August is rich in colors, but the blooming of heather is perhaps the brightest decoration of this last summer month.
Unprepossessing clearings suddenly appear under a thick lilac blanket - the heather has bloomed!
On such days, its graceful flowers are covered with insects - for them this is one of the last sweets of the season.
And sometimes, in this splendor of lilac blossoms, you suddenly notice a bright white spot.
In Scotland, a lucky person is said to have seen white heather flowers. Indeed, in the wild, where heather often occupies huge areas, it is almost impossible to find a plant with white flowers. However, as it turned out, such a rarity can be seen very close to your home. The only inexplicable thing is that I did not notice this beautiful bush for several years, although I walked along this clearing many times in search of mushrooms.
It is no different from its fellows, only its flowers are not lilac, but dazzling white. And this is not a decorative look, but the most natural, natural one. While admiring an extraordinary plant, you don’t immediately realize that meeting it is a great success.
“Where the heather grows, there a man can live,” says a Scottish proverb. And, indeed, this plant is unusually unpretentious - according to an old Scottish legend, only heather agreed to grow on bare hillsides, on sandstone, where a cold wind constantly blows. As a reward, the plant received amazing endurance, beauty - albeit discreet, a charming aroma and valuable nectar.
Scientific name of heather– Calluna
– comes from the Greek word Kallunein
–
"cleanse" The fact is that in the old days brooms were made from heather.
Russian name - heather
– comes from the ancient Slavic word "Varesnets"
– "frost"
.
Heather holds a special place in Scottish culture.
Yellow tartan dye was made from heather leaves, which was used to make blankets and the national clothing of the Scots - kilts.
The basal spherical thickening of the plant was considered the best material for making smoking pipes.
And how many legends are associated with heather! The most famous, perhaps, is the one told by Stevenson in his famous ballad - the legend of heather honey and the lost secret of its preparation. Perhaps someone is trying to revive the recipe, but it seems that the attempts will not be successful - after all, over the past hundreds of years no one has been able to try the original drink.
As soon as the snow melts, the heather puts out tender green shoots, but at this time it is unattractive and somewhat intrusive– clings to shoes with its tough branches. AND– Surprisingly, the huge sea of heather is inconspicuous at this time - it is in no hurry to show its merits. But the time of flowering comes, the clearings and clearings are filled with the thick aroma of blooming heather, the hum of bees does not stop from morning to evening. And extraordinary beauty flowering plant- this is not just one, albeit beautiful, flower blooming - this is a fragrant lilac river flowing under your feet. We must wait for such an event and prepare for it. Heather blooms for a long time, pleasing to the eye at the end of summer. Numerous insects are also pleased; bees, after the main honey collection, willingly collect abundant nectar.They say that heather honey from a late bribe is slightly bitter and that’s probably why it is compared to late love.
Heather – medicinal plant, it is used in the treatment of many ailments. The list of diseases against which heather has been successfully used is impressive.
Heather preparations have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, hemostatic, wound-healing, sedative, diuretic, astringent, expectorant, diaphoretic, emollient, and hypnotic properties.IN folk medicine heather is used for colds, coughs, bronchitis, urolithiasis, cystitis, dropsy, gout, rheumatism, radiculitis, liver and spleen diseases, diarrhea, inflammatory diseases of the gastric mucosa with high acidity, circulatory disorders, allergies, brain spasms, atherosclerosis, diabetes, nervous disorders.
Heather bushes are cozy - they provide shelter and shelter for both tender plants and autumn mushrooms. Butterflies and honey mushrooms love to hide in heather bushes - here is another beauty of mushroom picking - try it, find it!
The dream grass was reliably protected from the autumn wind by a dense fence of heather branches - in the spring it did not need such protection - it splashed out its flowering, relying only on its own strength. By autumn, a reliable fence appears around it, as if by magic, protecting it from the already cold winds.
The heather has faded, frost has arrived, and the bush under the morning frost glows again, illuminated by the sun, as at the time of flowering. Only then do you understand why it is called that in Russian.
It’s a pity that in our area there are no legends about heather; we have to remember the Scottish ones. But we have a whole month, the name of which was given by this wonderful plant - the wonderful month of Verasen - September.
I've never seen heather bloom. This is a miracle!
Heather plant - planting and care, growing heather from seeds; types and properties of heather.
Growing heather from seeds
Sowing heather seeds.
Growing heather from seeds is a rather lengthy and labor-intensive process, but it inspires optimism. high degree seed germination is about 90%. Heather seeds are placed in a bowl on top of a moistened substrate in a thin layer, without covering, and kept under glass until shoots appear. The best substrate for germinating seeds is a mixture of coniferous soil, sand and peat in a ratio of 1:1:2. Crops need to be kept at a temperature of about 20 ºC, and for the first week it is necessary to create a high level of humidity for the seeds. Sprouts begin to appear after a month. As soon as the shoots appear, they begin to harden, briefly lifting the glass for ventilation. As soon as the seedlings grow and begin to interfere with each other, they are planted in containers or pots.
Heather flowers in open ground -Heather seedlings.
With the onset of summer, the seedlings are taken out into the garden and placed in partial shade, watering as needed, and with the onset of cold weather, the container is brought into a room where the air temperature is maintained within 10-12 ºC. On permanent place Heather seedlings are planted after two years. It should be remembered that heather from seeds does not inherit its parental characteristics, but as a result of your efforts, it may appear new variety, which quite possibly will become your personal achievement.
