In my garden, I don't have the right soil to grow winter heathers. However, the little bees in the garden and I love them very much, both for their delicate melliferous bells in the cold season and for their evergreen and decorative foliage all year round. No matter, I grow them in pots and it works very well. In fact, my heathers are in bloom right now, come and see!
A heather with golden foliage in summer: Erica x darleyensis 'Eva Gold'
This heather has a compact habit, as well as beautiful and numerous magenta bells. But what makes it unique is its superb golden foliage in summer. This allows me to create a patchwork of colours simply with foliage.
A white heather: Erica x darleyensis 'Silberschmelze'
We can agree, its name is quite a mouthful but its bright, pure white flowering literally melts my heart. Its foliage is not to be outdone as it also changes colour, shifting from light green to dark green and eventually reddening in the cold.
A lilac pink heather: Erica x darleyensis 'Darley Dale'
I couldn't resist this variety with its charming little lilac pink bells on beautiful dark green foliage. It is an old variety that has proven itself. It forms a dense, compact flowering cushion.
An essential heather: Erica x darleyensis 'Kramer's Rote'
This variety is one of the most appreciated and for good reason, it has all the qualities: vigorous, very floriferous, well compact, particularly accommodating. I love its bright dark pink flowers on its dark foliage that takes on bronze tones with the intensity of the cold.
An alpine heather: Erica carnea 'Golden Starlet'
I conclude with a snow heather that offers a profusion of small white bells on very bright golden foliage in autumn/winter. It is just starting to show a few bells, but I’ll show it to you anyway, otherwise it will sulk!
How to plant a heather in a pot?
As I mentioned, heather is well-suited to pot cultivation. They need a very well-draining substrate. For this, I placed some shards and a layer of clay pebbles at the bottom of my pots. Then, I simply used good horticultural compost in which I planted my heathers. For maintenance, I give them a trim after flowering and I make sure to protect them from the intense summer heat. With a rather slow growth rate, they can stay in their pots for a few years without any issues. In my opinion, fertiliser is unnecessary, as heathers prefer rather poor soils. I will simply repot them into slightly larger pots when they seem cramped.
To learn everything about growing heathers, check out our guide: Heather: planting, pruning and maintaining.
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