Around the year 2006 I took my truck to Oregon to visit my Mother in Portland. While I was there she took me to a Heather nursery and I fell in love with the plants. I decided to bring some Heathers home and plant a Heather garden. I knew the climate in Grass Valley was much hotter and dryer than Portland so I bought home over 26 different varieties to see which ones survived.
Heather garden 13 years old
Here are some of the ones that survived:
Erica cinerea ‘P. S. Patrick’
Calluna vulgaris ‘Wickwar Flame’
Erica carnea ‘Loughrigg’
Calluna vulgaris ‘White Lawn’
Erica carnea ‘Springwood Pink’
Erica carnea ‘Springwood White’
Erica darleyensis ‘Furzey’
Each 1 gal. plant received 2 1-GPM drip emitters and that is all the water they got 3 times a week for 60 minutes for 10 years. Some plants died but the others are tough and I filled in with them. Now once a month for 2 months in the summer I add water with a sprinkler which isn’t necessary but the plants look better.
I let the heathers grow too long before I trimmed them back. These photos show the bare wood is visible after cutting back. It is better to trim back more gently so the bare wood doesn’t show.