Darley Dale heath

Darley Dale heath: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Dense, cushion-forming dwarf shrub 30–40 cm tall and up to 60 cm wide.

Leaves

Small, needle-like leaves in whorls, fresh to dark green; in some cultivars the new shoots are tipped cream, yellow or pink in spring.

Flower

Small tubular bells in dense spikes 5–10 cm long, from December to April.

Colour

Pale pink, pink, purplish red, magenta or white, with dark stamens poking out of the bell.

Roots

Fine and shallow: they dry out quickly and do not tolerate hoeing close to the plant.

Flowering: December–April · Plants: March–April and September–October · Pruning: April–May

Why grow it?

• Five months of colour in winter, from December to April.
• An important nectar source for bees and bumblebees on mild winter days, when almost nothing else is in flower.
• Evergreen and low: a neat ground cover that gives weeds little chance.
• Unlike most heathers, it also copes with neutral and slightly chalky soil.
• Lovely in containers and pots on the patio, with violas or small bulbs.

Darley Dale heath: where does it grow best?

• Full sun for the best flowering; partial shade is fine too, but it flowers less.
• Humus-rich sandy, loamy or peaty soil; acid, neutral or slightly chalky.
• Moist and free-draining: no standing water, but not bone dry either.
• Plant 40–50 cm apart for a closed carpet after a few years; as ground cover, 5–6 plants per square metre.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or peat

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Normal

Size

0.4 m tall, 0.6 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -20 °C)

Goes well with

• Ling heather: Flowers from August to October, so together you have heather in bloom almost all year.
• Dwarf conifers: Green, blue or golden forms add structure between the low cushions.
• Crocus: Purple or white flowers popping up between the heather in February–March.
• Blue fescue: Blue-grey tufts that contrast nicely with the pink and the green.
• Wintergreen: Glossy leaves and red berries in winter, for an acid, slightly shadier corner.

Darley Dale heath: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and September–October.

1. Plant in March–April or in September–October, preferably in groups of three or more of the same cultivar.
2. Loosen the soil and work in leaf mould or compost; on heavy soil add some sand as well.
3. Set the plant slightly deeper than it was in the pot, so the lowest shoots rest on the soil.
4. Leave 40–50 cm between plants.
5. Water well straight away, preferably with rainwater, and keep the soil moist during the first year.
6. Spread a thin layer of fine bark or pine needles between the plants against drying out and weeds.

Care

Watering

Regularly in dry weather during the first year. After that only in long dry spells; in pots also in winter on frost-free days.

Feeding

Little needed: some compost or an organic fertiliser for heathers in spring is enough.

Mulching

A layer of fine bark or leaf mould keeps the roots cool and moist.

Weeding

Weed by hand: hoeing damages the shallow roots.

In a pot

Use free-draining compost and a pot with a drainage hole; pots dry out quickly.

Tip: Clip off the spent tips every year straight after flowering, but stay in the green. That keeps the plants dense and flowering freely for many years.

Darley Dale heath: when to prune it?

Pruning months: April–May.

When: After flowering, in late April or May, when the last flowers turn brown.

How:

• Use shears to clip off the spent flower spikes, just below the old flowers.
• Cut only into the green, leafy part of the shoots.
• This keeps the plant compact and makes it grow new shoots that will flower next winter.

Caution: Never cut back into bare, old wood: winter heath will not regrow from it.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Semi-ripe cuttings

In July–August: 3–5 cm cuttings from non-flowering shoots, lower needles removed, in a moist mix of sand and cutting compost under plastic.

Mound layering

In spring, work sandy soil in between the shoots so that only the tips show. After a year the shoots have rooted and can be cut off and replanted.

Darley Dale heath: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −20 °C.

• Hardy to about −20 °C: no protection needed in Belgium.
• It carries on flowering through frost and snow; frozen flowers recover when it thaws.
• In pots and containers: keep them out of cold winds and give a little water on frost-free days, as they can dry out in winter.

Diseases and pests

• Bare, woody plants: Without an annual trim, the plants open up and go bare in the centre. Clip every year after flowering; very old, bare plants are best replaced.
• Drying out: Brown needles that drop, especially in the first summer or in pots. Water in good time and mulch the soil.
• Root rot: The plant suddenly turns grey or brown and dies in wet, compacted soil. Choose a free-draining spot.
• Yellow foliage: On very chalky soil the foliage may turn yellow. Work leaf mould into the soil and water with rainwater.

Through the year

• January: Flowering. Bees and bumblebees on mild days.
• February: Flowering. Water pots on frost-free days.
• March: Flowering. Planting.
• April: End of flowering. Clip off spent spikes. Planting.
• May: Clip if not yet done. Mulch.
• July: Water in dry spells. Take semi-ripe cuttings.
• August: Take cuttings. Water in dry spells.
• September: Planting.
• October: Planting. The flower buds start to colour.
• December: The first flowers open.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• In the wild the parents grow far apart: winter heath in the mountains of central Europe and Erica erigena in south-western Europe and Ireland. They crossed by chance in an English nursery.
• Both parents tolerate lime, which is why this heath, unlike most others, also does well on neutral to slightly chalky soil.
• The flower buds are already formed in autumn and often colour up weeks before they open.