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HEATHER GUIDES

erica arborea plant up close

Container GrowingPruningRejuvenationTree Heather

There ’s heather , then there’stree heather . And although the names are standardized , the two plant are very dissimilar in terms of appearance and habit .

Whereas heather keeps a low profile and bursts forth in an exciting array of pink and purples , tree heather cultivar riff on a theme that ’s penny-pinching to our unimaginative anticipation of what an evergreen should look like : lofty , green , and angular .

tree heather flowering in spring

Between the diversity available you may find some truly dumfounding specimens , at home in any garden .

tree diagram Scots heather , also called tree heath ( a utilitarian elbow room to distinguish it from even old Calluna vulgaris ) go by the Latin name ofErica arborea .

It ’s an evergreen , and the family let in shrub and small Tree .

‘Albert’s Gold’ in a country garden

Overview

PreferredFull Sun

ExposureExposed or shelter

Height1.5 – 2.5 M

tall growing Erica arborea ‘Alpina’ in a rockery with green hedging in the background

Spread0.5 – 1 meter

Bloom TimeFebruary – May

PreferredClay , loam , Baroness Dudevant

gold coloured upright foliage of Erica arborea

MoistureMoist but well debilitate

pHNeutral / Acidic

The plant life to begin with come from various parts of Africa and Southern Europe , but has now become naturalize in other parts of the world.1Erica arborea . ( n.d . ) . Kew Royal Botanic Gardens . Retrieved March 14 , 2023 , fromhttps://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:328204-1

white flowering tree heather growing in a mountainous region

It ’s popular as an ornamental works in British gardens thanks to the aesthetic variety on fling .

Why Grow Tree Heather?

tree diagram broom is a hardy and attractive plant with varieties coming in a wide-eyed reach of shapes and sizes .

If you ’re looking for something to contribute a little ocular interest to your garden , and you ’re attracted to the general evergreen aesthetic , then tree heather could be right up your street .

Tree heather wood – also call briar – is also fantastically strong , and loan itself splendidly to woodworking .

small plants of Erica arborea in black plastic pots ready for planting out

Tree Heather Varieties

Here are three diversity that showcase the best the plant has to offer .

These cultivar have all been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society ’s Award of Garden Merit ( AGM ) , indicate that they are well suitable to grow in the UK .

In our opinion , ‘ Albert ’s Au ’ aligns most closely with the image that comes to brain when someone mentions evergreen plant trees .

green tree heather amongst ferns and other plants in the wild

It boasts triangular fronds of promiscuous unripe leaves , with spikes that cut up a distance for themselves in your field of vision .

They ’re like a scale - down version of the enormous fir trees you ’d require to see in a furrowed Canadian landscape .

‘ Alpina ’ shares many ocular characteristics with ‘ Albert ’s amber ’ , except the folio generally weigh in quite a morsel darker on the immature spectrum .

gardeners hands shown pruning tree heather with secateurs

produce together with ‘ Albert ’s Gold ’ , ‘ Alpina ’ showcases the rich sort of color offered by tree heather .

Grown alone , it ’s another way to enamour and double the rugged botany that can be difficult to accomplish in UK garden .

‘ Estrella Gold ’ is a little daintier , compared to the rugged varieties we ’ve show already .

white flowering tree heather shrubs growing in an open meadow

Each leaf has a small white centre , create a speckled , almost coke - comparable effect when seen from afar .

This cultivar also grows to a far small maximum tiptop than Albert ’s Gold and Alpina , demonstrate the versatility usable between the unlike types .

How To Grow Tree Heather

Generally talk , tree diagram broom is sturdy and tough ; being able-bodied to take whatever British climate picture fit to throw at it .

There are many things you’re able to do to give your plant the good chance at a long and healthy life , however .

Choose a smear with acidulent soil that can run out freely .

grunge that retains moisture , or is achromatic or alkali , will stifle or even kill off further tree heather growth .

This plant likes full Sunday or fond ghost , and will do well grow under the canopy of a bigger tree diagram .

In fact , the shelter offered by another tree will advance better growth because , while hardy , E. arboreaprefers not to be to the full reveal to the element .

Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree broom are grown from younger plant , rather than from seed .

plant yours out is simply a pillow slip of finding the correct smudge in your garden ( see the next plane section ) , and taking the undermentioned steps .

First , dig a fix a pair of times broad than your rootball , to a depth that allows the top of the rootball to align with the soil surface .

Next , transfer your well - watered plant from its tummy , tease apart the roots from the plunk etymon ball and plonk it into the pickle .

calculate on the kind you ’re growing , you may want to place a stake at this microscope stage .

This is a structure made of wood or similar that provides livelihood for the growing plant , urinate up for the strength that the root system would provide to a full - established plant .

Finally , replete in the cakehole , see that the soil is throng down tightly enough to fill up aura pouch , but not so tightly that you squelch the plant .

Tree Heather Care

When set out your Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree heather , we send word working a few centimetres of compost well into the soil in the area your plant will go .

Be generous with the compost , taking into account the eventual size of it of the mature plant .

enrich the grease with nutrients early on will give the developing root system the well possible shot at getting what it needs to produce big and secure .

With evergreen plant , you need to stay put vigilant .

In the first season , chequer in often to see whether the roots are moist .

You ’ll want to keep them well - watered to promote the strongest growth .

Then , through winter , you need to take into account the body of water recede through the foliage – much more of a circumstance for evergreens than other works character .

stay fresh your tree heather well - watered throughout the year , rather than waiting for it to show sign of the zodiac of thirst before watering , will best coif you up for winner .

As a shrub , tree heather will do well with regular annual pruning to keep it in form .

The best time of year to do this is late natural spring : after the frosts that may damage impertinently cut area , and with enough metre to allow for new growth to cover up most of the visual evidence of pruning .

This said , however , pruning is n’t command to keep the flora alive – tree ling falls into RHS Pruning Group 8 , meaning it can do without.2Shrubs : pruning evergreen . ( n.d . ) . Royal Horticultural Society . Retrieved March 14 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/types/shrubs/evergreen-pruning-guide

If you do adjudicate to prune , do so after florescence .

off any diseased or damaged shoots , and then thin out section that may have become crowded .

“ tree diagram heathers can become straggly , particularly if not annually pruned , ” shares Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly .

“ leg can be pruned back to around 30 cm from ground height if required after flowering .

“ Plants will respond by putting on invigorated growth , which should be peak - pruned to develop shaggy-haired growth . ”

Common Problems

Tree heather is a intrepid plant that ’s not likely to attract any pests or prove particularly problematic .

The most probable issue is a athirst industrial plant struggling to boom , but if you stick with the stairs in the watering subdivision , you should be able to check against that .

No , that ’s not a typo .

Phytophthora is a species of fungus that can wreak mayhem on the roots of certain tree heather varieties .

Rot triggered by phytophthora is hard to distinguish from that make by overly - moist soil – over time , rot reduces the source ’ ability to draw off nutrient from the soil , lead to wilting , discolouration , and general piteous health .

unluckily , once you see symptom above soil , things are normally too far run below ground to salve the works .

keep soil well - drain to control against bunkum because of waterlogging should help you be more certain that any bunkum you do encounter is Phytophthora .

In this example , you need to remove and destroy the industrial plant , then to replace the surface soil in the affected sphere .

While drastic , this is the best solution in assure that future outbreaks do not occur .

Whether you go for the woods - in - miniature ‘ Albert ’s Gold ’ , the daintier and more fragile ‘ Alpina ’ , or one of the many otherE. arboreavarieties , tree heather is sure to make a good impression .

We can assure you that you wo n’t look back , whatever the ling .

References