According to an old Scottish legend, modestHeather at the request of God began to grow on the bare slopes of the hills, blown by all the winds. The Lord gave him increased endurance, unpretentiousness and natural charm, as well as the aroma and quality of the honey.
Small evergreen heather bushes useabroad for landscaping balconies. Homeliness is completed by a well-formed heather garden, which does not require special care. In addition, the plant is endowed with miraculous properties. Till now it is possible to hear legends about a magic heather drink. Confirmation of this - the heroic ballad "Heather Honey" by R. Stevenson.
Description of the plant
Heather common grows all overEuropean territory, it grows in Siberia, the Azores, and Morocco. Heathers live in the most difficult geographical and climatic conditions: on the slopes of mountains, on wastelands, on swamps and peat bogs. In the north-west of America there are also plantations of heather of natural origin. At the time of flowering the heather ordinary turns the earth into a colorful tapestry.
This plant is a smallshrub with a reddish-brown bark, with a huge number of branches, on which grow very small, sessile, almost trihedral, opposite leaves. Heather ordinary has many varieties, very different in color of the leaves. These species are inherent in all shades of green, but there are they have silvery, yellow, bronze, orange, red and brown leaves. Of the many goblet small flowers, white, pink, purple, raspberry, racemose inflorescences are formed.
Care
If you decide to grow heather (a plant inculture), it is necessary to create conditions close to natural conditions: acid soil, location on a sunny or semi-shaded area, young plants to provide more moisture. A plentiful moistening is necessary before the soil freezes, and some cultural varieties are required for the cold seasons of the lapnika. Mulching of crushed bark, pine needles, sheet humus, sawdust, which oxidize the soil, favorably affects the growth of shrubs. In addition, mulching suppresses the growth of weeds, protects the roots of plants from winter cold and summer heat, delays moisture in the soil. In special fertilizing heathers do not need, in nature they witch poor soils grow.
Cultural heath care requires the following:Regular forming scraps, which are usually produced after the flowering period in order to delay the aging of the plant, to preserve the splendor of the bush and stimulate abundant flowering in the next season. Cuttings are made only on the green part of the plant with the leaves. Plants, trimmed to the level of wood, can not form new shoots and die. To maintain a natural, careless and "shaggy" kind of large branches are shortened at different levels.
Propagate heather plants by layers.The longest branches are selected, they are bent to the ground and fixed in the middle by a pin or a stone, and this place is covered with earth. Lines quickly give the root system, and after a few months, new plants are growing. They can be cut off the mother's branches, scooped out and permanently transplanted.
Garden pests heather bushes are not affected,but can suffer from late blight. Gardeners note that the most common cause of death of young plants is the drying of the soil. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the soil in the root system of young shoots.
The plant "Heather ordinary" possessesantibacterial, hypotensive, moderate hypothermic action, accelerates blood coagulability. In ancient times, the plant was even attributed to the property of dissolving different tumors.