Where and when to plant heather.
Best time for planting heather in open ground, the time periods are from late September to early October and from the second half of April to early May, however spring planting heather is preferable to autumn heather. Heather loves open sunny areas, although it can grow in partial shade. Heather does not like calcareous soils, preferring dry sandy or moist peaty soils. Heather does not pretend to make the soil fertile, but the pH value of the soil in the area should be shifted to the acidic side - pH approximately 4.5-5.5. The optimal soil composition for heather is peat, sand, coniferous soil or tree bark compost in a ratio of 3:1:2. The area where heather grows must be protected from strong wind. To acidify the soil, red high peat is added to it.
How to plant heather.
Heather is planted at a density of approximately 6-10 specimens per 1-2;, depending on the variety. The planting depth of the heather bush is 25-35 cm, the root collar should be flush with the surface of the site. If the soil on the site is clayey, in each hole you need to place a layer of drainage made of broken brick or sand with a layer of 5-10 cm. When planting heather, add 20-30 g of nitrophoska and 30-50 g of horn flour into the holes. After planting, water the heather seedlings at the rate of 5-6 liters of water for each heather bush and be sure to mulch the area with peat or wood chips coniferous species. It remains to add that heather does not tolerate transplantation well, so try to think through all the steps and comply with all the requirements of agricultural technology so that the heather does not have to be replanted
Heather - care. Growing heather.
The roots of heather are short and are not able to extract moisture from the depths of the soil, therefore, in the absence of regular rainfall, heather needs to be watered with acidified water - the soil on the site should be slightly damp at all times. It is this reason that makes it necessary to mulch the soil in the heather. In addition, mulch protects the soil on the site from overheating on hot days. Watering is carried out once every one and a half to two weeks. After moistening the soil, it is advisable to loosen the soil to a depth of 10-15 cm while simultaneously removing weeds. Loosening and weeding are carried out through the mulch. In hot weather, heather can suffer from too dry air, so it responds well to nightly spraying. As for fertilizing, every year in the spring (in April-May) complete mineral fertilizer should be added to the soil at the rate of 20-30 g/m² or 1.5-2 tablespoons for each mature plant. This is done in this way: dry fertilizer is scattered over the area, trying not to get on the leaves and flowers of the heather, otherwise burns may occur on them. Then the fertilizers are incorporated into the mulch, and the area is watered abundantly. Heather needs annual spring pruning, maintaining the desired shape and stimulating the growth of young shoots. However, intensive pruning of heather begins only in the third year from the moment of planting. Try to maintain the shape of the crown. The haircut is done as follows: hold the heather inflorescence by the top with your left hand, and cut off 2/3 or half of the inflorescence with your right hand. Vegetable trimmings can be shredded and scattered around the area as additional mulch.
Diseases and pests of heather.Heathers are resistant to diseases and pests and are rarely affected, mainly by fungi or viruses. Most often, heather suffers from gray mold, and this occurs from stagnation of water in the roots, if the soil on the site is not characterized by good water permeability, and in the spring the snow melts too quickly. Manifests gray mold plaque on shoots, their death and falling leaves. To combat the disease, heather is treated with fungicides, among which Fundazol and Topaz have the best effect, and in case of more severe damage, plants are sprayed with a one percent solution copper sulfate. This treatment is carried out three times with an interval of 5-10 days. Good results gives preventive spraying of heather with fungicides in the spring, after removing its cover, and in late autumn, before preparing the heather for wintering.
When heather is affected by powdery mildew, young shoots begin to dry out, and the leaves become covered with a whitish, loose coating. Red-brown spots on the leaves indicate heather rust infection. Both powdery mildew and rust are fungal diseases, so they need to be combated with fungicides, just like gray rot.
If you notice deformed shoots or flowers on heather, if the color of flowers and leaves has become uneven and uncharacteristic for the heather variety, you are most likely dealing with a viral disease, which, alas, is incurable. Dig up the diseased bushes and burn them, and spill the place where they grew with a strong solution of potassium permanganate.
But if your heather grows on suitable soil and receives appropriate agricultural care, it will not be afraid of any diseases.
Heather propagation.
We have already described the process of heather seed propagation to you. Heather also reproduces vegetatively - by dividing the bush, layering and cuttings. The apical cuttings are taken at the end of summer from the strongest non-flowering branches and rooted in pots with a mixture of sand and peat (1:3), maintaining the room temperature within 15-18 ºC, and the soil slightly moist. Once a month or a month and a half, feed the cuttings with a urea solution at the rate of 1 g per 1 liter of water and microfertilizers. In spring, rooted cuttings can be planted in open ground.
Heather often propagates itself by layering, without any effort on your part: over time, its old branches lie to the ground and take root on their own. If you want to carry out this type of propagation, bend the lowest of the mature shoots, pin them to the soil and cover with a centimeter layer of peat, and after a year, separate the finished seedling from the mother bush and transplant it to a new place.
The easiest way to propagate heather is by dividing the rhizomes. This can also be done at the end of summer: dig up a mature bush and, without clearing the roots from the soil, cut it into pieces so that each section contains young shoots and roots. Old stems are cut off before planting, and the cuttings are planted in separate holes, having previously treated the sections with crushed coal.
