Winter heath

Winter heath: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Low, evergreen dwarf shrub of 15–30 cm, trailing to ascending, forming broad mats.

Leaf

Needle-like, 4–8 mm, hairless and dark green, in whorls of four.

Stems

Thin, trailing to ascending stems.

Flower

Urn-shaped bells (5–6 mm) in one-sided spikes, December–April, with protruding brown anthers. The buds are already formed in summer.

Fruit

Small capsules.

Difference from heather

Heather has scale-like leaves in four rows and flowers in late summer.

Difference from cross-leaved heath

Cross-leaved heath has greyish-green, hairy leaves and flowers in summer, on wet, acid soil.

Flowering: January–April · Pruning: April–May

Identify by feature: Winter flowers

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Heather Calluna vulgaris: scale-like leaves in four rows; flowers in late summer. Difference from heather
• Cross-leaved heath Erica tetralix: greyish-green, hairy leaves and flowering in summer, on wet, acid soil. Difference from cross-leaved heath

Why grow it?

• Flowers from December to April, when almost nothing else is in bloom.
• Nectar for bees and queen bumblebees on mild winter days.
• Also grows on chalky soil, unlike most heaths.
• An evergreen, dense ground cover that needs little work.

Winter heath: where does it grow best?

• Sun or partial shade; in full shade it flowers less.
• Any well-drained, humus-rich soil, including chalky soil; not too dry and not wet.
• Lovely as ground cover in a rock garden or heather garden, at the foot of shrubs, or in a container or pot.
• Allow about 50 cm across per plant; in groups it grows into a closed carpet.

Light

Sun or partial shade

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Normal

Size

0.3 m tall, 0.5 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Heather: Flowers in late summer, when the winter heath is resting: on acid soil, colour almost all year round together.
• Witch hazel: Also flowers in midwinter, with fragrant yellow or orange flowers above the carpet.
• Ornamental juniper: An evergreen conifer that gives permanent structure among the mats.
• Snowdrop: Pushes up through the carpet in February: together an early spring.

Good and bad companions

Goes well with

• Suits the woodland edge or the light shade of: ginkgo, box elder, ash, honey locust, field maple, silver maple

Winter heath: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant in autumn (September–October) or in spring; plants bought in flower can also go in during winter, as long as it isn’t freezing.
2. Space plants 30–40 cm apart, in groups of one colour for a calm effect.
3. Plant a little deeper than it was in the pot, to just below the lowest shoots: they will root too.
4. Loosen the root ball a little, add some compost to poor or heavy soil and water well after planting.

Care

Watering

Regularly in the first year, as the root ball dries out quickly; after that only in long dry spells. In a pot or container, now and then even in winter.

Feeding

Little needed: some compost in spring, after pruning.

Mulching

A thin layer of compost or bark keeps the soil moist and weed-free until the plants knit together.

Weeding

In the first years, pull out grasses and weeds in good time, until the carpet has closed.

Tip: Plant winter heath where you can see it from the window, for example by the front door or in a container on the patio: that way you enjoy its flowers in the months when you rarely go outside.

Winter heath: when to prune it?

Pruning months: April–May.

When: Straight after flowering, in April–May.

How:

• Clip off the spent tips with secateurs or shears, just below the flowers: this keeps the plant dense and free-flowering.
• Don’t prune later than May: in summer it is already forming the buds for next winter.
• Don’t cut into old, bare wood: winter heath regrows from it poorly.

Caution: Never prune in summer or autumn: you would cut off next winter’s flower buds.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Layering

Trailing stems often root by themselves where they touch the soil. In spring, cover a few stems with some soil and cut them free with roots a year later.

Cuttings

In summer, take cuttings of 3–5 cm from non-flowering shoots and root them in a moist mix of compost and sand, under glass or plastic.

Winter heath: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Fully hardy: the flowers withstand frost and snow and carry on blooming once the weather turns milder.
• In a pot or container the root ball can freeze and dry out: water now and then on frost-free days.

Diseases and pests

• Root rot: The plant turns grey and dies in soil that stays wet for long. Plant in a well-drained spot.
• Drying out: Brown, dry patches, especially on young plants and in pots. Water in dry spells, in a pot even in winter.
• Bare, woody plants: Happens when it goes unpruned for years. An old plant hardly rejuvenates: replace it with a young plant or a layer.
• Few flowers: Too much shade, or a summer prune that removed the buds. Prune only straight after flowering.

Through the year

• January: Flowering: bees and queen bumblebees on mild days.
• February: Flowering; water pots on frost-free days.
• March: Flowering continues; layering possible.
• April: Pruning after flowering: clip off the spent tips; planting.
• May: Last month for pruning; give some compost.
• July: Cuttings; water in dry spells.
• September: Planting; the buds for winter are already formed.
• December: The first flowers open.

What can you use it for?

Garden and landscape

Flowers in the middle of winter; ground cover for a rock garden, heather garden or container, even on chalky soil.

For wildlife

On mild winter days, one of the few nectar sources for bees and queen bumblebees.

Did you know?

• Unlike most heaths, winter heath tolerates lime: in the Alps it grows on limestone.
• Carnea means ‘flesh-coloured’, after the pink flowers of the wild plant.
• Often sold alongside winter heath: Erica × darleyensis, a hybrid with a heath from south-western Europe, which grows a little taller and also flowers in winter.