Planting Partners

Picea pungens ‘Edith’ ‘Edith’

– Choosing a conifer to plant among heathers can seem daunting because some will form very tall trees, even if they are sold as dwarf types. This variety is an exception, however, taking approximately 20 years to reach 10ft (3m) tall and forming a neat, bushy mound. Its ice-blue needles will make a beautiful contrast with bronze- or yellow-leaved heathers and with pink flowers in winter. The needles it sheds act as a natural acidic mulch to aid the growth of the winter heathers around it.

Cornus

– These much-loved winter shrubs are among the few plants that can challenge winter heathers for colour at this time of year, and planted together, they can make a spectacular winter display. They should be kept pruned to form a tall, thin plant that does not cast too much shade, allowing heathers to thrive around them. Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ has blood-red stems in winter, which team up particularly well with the soft-pink flowers of Erica x darleyensis varieties.

Bergenia ‘Bressingham Ruby’

– This perennial is a perfect partner for winter heathers because it also shows its best colour when grown in full sun. Leaves are green for most of the year, before turning a beautiful wine-red in winter, with deep purple colouring underneath. It is a great foil for varieties of heather with hot-pink flowers.

Grasses

– Evergreen grasses provide a neat contrast in colour and form when planted around winter heathers. Variegated Carex oshimensis ‘Everest’ has white-and-dark-green-striped arching leaves that provide a fresh contrast with pink and purple-flowered heathers and, growing to 20in (50cm) tall, they can make a tapestry effect with other heathers. In a very sheltered garden, with well-drained soil, Carex comans, which is hardy to approximately -10°C, shows off clumps of long, wispy strands each year, softening the hard edges of the heathers.