Sources:
Vodjanika
A genus of evergreen low-growing creeping shrubs of the Ericaceae family with needle-like leaves and inconspicuous flowers; widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, also found in South America. Used as ornamental plants
Make words from the word Vodianika
The meaning of the word Vodjanika
A genus of evergreen plants of the Nyctaginaceae family.
Everything you need to know about heather
Distributed in South America 11 letters
A genus of flowering plants in the Adoxaceae family, including about twenty-five species of shrubs, small trees, and rarely perennial herbs, widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, as well as in Australia 6 letters
A thorny tree or shrub of the Rosaceae family, some species of which are used as a green hedge, ornamental plants, etc., and the fruits - in pharmacology 9 letters
Type of winter-green shrubs of the genus Vaccinium of the Heather family 8 letters
A taxon of the Ericaceae family, uniting evergreen creeping shrubs growing in swamps in the Northern Hemisphere. The taxon Oxycoccus is understood in various sources in different ways: both as an independent genus Oxycoccus Hill, and as a subgenus of the genus Vaccinium 6 letters
Answer to a scanword or crossword puzzle for the question: heather
3 letters
Honey But you need to take into account that acacia and clover in their viscosity are very liquid honey, fireweed, linden and buckwheat for liquid, sunflower, dandelion and honeydew for thick, and heather for gelatinous
5 letters
Erika Genus of subshrubs, shrubs or small trees in the heather family
6 letters
Azalea Azalea - Heather rhododendron; Plant of the rhododendron family
Bonsai Most often found in nature and used to create bonsai are dwarf forms of pine, spruce, juniper, larch, hornbeam, elm, some maples, apple, pear, hawthorn, rhododendron, ivy, heather and others
Heather veres (Calluna),
Podbel(andromeda), a genus of evergreen shrubs of the heather family
Epigea genus of plants in the heather family
Amber Despite the fact that this material is very fragile, it began to be used in the 19th century for the production of mouthpieces, and to this day, because of its noble color (from white to dark red), amber is used to make mouthpieces for the most prestigious heather and meerschaum pipes, which are a very worthy gift for those who like to pamper themselves with good tobacco
7 letters
Arktous a small genus of flowering plants in the heather family (Ericaceae). Representatives of the genus grow in the northern regions of Europe, Asia and North America
Dabecia genus of plants in the heather family
Drambuie(Drambuie) is a vintage Scottish liqueur made from Scotch whiskey and heather honey.
Kashkara— Shrub of the heather family; golden rhododendron
Thibodia genus of plants in the heather family, including 60 species
Blueberry Sometimes blueberries are classified as a member of the heather family (including lingonberries as a subfamily).
Epacris genus of plants in the heather family, includes 35-40 species
8 letters
Drambuie- a vintage Scottish liqueur made from Scotch whiskey and heather honey
Agarista genus of shrubs in the heather family
Brianthus genus of plants in the heather family
Cowberry(Vaccinium vitis-idaea), a shrub of the lingonberry family (or heather family, if it is understood in a broad sense).
Vodjanika a genus of evergreen low-growing creeping shrubs of the Ericaceae family with needle-like leaves and inconspicuous flowers
Wintergreen genus of flowering plants in the heather family
McNabia genus of plants in the heather family
9 letters
Astroloma genus genus of plants in the heather family, consisting of approximately 20 species
Ledum(Ledum), a genus of evergreen low-growing shrubs of the heather family
Berenfang For the production of liqueur, aromatic varieties of honey are most often used - linden or heather without any seasonings.
Vaccinium(Latin Vaccínium) is a genus of evergreen and deciduous shrubs, subshrubs and shrubs (occasionally trees, lianas) of the Heather family (Ericaceae).
winter lover genus of flowering plants in the heather family (Ericaceae).
Calendar The most established of them: Sekhen (January) - the time of deforestation; severe (February) - severe frosts; berezozol (March) - there are several interpretations: the birch tree begins to bloom, they took sap from the birch trees, burned the birch tree for charcoal; pollen (April) - flowering of gardens; grass (May) - the grass turns green; Cherven (June) - cherries turn red; Lipets (July) - linden blossoms; serpen (August) - from the word “sickle” - harvest time; heather (September) - heather blooms; leaf fall (October) - falling leaves of trees; gruden (November) - from the word “gruda” - a frozen rut on the road; jelly (December) - icy, cold
Maralnik— Branched shrub with lilac-pink flowers of the heather family; rhododendron, wild rosemary
10 letters
Anemochoria- distribution of plant fruits by wind (orchid, heather, broomrape families and others).
Insomnia Take equal parts heather grass, lemon balm leaves, crushed valerian roots, mix and brew 2 tbsp of boiling water
Ericaceae- family from the order Ericaceae; shrubs or shrubs of temperate countries
Heather— 1) Thickets of shrubs of the heather family
Cavendishia a genus of plants in the heather family, consisting of approximately 100 species, common in the mountainous regions of tropical America
Oxylophytes Sphagnum mosses, many types of heathers, dwarf birch, species of willow, cranberry, etc.
Pterospora genus of plants in the heather family
Rhodothamnus genus of plants in the heather family
Bearberry Spreng, heather family (Ericaceae).
