{"id":4434,"date":"2021-12-26T15:53:32","date_gmt":"2021-12-26T14:53:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gardensillustrated.com\/?p=202"},"modified":"2021-12-26T16:31:35","modified_gmt":"2021-12-26T15:31:35","slug":"the-best-winter-flowering-heathers","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/rss_feed\/the-best-winter-flowering-heathers\/","title":{"rendered":"The best winter-flowering heathers"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By alyshurn\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Sunday, 26 December 2021 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Evergreen, easy to grow, small, manageable and long-flowering, heathers are the ideal low-maintenance plant, although their image suffered after their rise in popularity in the 1960s when they became associated with dwarf conifers and dull grasses.<\/p>\n

Winter-flowering heathers have another great attribute: they are bee-friendly plants<\/a>. They are a lifeline for bumblebees and solitary bees, which do not store food and emerge in mild spells in winter and early spring.<\/p>\n

Some cultivars have gold or bronze foliage that add colour at ground level, although the combination of pink flowers and yellow foliage is not pleasing to everyone. Some heathers produce compact heads of blooms at the tips of the shoots; in others the blooms crowd a length of the stems. These cultivars make excellent cut flowers, and lend themselves to informal garden and wedding posies.<\/p>\n

Erica carnea<\/em><\/h2>\n

Erica carnea<\/em> cultivars tend to be low growing, with a spreading habit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Erica carnea<\/em> f. aureifolia<\/em> \u2018Bell\u2019s Extra Special\u2019<\/h3>\n<\/div>

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