Heathers

Cheerypeabrain

I bought some heathers in the Auntumn for making up pots for the autumn/winter along with a small purple leaved hebe and ivy. In the past I have oiked the heathers out and disposed of them in the spring...but when I chopped back the flowering spikes I found beautiful dark grean healthy foliage. Soooo...I'm not sure what to do. I hate disposing of healthy plants, and I don't want to empty the pots yet because I have some dwarf tulips in there yet to flower (Persian Pearl)

When I empty the containers the hebe, arboreal heather and ivy will be reused in the garden could I pop the heathers in a shady bed where I keep ferns? or would they be better in pots? would they need ericaceous compost? I have always just used them as temporary fillers but if I can keep them going maybe they will flower again this autumn.

 

Here are the pots when I first planted them up.

 

Any advice would be welcome. Thank you

Cheerypeabrain

GREAN ? sorry.....I mean green....

Lyn

I did the same cheery and i am going to plant them out in the garden, i have acid soil, but you can just fill the planting hole with the ericaceous soil and feed with azaelia feed every so often, top dress in the winter with some more of same soil.

Welshonion

When they have finished flowering, cut them back and the nice green bits you found will flower next winter.

Such a waste to throw them out.

Cheerypeabrain

Thank you...I will save them to flower again...

clogherhead

Hi Cpb, Heathers like a neutral soil so if you were to build a raised bed of lime free compost and add lots of peat you would get a dazzling display of colour and if you want to propagate them just put some peat over the plant in the spring new rooted shoots will appear by autumn , Adrian Bloomhttp://thebressinghamgardens.com/ 

Derek

Cheerypeabrain

Thank you Derek.