Trochocarpa genus of plants in the heather family
11 letters
Heathers- spaces covered with evergreen shrubs and shrubs belonging almost exclusively to the heather family
Wintergreens- family from the order Ericaceae
Calmiopsis genus of plants in the heather family
shrub Blueberries, blueberries, lingonberries, heather
Rhododendron(Rhododendron), a genus of plants in the heath family
15 letters
Vertlyanitsevidka genus of plants in the heather family
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Heather. Planting and care
Skillful landscape design turns an ordinary vegetable garden into a recreation area. Structures made of stone and wood, DIY crafts from scrap materials, rich colors plants, proper lighting make the site a paradise to which you always want to return.
Choosing decorative living decorations is not so easy, because each one is capricious in its own way.
When does heather bloom, in what month?
Following the experience of European gardeners, heather is increasingly used in the design of the territory; planting and caring for it have their own characteristics.
Beauty and benefits
This flowering shrub height from 30 cm to 80 cm. Numerous branches are completely covered with small leaves in the form of scales and flowers similar to miniature bells. After flowering ends, they dry out, but do not fall off, so it seems that the heather is constantly blooming. In nature, it is found in peat bogs, dry sandstones, and pine forests. Lives for several decades.
The shrub is ideal as a plant for rock gardens and rockeries.
But too large a planting area will look monotonous, despite a wide palette of colors.
Heather is best combined with other species. But this is a light-loving plant, so you should not select large “neighbors” for it. Over time, the heather will be in the shade, and will no longer be so pleasing to the eye. Azaleas, hydrangeas, and low-growing rhododendrons are well suited.
Heather is of great benefit to beekeepers. This is a late honey plant. The collected delicacy has dark color, fragrant aroma and tart taste, generously bestows healing properties on its owners.
Planting heather
Plant better in spring so that it takes root well before the frosts, but you can usually buy heather for these purposes only at the end of summer, so it is necessary to ensure the proper conditions. It must be planted immediately in open ground.
Important!
Heather does not take root well, so replanting is undesirable.
Prefers acidic soil without stagnant water, does not tolerate lime. First, you need to remove the soil to a depth of 30 cm over the entire area of the future heath. Mix it with sand in approximately equal quantities, you can add sawdust and fallen pine needles. Add up to 100 g of sulfur per 1 m² of this mixture.
Backfill the soil in layers, watering each layer generously with acidified water. Suitable for this (per 1 m²):
— electrolyte solution for acid batteries (50 ml per 10 l of water);
— lemon acid(1.5 tablespoons per 10 liters of water);
- 9% table vinegar (0.5 cups per 10 liters of water).
Under natural conditions, heather roots extend horizontally underground. They are twisted in the container, so they need to be straightened out before planting. The plant itself cannot cope with this and will die. The roots are very sensitive. Heather suffers more from soil freezing than from low temperatures, and careful insulation is simply necessary.
Shrubs are planted at a distance of half a meter from each other in a checkerboard pattern, taking into account the color for landscape design. The root collar should not be deepened too much. It should be level with the ground surface.
Mandatory care
To suburban area decorated with heather, planting and caring for it require compliance certain rules. Water the plants once every 1.5 weeks with an acidified solution, being careful not to get it on the leaves and flowers. In spring it is necessary to prune, removing dead and dried flower stalks. The procedure gives the heather a beautiful shape and stimulates the growth of young shoots. At the same time, it must be fed with sour mineral fertilizer. Just scatter around the bush, mulch on top with sawdust, pine needles or chopped bark.
Important!
The procedure requires strict dosing. 1.5 tablespoons is enough for an adult plant. An excess has a negative effect on flowering.
Don't forget about weeding. Only well-groomed plants complement various structures in an original way and decorate the territory.
Name: comes from Greek kalunei, which translates as “to clean”; the Russian name - heather - comes from the ancient Slavic “varesnets”, meaning “frost”.
Description: Rodeveresk has only one species - common heather , represented by several dozen varieties, differing in the color of flowers (from white to dark purple) and foliage (in extreme cases it can be golden-orange or bluish-white).
Calluna vulgaris ‘Sirsson’
Photo by Kirill Tkachenko
In nature, this single species has a colossal range in Europe, stretching from the tundra in the north to the southern border of the coniferous-deciduous forest zone (among European countries it is not found only in Italy). In Russia, there are especially many heathers in the north of the European part, mainly in dry pine forests, on barren sands and sphagnum bogs - that is, in places with the poorest and most acidic soils.
The phenomenon of xerophyte growth on wet soil is explained by strong evaporation and accompanying cooling. It is known that from cold, damp soil the plant does not extract more water than dry - a phenomenon called “physiological dryness”.
Under the thickets of heather, a thin layer of acidic specific soil is formed - dark gray mixed with white sand, loose, light and poor in nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. This heather soil is used in floriculture as garden soil.
Like most representatives of the heather family, verex has adapted to symbiosis (cohabitation) with protozoan fungi. Fungal mycelium threads - hyphae - help them obtain food from very poor soils. It is the absence of such fungi that explains the poor survival rate of coniferous and heather plants on a personal plot.
Heathers are valued for their long flowering in the second half of summer. Heather honey is not a fairy tale; heather is truly a wonderful honey plant. Heather gave the name to the first autumn month in the Belarusian, Ukrainian, Polish languages (verasen, veresen, wrzesien).
| Common heather- C. vulgaris Distributed in the European part of Russia, throughout Western Europe, found in Siberia, Asia Minor, north and west Africa, and the Azores. In sparse pine forests, on sand, in sphagnum bogs, in the tundra and in coniferous-deciduous forests.
