Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Shrubs

Calluna vulgaris

heather

An evergreen shrub with small, narrow, linear leaves and spikes of urn-shaped pink or pale purple, single or double flowers borne from mid-summer to autumn. Plants reach around 60cm in height. Many cultivars have been both selected and bred

Other common names

basam
bassum
see morebeesom
besom
ling
Scotch heather
Scots heather
Scottish heather
white heather

Synonyms

Erica vulgaris
Calluna erica

Save to My plants

Buy this plant

Plant nurseries
2 suppliers

Ultimate height

0.5–1 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.1–0.5 metres

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained, Well–drained

pH

Acid

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

South–facing or West–facing or East–facing

Exposure

Exposed or Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Ericaceae
Native to the UK: Yes
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Bushy
Genus: Calluna are low-growing or dwarf evergreen shrubs with stems clothed in tiny overlapping leaves, and terminal, spike-like racemes of small, 4-petalled flowers with coloured calyces
Name status: Correct
Plant range: N America, N Eurasia

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in well-drained acidic soil in full sun

Propagation

Propagate by seed in spring, or propagate by softwood cuttings, division or layering in summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Wildlife gardens
City and courtyard gardens
Coastal
Cottage and informal garden
Rock garden
Low Maintenance
Flower borders and beds
Hedging and screens

Pruning

Pruning group 10. Shear off old flowering stems after flowering

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus (rarely) and other fungal diseases

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.