Heathers for Warm Gardens

Careful trial of the great many available is making possible the use of many heathers previously thought unsuitable for gardens in warm climates. The author is Professor of Biology at Pacific Union College and Vice President of the Pacific Northwest Heather Society.*
Few people consider California a good place to grow hardy heathers. Cool, moist climates like those of Scotland and England are usually thought of in connection with them. Gardeners in the Pacific Northwest, especially in the Puget Sound area, have been growing heathers for a long time with great success. However, there are a few die-hards who persist in growing heathers in California, in spite of discouraging advice from their gardening friends. Their success has been due in part to proper site selection and soil preparation, but more to selecting heathers suited to warm conditions. One that has been grown for a long time in California is known in much of the literature as Erica mediterranea and, as the name implies, it is native to the Mediterranean region, more particularly to Spain and Portugal. In recent literature it is listed as Erica erigena, and its cultivars are sold as tree heaths. Much of California has a ...