Evergreen shrub, low growing, 20 - 70 cm tall. The crown is quite compact, almost round. The bark is dark brown. The leaves are scale-like, about 2 cm long and less than 1 cm wide, triangular, sessile, dark green, imbricate-overlapping. Heather: planting and care, growing from seedsThe flowers are on short stalks, several of them are collected in dense racemose inflorescences up to 25 cm long, lilac-pink, rarely white. Flowering time: July - August. The fruit is a four-leaf capsule up to 2.5 cm long, opening along the partitions. Grows slowly, annual growth is 1.5-2 cm. Lives about 30 years. Decorative during abundant and long flowering and thanks to its beautiful foliage. Overwinters without shelter and is quite winter-hardy. Seedlings and young plants of heather are often found on open areas on sandy soil near mature fruiting thickets. Seed germination is aboveground, cotyledons are brought to the surface, above them in the first year a shoot up to 1 cm long grows with eight to ten pairs of leaves. At the top of the annual shoot, smaller and crowded leaves are formed. In the second year of life, branching of shoots begins. On the main (apical) shoot and on the lateral shoots, the leaves are different: on the main axis, the leaves are separated from neighboring ones by longer internodes and die off in autumn or winter; on side shoots - remain green for 2-3 years. In the central zone of the European part of Russia, heather blooms at the age of 5 - 7 years, its upper lateral branches - 1-2 years later. The transition to flowering and fruiting is accompanied by intensive shoot growth. Heather lives 40-50 years. With age, usually the main and lateral stems (axes) lie down and take root. The latter can reach 1-1.5 m in length, and the shrub forms a clump with a diameter of 2-3 m. With the formation of adventitious roots, its lateral axes become fragile and brittle. When broken off and separated from the mother plant, the side shoots continue to grow as independent plants. It propagates well by seeds. Productivity is 260-1400 seeds per shoot, their germination rate is up to 90%. Pollinated by flies, hymenoptera, lepidoptera, which are attracted by large amounts of nectar. Heather is an obligate mycotrope, that is, its roots always contain fungi that form mycorrhizae. Common heather and its varieties were cultivated in Europe already in the middle of the 18th century. Currently, a large collection is collected in Germany. It has about 300 varieties of heather. C. vulgaris (L.) Hill (= Erica vulgaris L.) was first noted in the catalog of the St. Petersburg Botanical Garden in 1736, possibly as growing wild; then in 1793-1796, 1852-1898, 1909-1925, 1988-1991. From 1864 to 1919 the collection included 6 garden forms this type: f. alba G. Don (1864-1908, 1919), f. fl. pleno alba (1897-1913), f. fl. pleno rubra (1897-1908), f. foxii Bean (= f. compacta Bejer) (1898-?, rock garden), f. Papa Kirchn. (1889-1913), f. fl. pallida (1879-1881). A number of garden forms began to enter the collection, starting in 1994, from Hamburg. Currently, more than 50 varieties of heather are grown in Russia, differing in flowering time, as well as the color of flowers and leaves. In the first ten days of July the following varieties begin to bloom: “Alba Praecox” (white flowers), “Tib” (pink- purple flowers); in the third decade of July: "Hammondii" (white flowers), "Silver Knight" (purple flowers) and "Velvet Fascination" (white flowers). In early August, 'J.H.Hamilton' (salmon-pink flowers), 'Kinlochnuel' (white flowers), 'Radnor' (light pink flowers), 'Red Favorite' (red-pink flowers) bloom. Most varieties of heather begin to bloom in mid-August: white - "Beoley Gold", "Cottswood Gold", "White Lawn", red - "Allegro", "Dark Star", "Carmen", purple - "Aurea", "Boskop" , "Cuprea", "Dinny", purple - "Dark Beauty", etc. From mid-September, "Mazurka", "Red Star" (red), "Esie Purnell", "Annemarie" (light pink), "Golden" bloom Wonder", "Long White" (white), "Mullion" (purple), etc. The following varieties begin to bloom later in late September - early October: "Alexandra" (red), "Alicia", "Melanie", "Sandy" (white), “Larissa” (light red), “Marllen”, “Marlies” (purple). In addition, the varieties have different leaf colors: golden - “Wickwar Flame”, “Amilto”, “Aurea”, “Boskop”, gray - “Jan Dehher”, silver - “Velvet Fascination”. Heathers come in low varieties (“Mullion”, “Mrs. Ronald”, “Gray”) and high ones (“Larissa”, “Long White”, “Peter Sparker”). Thanks to the varieties of heather, you can create an original corner in the heather garden and prolong the flowering of the garden until the end of autumn. It should be noted that not all varieties winter well in the Moscow region, so it is advisable to cover them in the fall. Here are descriptions of varieties suitable for growing in gardens middle zone Russia. |
Photo by EDSR.Location: demanding of illumination, found in areas with illumination of at least 50% of full, and often in open places. In the shade, heather can easily withstand the burning March sun, but flowering will be short and not abundant, and the color of the flowers will be pale. In lowlands, without drainage, the plant will die immediately. In a dry place (for example, under birch trees), heather will overwinter well, but will not produce a dense crown and will most likely stop blooming in the future. Heather is sun-loving, but welcomes light shading, which will provide it with low shrubs and trees. Grows very well on alpine roller coaster, in rockeries and gravel gardens, where excess water does not linger, snow does not stagnate, and gravel does not allow the roots of the bush to dry out.
