Heather ( Calluna vulgaris ) , also call up ling or Scottish heather mixture , has diminished gray - green leave-taking that turn bronze to purple in winter as well as showy flowers that bloom in white or shades of redness to lavender . Hardy in USDA plant hardiness geographical zone 4 to 6 , heather is often used as a groundcover and in rock garden .
The meaning of heather , sometimes disconcert with heathland ( Ericaspp . ) , depends on the color of the flower . Both heather and heath are members of the Ericaceae kinsfolk .
Characteristics of Heather Flowers
Heather , once used to make broom , is a sturdy industrial plant that does well in poor soil . grow up to 2 feet marvellous and 2 feet extensive , the plant have leave-taking pocket-sized than 1 inch by 1 inch , growing in group of four .
The bell - mould flower are small , typically much less than 1 inch in breadth or length . Stems are evergreen and usually chocolate-brown or grey-haired . The fruit of heather is either a Charles Edward Berry , drupe or capsulise depending on the coinage .
Heather flowers grow in clusters , each bloom attach to a central stem like a lily of the valley or snapdragon in a configuration call a raceme . As the central stem , or spike heel , produce , new flowers flower above the sometime ones . Heather heyday bloom from previous summer to early autumn .
There are over 700 cultivars of the low - sustentation , woody perennial . Kinlochruel has ashen double flush and green foliage that turns bronze in the winter . Mauve heyday and yellow foliage that turn brick bolshie in the fall are the notable characteristic of the Firefly cultivar .
The Meaning of Heather
Communicating with others through flush , acknowledge as floriography , date back G of class and crosses many cultures . Its use is traced to the Ottoman Empire , where harem members used bloom to secretly communicate .
The Victorians elevated the graphics of using bouquets to carry feelings as a agency to get around what might be deemed improper behavior . blossom dictionaries with definition culled from flora , spiritual source and folklore were unwashed . A suitor might send a charwoman a redness rose to signify lovemaking only to receive a yellow clove pink in return , signaling disdain .
While the meanings of flowers are not universal , some , like red roses to symbolise love , are usually used . BothCollier ’s Cyclopedia of Commercial and Social Information , published in 1883 , and Reiman Gardens at Iowa State University’sThe Language of Flowers , release in 2005 , list solitude as the hidden meaning of purple heather prime . The less common snowy heather symbolizes protection , luck or wishes coming truthful .
If you ’ve been gifted heather flowers as a symbolisation of luck or solitude and want to preserve them , splice the stems together with string or a rubber ring and hang the bundles upside down in a dry , dark , well - ventilated place . They should be fully dried in three to five weeks .
Tip
The hidden meaning of purple heather efflorescence is often recall of as " purdah . " The less vernacular white heather symbolizes protection , luck or wish coming lawful .
Caring for Heather Plants
Heather thrives in acidic dirt with a pH between 4.5 and 5.5 . The simplest way to add up acidulousness to your soil is to work in a commercial-grade acidifier , available at a garden nitty-gritty . Too lilliputian acid make iron want ( greensickness ) , making plants turn yellow and become scrubby .
Plant heather in well - draining soil in full sun or fond nicety in region where it ’s hot throughout the summertime . Too short Lord’s Day dulls the color of the foliage and causes plant to be weak and leggy . Keep the grime moist but not marshy with twice - weekly tearing until the works is established .
Mulch heather plants with pine stubble or peat moss to maintain ground moisture and suppress weeds . broadly , heather plant life do n’t need fertilizer other than an software of rhododendron fertilizer when they first go into the ground . Prune the plants each spring to promote flowering and forestall au naturel shank .
