The heather in the profile

plant profile

• Botanical name: Calluna vulgaris)
• Other names: broom heather, heather, summer heath
• Order: Heathers (Ericales)
• Genus: heather
• Family: heather family (Ericaceae)
• Growth height: 40 to 50 centimeters
• Growth form: dwarf shrub
• Main flowering period: July to November
• Leaf Color: Dark Green
• Leaf shape: Acicular
• Flower Color: White, Yellow, Orange, Pink, Red, Purple
• Flower shape: budded, bell-shaped

Special feature:

In the past, dried heather was used to sweep the house. This is probably where the name "Besenheide" comes from.

Origin:

The common heather is the only representative of the genus Calluna within the heather family. It originally grows in the cooler regions of central and northern Europe. It can even be found here at altitudes of over 2,000 meters.

planting and care

If she feels well, the heather can be up to forty years old. The small shrub prefers a sunny spot, but also thrives in

penumbra.
Common heather grows on sandy and acidic soils, as long as good permeability is guaranteed. Make sure that the pH does not exceed 6.5 and improve the substrate with something if necessary rhododendron soil.

Keep the weeds at bay with a layer of leaf mulch, as heather roots do not tolerate tillage with a hoe.

Water regularly, the bale should never dry out completely. Fertilize once in spring with rhododendron fertilizer.

propagation

Heather can be easily propagated by cuttings. The special feature here: the shoots are torn off at the bottom so that a tongue-shaped piece of bark remains on the seedling.

These are placed in a planter filled with a mixture of sand, peat and rhododendron soil. Moisten the substrate and put a bag over the cuttings. This creates a greenhouse climate, which accelerates root formation.

diseases and pests

The common heather is a robust plant that is almost never attacked by pests and diseases. However, honey fungus, a white fungus with a fan-shaped hat, can destroy entire stocks. In infested plants, it grows out from under the bark at the base of the shoots. Heather, which the fungus uses as a host, should be removed immediately.