Soils: dry sandy or wet peaty. Heather is little demanding of soil richness and is widespread in poor sandy areas. acidic soils. On less acidic soils, a decrease in seed germination and a deterioration in the growth and development of seedlings was noted; grows in both dry and marshy soils.
The most suitable mixture is peat, sand, tree bark compost or coniferous soil (3:1:2). Coniferous soil is the semi-decomposed litter of a coniferous forest, spruce or better pine, it is taken from a depth of 5-7 cm. The substrate must be acidic (pH 4.5 - 5.5), so red high-moor peat (pH 3.2) is used.
Landing: the distance between plants is 0.3 - 0.4 m in groups or per 1 square. m, 6-8 specimens of vigorously growing and 12 to 15 specimens of weakly growing varieties are planted. Planting depth is 25 - 35 cm strictly to the level of the root collar. It is better to plant in open sunny places at the age of 1.5 - 2 years. Drainage is needed if the soil is clayey and consists of sand and broken brick in a layer of 5-10 cm. When planting, add 20 g of nitrophoska and 30 g of horn flour to the substrate for low-growing heather varieties and 30 g of nitrophoska and 50 g of horn flour for vigorous varieties. Immediately after planting, abundant watering is recommended (5 liters per bush).
Heathers have a symbiosis with mycelium of soil fungi and do not tolerate transplantation, especially adult specimens with an open root system. It is better to purchase plants in a container where the mycorrhiza and roots are completely preserved, which significantly increases the survival rate.
Even after the death of the heather bush for a long time keeps foliage and flowers in their original form, so when purchasing, pay attention to the following:
1) appearance of the plant: shoots must be elastic, well-leafed, at the ends of the branches there must be vegetative buds or young shoots that are significantly lighter than the old ones;
2) the soil in which the shrub grows: the soil should be slightly moist, not too dry, but not wet. Excessive moisture can lead to rapid death of the root system;
3) the container in which the shrub is located: it is very good when the pot fits tightly to the root ball; in this case, air will not flow to the roots, drying them out.
Boarding time: the second half of April - early May or in the fall at the end of September - early October. But it is best to plant heathers in the spring. In this case, during the upcoming growing season, they can take root properly, and a gradual decrease in temperature at the end of summer will give the shoots the opportunity to fully ripen and better withstand the winter. This especially applies to imported plants, for which autumn planting, as a rule, means transferring from the warmer, almost summer weather of their place of growth, where autumn is just beginning, to late autumn here, when frosts are just around the corner. Such a “phenophase shift” has sad consequences and most often ends with the plants not having time to properly take root, and not fully mature shoots becoming severely frozen. Dry weather is not an obstacle to planting if the plant is watered thoroughly beforehand.
Care: annual feeding with complete mineral fertilizer 20 - 30 g/sq.m. m. It is carefully scattered in the spring around the plants, without getting on the leaves and flowers, which can “burn” from them. Complete fertilizer, for example Kemira, is applied at the rate of 2 g per 1 liter of water. Heathers suffer from dry air in summer and therefore respond well to frequent (every evening) spraying. The root systems of heathers are compact due to the large number of well-branched small roots. Sandy and especially peaty soils, in the absence of regular precipitation, are known to dry out quickly and have difficulty absorbing moisture. Therefore, it is especially important to monitor the moisture of the soil in which the heathers sit. Their short roots are not able to extract moisture from great depths and thus require that the top layer of soil be constantly sufficiently moist. Shallow loosening (10 - 15 cm) when removing weeds or when compacting the soil after watering.
Photo by EDSR.
Mulching: Be sure to immediately after planting with peat or coniferous wood chips, since it contains the necessary mycorrhiza. In general, it is very difficult for heathers to overdo it with mulching. Almost all materials commonly used for this purpose are suitable as mulch, except for black film. Shredded pine or other bark, wood chips or large sawdust, peat, coniferous litter, heather and fern soil, even small gravel and mixtures of these materials in any proportions - all this is wonderful for them and will protect the soil under the heathers from overheating, and from drying out, and from the appearance of weeds. Black film is only suitable for combating latest problem, while aggravating the first two. In nature, heathers “mulch” themselves with their own litter. Old prostrate or creeping stems of heathers (on the cuttings of some species you can sometimes count hundreds of very thin growth rings) are often completely immersed in the litter, and only the growths recent years rise above its surface.
Trimming: carried out in spring moderate. Intensive pruning is not recommended for the first two years after planting. Old plants after flowering in autumn or in early spring cut with pruning shears so as to capture part of the stem below the faded inflorescences. When pruning, it is necessary to maintain the shape of the crown. Avoid pruning old wood in late autumn, when some heather varieties are cut for winter bouquets. It is better to chop everything cut and scatter it around the plants.
Wintering: in late autumn, when the soil freezes to 5-7 cm (approximately November 10), it is recommended to add peat or dry leaf to the tree trunks in a layer of up to 10 cm. It is better to cover the top of the plant with spruce branches, which is particularly convenient for carpet planting. Using this old “old fashioned” method, you can kill three birds with one stone. The first “hare” - spruce branches really creates more or less reliable protection from frost; second - under spruce branches, plants do not get wet from condensation, as under denser shelters, and continue to “breathe”; and, finally, the third “hare” - in the spring with spruce branches The needles will fall off the moment you remove them. This mulch is very beneficial for heathers, as it slightly acidifies the soil. It is also useful to chop the fallen branches into smaller pieces and scatter this material between the plants. In mid-April, the cover must be removed and the peat must be raked away from the root collar to ensure full flowering of the heather.
