Winter heather, fall and winter Erica perennials

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Winter heather, also called Erica, is a beautiful cute plant that blooms throughout fall and winter.

List of Winter heather facts

Name – Erica species
Family – Ericaceae
Type – heath plant, perennial

Height – 4 to 20 inches (10 to 50 cm)
Exposure – full sun, part sun
Soil – heath soil

Foliage – evergreen – Flowering – September to March

Caring for it is easy and it is guaranteed to produce a great decorative impact!

• Here are out tips on growing summer heather instead

Planting winter heather

Winter heather (also called Erica heather) is best planted at the end of summer or during fall, and even in winter if it doesn’t freeze.

It is also possible to plant heather in spring as long as you can provide for regular watering over the first year after planting.

Water generously at the beginning, especially if it doesn’t rain, and if you can, add maritime pine bark mulch.

• Unravel the roots that are at the base of the plant.
• Let the bunch sit in water for a few minutes.
• Add heath to your garden soil to guarantee proper plant development.
• The Erica variety tolerates clay and even slightly chalky soil.
• Growth is relatively slow, and heather will never grow higher than 16 inches (40 cm) tall.
• Read more on how to plant heather plants.

Place Erica in close vicinity with camellia, rhododendron and Azalea: that way, you’ll only have to control soil acidity for a single growing bed.

Another possibility: potted winter heather

Thanks to its rather slow growth, Erica heather is very well suited to being grown in pots.

You’ll be surprised to see that this plant can stay for years in the same old 12 inch (30 cm)-deep pot.

• Be careful though to water regularly, since soil dries up much faster in pots, especially in summer.

Pruning and caring for Erica heather

Erica heather is such an easygoing plant that it requires almost no care.

• Prune lightly after blooming is over, without removing old growth.
• Water in case of prolonged dry spells or heat waves.
• Add special heath fertilizer in spring.

To regenerate your heather plant, which might grow sparse after a while, you can cut stems down to around 8 inches (20 cm), and repeat this every 3 to 4 years.

For potted Erica heather, it is recommended to add fertilizer every year.

Watering must not be forgotten, especially for potted plants: water as soon as the soil dries up.

All there is to know about Erica heath or heather

Native to South Africa, Erica heather is a short shrub that produces cute flowers grouped in umbels that bloom from fall to winter.

This perennial usually covers surfaces well which can be interesting, and its bushy appearance and abundant flowers will certainly make for a beautiful addition to your garden.

Even though it flowers for over 5 months every year, Erica heath only needs little care and adapts equally well to rocks, edges and embankments – and your garden boxes, too.

Indeed, balconies and terraces are perfect locations for this plant because growing in pots is ideal and its low maintenance requirements make it easy to care for.

It is perfect for heath flower beds, covering the ground, and in garden boxes and pot assemblies.

Erica is the type of heather that is also called winter heather, whereas summer heather, or Calluna vulgaris, is the plant that blooms in summer. There’s also another variety called snow heather (Erica carnea), which does great in even the coldest climates.