This species consists
of more than 500, evergreen plants ranging in size from dwarf shrubs to
small trees. The foliage comes in colors gold, silver, red, gray, and
a range of greens. The plant bears delicate flowers in an array of colors
from snow white to lavender to scarlet. These plants are commonly known
as Heathers.
Light: A heather
should be positioned in full sun, and if possible, sited south, as foliage
heathers always show more flowers on their southern side. But be always
very careful to keep the soil humid all the time.
Temperature and exposure:
Heathers resists freezing temperature. Be sure to provide them plenty
of moisture before the soil of the pot freezes in wintertime. The more
light you can get, better for the growth.
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Pruning and cleaning:
After the flowering season, prune half of previous year's growth
for to encourage bushy growth. Always care to trim off broken branches.
Repotting / Soil:
Repot every year, as the growth of the roots is quite vigorous, eliminating
one half parts of the fine roots and plant in a bigger pot. Be always
sure to eliminate dry or rotten roots. Try to loosen the fine roots. I
prefer blue colored pots with circular and semicircular forms. The mixture
of Sand, pea grit, or perlite should be perfect for the most erica species,
as they prefer poor grounds.
Wiring: It is
quite difficult to wire heathers, as the wood can only be bent in its
very early stage of life. After that, it splits very easily. The most
of modeling is done by pruning.
Watering: Water
abundantly in spring and summer and keep moist in winter. It is good to
shower or vaporize the trees several times a day, but not in the flowering
season.
Fertilizer: Organic
solid fertilizer should be used. Appliance starting in march, reducing
the dose during the hot summer days and stopping completely at the end
of november.
Diseases: I have
had aphids and red spider mite on my tree, which I both eliminated keeping
the whole tree under water for two days.
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