Diseases and pests: heathers practically do not get sick and are not affected by pests, but fungal and viral diseases are possible.
The most common disease is gray mold, which develops when high humidity air and soil. This usually occurs in places where large mass snow, or in places without melt water runoff. Plants that were not covered correctly or the cover was removed too late are also damaged. When the first signs of the disease appear (gray plaque on the shoots, partial death of young shoots and falling leaves), it is recommended to use antifungal drugs such as “Topaz”, “Fundazol”; in case of more severe damage to the plant, a 1% solution of copper sulfate is used.
Treatment is carried out in 2-3 doses with an interval of 5-10 days. Preventive treatment is carried out in late autumn or early spring, after removing the cover from the bush.
If the leaves turn brown and the tops of young shoots wither, this is most likely a consequence of waterlogging or excessive fertilization. Erik may be affected by powdery mildew, in which young shoots dry out and the leaves become covered grayish-white coating. Antifungal drugs are used to treat affected plants. Sometimes red-brown spots appear on the leaves, indicating rust damage.
Symptoms of a viral disease are deformation of shoots and flowers, uncharacteristic, uneven coloring of foliage and flowers. Viral diseases quite well studied, but there is no effective treatment. In case of viral infections, the plant must be dug up and burned.
Reproduction: seeds, cuttings (varietal), dividing the bush.
Propagation by seeds. The seeds are small, and it is better to sow them indoors in bowls or bags, without planting them in the soil. Cover with glass until shoots appear. The best substrate for growing: coniferous or heather soil, peat and sand in a ratio of 1:2:1. The favorable temperature for their growth is 18 - 20°C. Shoots appear a month after sowing the seeds. The first week it is necessary to maintain high humidity. In the summer, boxes with seedlings are taken out into the garden, grown, hardened, and after 1.5-2 years they are planted in a permanent place: an alpine hill, a flower garden, along a path, etc.
Apical cuttings are taken from strong shoots at the end of summer. It is better to root in peat with sand in separate pots, it forms well there. root system. The substrate should be loose, poor and constantly moist. Optimal temperature 15-20 degrees. Regular foliar feeding a weak urea solution, as well as microfertilizers. Rooted cuttings grow faster and bloom earlier than seedlings. You cannot take cuttings from flowering shoots.
The simplest and quick way propagation of heathers - division of rhizomes. Usually, in early June, heather is sprinkled with peat so that the root collar is immersed in the soil by 0.4-0.5 cm, where new roots will actively grow. At the end of summer, the plant is carefully dug up and divided into parts. When dividing, the roots of the bush, without shaking them off the ground, are cut into equal parts.
To obtain layering, ripened shoots at the beginning of summer are covered with 0.5-0.6 cm of peat and fixed in the soil. After the sprinkled shoot has a good root system (one year after the sprinkle), the resulting seedling is carefully separated from the mother plant and transferred to a permanent place.
Photo by Andrey Sedov
Usage: heathers are most decorative during flowering and, what is especially important, after it: even on a dry and dead plant, the perianths, colored in their original color and dried to the fruits, remain for a long time. Taking advantage of this “dried flower” feature of heathers, in the northern countries in the fall, when the heathers bloom, pots with them are hung at the entrances to houses and admired all winter, while their friends, driven into the ground, are securely covered with snowdrifts. These plants, killed by frost, but never fallen off and only slightly faded, are thrown away only in the spring, when other greenery appears in the garden from under the snow. Victims for such one-time executions are raised in the millions throughout Scandinavia. It’s wasteful, but how beautiful it is when there are flowers at every door all winter! Needless to say now that the heathers are very good autumn plants, you already understood this yourself. In an almost bare garden, after frost, only they and, perhaps, chrysanthemums and perennial asters continue to bravely delight us with flowers on the eve of snow. The heathers just disappear under the snow in their flowers, when even the chrysanthemums can no longer stand it - they turn brown and fall on their faces in the face of the first real frosts.
With proper care, you can get a closed carpet of heather plants, which is quite picturesque both in independent heather gardens and on alpine hills, or as a border along paths in a country garden. Heathers look impressive in joint plantings with decorative forms of conifers and beautiful flowering shrubs. As a rule, heathers form the foreground, and tall bushes form their background.
Read: Inga Obraztsova “Some like it sour”
Partners: They look great primarily with rhododendrons, ferns, dwarf and creeping conifers.
"Photos of the Russian Floristic Collection"
Residents of Scotland, Norway and other northern European countries represent small perennial shrubs from 15 to 50 cm in height with shoots densely packed with scaly leaves and small bell-shaped flowers of pinkish or lilac color.
Forest heather - a symbol of endurance and good luck
IN natural conditions In temperate climates, common heather grows on vast heaths and forest burnt areas, on peat bogs and along rocky slopes. The plant is extremely unpretentious.
It can exist in one place for up to 40–50 years and is found even where others perennial crops you just can’t survive: in the swamps and the poor sandy soils coniferous forests.
Low-growing species of forest heather also decorate the sparse flora in the tundra. For its unpretentiousness and perseverance, the Norwegians, in time immemorial, awarded the forest heather the honor of becoming a symbol of the country, but in the gardens of Europe, the inhabitant of the wind-blown hills began to appear only in the 18th century. In Russia, where in growing wild There are up to 50 species belonging to this family; the heather garden appeared only twenty years ago on the basis of the Botanical Garden in Moscow.
