘Springwood White’.

A magenta-hued Erica carnea ‘Myretoun Ruby’ provides a striking foreground to tall fountains of pheasant grass, Anemanthele lessoniana.

Pink and white heathers grown alongside golden conifers, large, rounded leaves of bergenia and tall, graceful grasses, provide an unexpected intensity of colour in a winter garden.