The distinctive white, lavender and purple hues of heather create a glorious autumnal display that is as suited to domestic gardens as windswept moors

Think of heathers, and the dramatic, rolling moors of Yorkshire and Scotland, covered in a purple carpet of flowers, spring to mind. Here, grouse and deer depend on heather for food and shelter, while bees transform its nectar into honey. The flowers, which can range in colour from white to lavender and deep purple, bloom all year round but it is during the autumn months that heather looks its stunning best. It can also make very effective ground cover in gardens and rockeries, providing colour throughout the year if the plants are chosen carefully.

There are three distinctive plant families that make up the heather genera. Calluna vulgaris (ling or Scottish heather) is native to Britain and has small white to crimson bell-shaped blooms running the length of its stem. Ericas, many of which come from South Africa, have flowers that tend to cluster towards the tip of the stem, while Daboecia cantabrica 'Poli-folia' (St Dabeoc's heath), with flowers that look like little bubbles, originates in the west of Ireland, south-west France and the Azores.

HOW TO GROW HEATHER
With careful planning, a new heather garden can give you a colourful display that requires little maintenance and will last 15 to 25 years. Heathers are best planted in their own beds with the addition of a few conifers to provide a variety of height and shape. As well as their pretty flowers, they often have colourful foliage which ranges from amber to aubergine, copper to cerise and even white (said to bring good luck when worn). If pruned regularly after flowering, heathers will form compact shapes and many varieties will grow into shrub-like bushes. Position your heather bed in full sun, away from deciduous trees and, if possible, viewed from the south as the plants always produce their best colour from this aspect. Try to create an informal shape with no straight lines for a natural look.

Heathers do best in light, sandy soils and many require acid soils. If your soil is alkaline, plant them in decorative containers or pots alongside ornamental cabbages and autumn-flowering chrysanthemums. You can even bring heathers indoors, but you must keep them well watered.
WHERE TO SEE AUTUMN HEATHER
IN THE WILD
• North York Moors National Park; www.nationalparks.gov.uk; www.yorkshirevisitor.com.
• Ashdown Forest, High Weald of East Sussex; www.ashdownforest.com.
• Cairngorms National Park; www.cairngorms.co.uk.

IN GARDENS
• RHS Garden, Wisley, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB, (01483) 224234, holds the national collection of erica and calluna heathers.
• Cherrybank Gardens, Necessity Brae, Cherrybank, Perth, Perthshire PH2 0PF, (01738) 472800. Scotland's national heather centre, Cherrybank has a huge collection of some 1,000 heathers, which produce a spectacular display from October to December.
• Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith Row, Edinburgh EH3 5LR, (0131) 552 7171, where a Scottish heath garden has been created.
WHERE TO BUY HEATHER
Heather should not be picked in the wild, but many of the common varieties can be bought from local garden centres, while specialists supply more varieties. Try the following:
• RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG3 1QB, (01423) 565418.
• RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Rettendon, Chelmsford, Essex CM3 8ET, (01245) 400256.
• RHS Garden Rosemoor, Great Torrington, Devon EX38 8PH, (01805) 624067.
• Perryhill Nurseries, Hartfield, East Sussex TN7 4JP, (01892) 770377.
• Kirkdale Nursery, Daviot, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire AB51 0JL, (01467) 671264.
• Speyside Heather Centre, Skye of Carr, Dulnain Bridge, Inverness-shire PH26 3PA, (01479) 851359.

• For more information, visit The Heather Society website on www.users.zetnet.co.uk/heather.

WORDS JACKY HOBBS
PHOTOGRAPHS MICHELLE GARRETT
OCTOBER 2005