Lavender heather, shadow bells: everything about proper care

The lavender heather, with the botanical name Pieris, is evergreen and an eye-catcher, especially in winter, with its leaves and flowers. It is popular with bees and can be used as a hedge. In addition, it is comparatively easy to maintain, although certain details have to be taken into account. Because the shadow bell, as the lavender heather is also called, makes special demands on the location and substrate as well as the culture in the garden or tub.

Location

It should be sun or at least light shade for the lavender heather. If the shrub is too dark, it loses its flowering power and develops more leaves. It should also be noted that depending on the variety, it can be between two and four meters high. The height and width should be taken into account when choosing a location.
As a rule of thumb, you should keep half a growth width away from other plants. Furthermore, it is important to ensure that the shadow bell is not exposed to the blazing midday sun and is also protected from cold wind. An easterly orientation or a location near a wall is therefore favorable.

Substrate

Like azaleas and rhododendrons, the lavender heather prefers acidic soils with a low lime content. In addition, the substrate should meet the following requirements:

• loose and well-drained, not prone to compaction
• slightly damp but not wet
• pH around 5
• humus
• only moderately rich in nutrients

A mixture of garden soil and peat in equal parts is ideal. Alternatively, finished rhododendron soil can also be used.

plants

The lavender heather is best planted between August and September. With regular watering, it can grow well until the beginning of winter.
If the shadow bell is to serve as a hedge, half the growth width is maintained as the distance between the plants. If the soil does not meet the requirements, a planting hole at least 50 centimeters deep and wide should be dug and the appropriate substrate filled in.

to water

A light, continuous moisturizing of the lavender heather until autumn is recommended and prepares the plant for the winter. However, waterlogging must be avoided as a matter of urgency, as well as hard water with a high lime content. Rainwater, pond water or soft tap water should therefore be used. If the tap water is very lime-rich, it can stand still for a week. The lime collects on the ground. It is then poured in such a way that the sediment remains in the container.

Fertilize

With the new shoot in spring, the lavender heather can be fertilized. The following are suitable for this:

• peat
• Bark humus
• Rhododendron fertilizer

Humus and peat can be added to the substrate and easily incorporated. They also have the advantage that they have a positive effect on the pH value of the soil. Usually a one-time dose of nutrients per year is sufficient. If necessary, this can also be divided into two doses, whereby the second fertilization should take place in June to July at the latest.

Waste

The shadow bell grows comparatively slowly. An increase of up to eight centimeters can be expected per year. The speed of growth is of course also dependent on the selected variety. A blending is therefore often not necessary for a long time, but is well tolerated by the lavender heather. Ideally, the measure is carried out after flowering, removing withered inflorescences and intersecting shoots.
This way, the branches get enough light again. When cultivating as a hedge, the shrub can also be cut all around. It is advisable to shorten the shoots one to half a centimeter in front of an outward-facing flower. The cut is made at an angle so that the tip points away from the bud. Very old and balding shoots, on the other hand, are cut off or sawed off just above the ground.
Tip: Gloves must be worn when cutting, as all parts of the lavender heather are poisonous. For this reason, the clippings should be disposed of in such a way that they are inaccessible to children and animals.

Multiplication

The lavender heather reproduces by itself by forming runners. The easiest option is to leave these runners on the mother plant for as long as possible so that it has already developed roots itself. Then proceed as follows:

1. Carefully remove the substrate and sever the connection to the mother plant close to the large plant.

2. Also carefully remove the soil from the roots so that they are not damaged. Damaged root runners must be cut off.

3. The young plant is planted and watered as described above.

Alternatively, the runners or approximately ten centimeters long shoots can be cut directly from the mother plant and freed from the lower leaves. These are placed in moist potting soil and when new leaves are sprouting, they can be placed in the same substrate as the mother plant.
Again, gloves should be worn to avoid skin contact with leaking sap.
Tip: The formation of runners can be accelerated by following longer shoots close to the ground curved at the bottom and a section of it buried in the ground about 20 centimeters in front of the shoot tip will. As a result, roots form at the place covered with earth.

wintering

As such, the evergreen shade bells do not need any protection in winter, provided they have been planted freely in the garden. In dry winters with strong sunlight, however, it can also make sense to protect the foliage with a layer of garden fleece. Cultivated in a tub, the lavender heather needs protection from frost and direct winter sun. In addition, it must be kept from drying out. On the one hand, it can be overwintered in a frost-free but cool and bright room, for example in an unheated hallway or a cellar directly in front of a window.
On the other hand, it is also possible to insulate the bucket from below with styrofoam and all around with garden fleece and leave the lavender heather outside. In any case, care should be taken that the substrate does not dry out completely. A small amount should therefore be watered outdoors on frost-free days and indoors about once a week.

Diseases, pests and care mistakes

Root rot and the net bug are particularly problematic for the lavender heather. Risk factors for root rot include:

• Waterlogging or insufficient water drainage
• substrate with a tendency to compaction
• cold, heavy ground

If the shadow bells are infested, the leaves are yellowish and withered. The plant hardly grows or even cares. As a preventive measure, you should pay attention to the right substrate and, if necessary, insert a drainage layer and adjust the pouring behavior. If there is already a root rot, the following measures can help:

• Clippings of the infected and dead plant parts
• Use of sulfur preparations as a disinfectant for the floor
• Application of fungicides
• Replace the substrate and move to a drier location

With regard to pests, the aforementioned net bug is problematic. The adult parasites suck the leaves of the lavender heather from spring and lay their eggs on them later. In addition to the approximately three millimeter long animals themselves, they can also be recognized by:

• punctual discoloration on the leaves that eventually turn completely yellow or brown
• black deposits
• Eggs or larvae, especially on the undersides of the leaves

As a preventive measure, it is advisable to carefully check the plants when you buy them and then of course in the garden or in the tub at regular intervals. In the event of an infestation with the pests, the affected leaves must be cut off and destroyed. Early spring is favorable for this, at the latest in April - before a new generation of net bugs can hatch. Pesticides for sucking insects can also be used.

Caution: poisonous!

As already mentioned, the lavender heather is poisonous in all parts. Skin contact with sap should therefore be avoided as a matter of urgency. Gloves should therefore be worn when planting, cutting and propagating. In addition, shade bells in gardens with children and pets playing should not be the first choice of planting or at least be adequately secured. In the event of contact with skin and mucous membrane or even consumption, a doctor or veterinarian must be consulted immediately and an emergency doctor should be informed and informed about the type of poisoning.
Conclusion
The lavender heather is in itself an easy to care for and undemanding plant, but due to its poisonous content it should be consumed and treated with caution. If the requirements of the shadow bell are taken into account with substrate and irrigation, it is also ideally suited for beginners in plant care.