In Scotland, a lucky person is said to have seen white heather flowers.
Indeed, on the vast moorlands that are a traditional landmark of the country, it is almost impossible to see wild white heather. But today, when the plant has aroused well-deserved interest from gardeners, it is not uncommon not only to have shrubs with clusters of white bells, but also varieties with crimson, purple, yellowish and orange simple, as well as double flowers.
Garden heather and related species
Over the past 200 years, breeders have obtained several hundred spectacular varieties of decorative heather, which can be divided into low-growing, medium- and tall plants. Moreover, in addition to them, the closest representatives of the heather family are actively used in landscaping, for example, Erica and wild rosemary, such berry bushes as lingonberries, doveberries and blueberries, as well as rhododendrons.
Closest to common heather different kinds Erics, found in nature from Atlantic coast America to North African countries. Wild heathers can also be seen in the Asian region, the Caucasus and the Alps.
If the shoots of forest and ornamental heather do not grow longer than 70 cm, then certain types of Erica, for example, tree-like, are real trees, up to 5–7 meters high.
Another difference between Erica and heather is the small needle-shaped leaves and elongated flower cups. True heather from related species differs not only in external characteristics, but also in the timing of the appearance of buds. When the heather blooms, most of the ornamental plantings in the garden have already completed the growing season and are preparing for winter. In the conditions of the middle zone, only in the second half of summer, and more often in August, flowers open on the bushes, which, depending on the variety, can last until snow cover is established.
In a number of European countries and in America, garden heather is an evergreen crop. The plant does not lose its decorative appearance and tolerates mild winters with temperatures up to +8 °C.
After the completion of mass flowering, the heather remains bright and, perhaps, the only decoration of the garden. In many varieties, the shoots are colored with all the colors of the rainbow, and the yellow, burgundy, purple or silver foliage of decorative heather is clearly visible in an area bleached in late autumn.
Reproduction and planting of decorative and forest heather
You can propagate your favorite variety of terry, burgundy or white heather either with well-germinating seeds or vegetatively:
- using cuttings rooted in summer or autumn, which in 1–1.5 months in light sandy soil provide a root system suitable for planting;
- through layering from adult shoots of forest or ornamental heather.
For getting planting material at the point of contact with the soil, the branch is cut, treated with a growth stimulator, pinned and sprinkled with nutritious soil. By autumn, the young heather bush is ready for planting.
Varietal heather seedlings take root quickly, the root system of which is located in a container with peat soil.
Recommendations from experts on propagation and planting:
- If the garden heather bushes are not transplanted before the end of September, it is better to postpone their transfer to a permanent place until April.
- For shrubs, it is better to choose a lighted area protected from the wind.
- Since heather grows with age, a distance of 40 to 50 cm is left from one plant to another.
- The depth of the planting hole for heather does not exceed 25 - 30 cm, but it is better to make it somewhat wider, about 40 cm, in order to straighten the roots.
- A drainage layer is arranged at the bottom.
- When filling a hole, it is important not to bury the root collar.
Preparing the soil for planting decorative heather
But the main task of a gardener who plans to plant decorative heather on a plot is to prepare the soil for this plant. Despite the unpretentiousness of the culture, in many cases the experience of growing heather ends in failure. The reason for the death often lies in the fact that both forest and ornamental heather live in symbiosis with primitive soil fungi, which form a whitish coating or formations on the roots of the plant. If the mycelium of the fungus dies or is completely absent from the garden soil, the shrub weakens and may die.
This means that without taking urgent measures, the gardener cannot wait for the heather to bloom on the site:
- To maintain the vital activity of mycorrhiza, you need acidic soil with a pH level of 4 to 5 units, for artificial acidification of which 40 grams of garden sulfur, boric or citric acid are added per meter of area.
- The soil mixture is made from two parts of topsoil, one part of sand and the same volume of rotted pine needles or foliage.
- As a fertilizer when planting, you can add complex mineral composition, without calcium and organic matter.
If there are coniferous plantings with blueberries nearby, it is useful to add sandy soil from under such vegetation to the mixture for planting decorative heather.
Caring for garden heather
To maintain the level of moisture in the soil, prevent it from overheating, and also prevent weeds from actively developing, thick bushes under bushes respond well to mulching the soil. If weed shoots do appear, in order not to damage the surface roots of garden heather, it is better to weed only with your hands. On the eve of the set of buds, heather can be fertilized with granular complex fertilizer at the rate of 10–15 grams per plant.
To maintain the acidity of the soil and prevent chlorine and calcium, which is dangerous for mycorrhiza, from reaching the roots, rain, filtered and acidified water is used for irrigation, for which 3-4 grams of citric, boric or oxalic acid are added per 10 bucket.
In the first two years of life, decorative heather does not need pruning; on adult bushes in the spring, not only last year’s inflorescences are pruned, but also the entire green part of this branch down to the wood, as well as frozen and dry shoots.
If all the features of this interesting crop are taken into account when planting, and the varieties are selected taking into account the timing of flowering, frost resistance and growth, then late autumn, when heather blooms, will become the brightest time of the year in the garden. An extremely durable and hardy shrub will show itself in all its glory, and all the gardener’s efforts will definitely pay off.
Video about heather