When is the best time to prune to keep heathers in
check------------now just after flowering?
Elizabeth in Scotland.
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"Elizabeth" wrote in message
...
When is the best time to prune to keep heathers in
check------------now just after flowering?
Elizabeth in Scotland.
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Elizabeth,

This is a summary from Pocket Guide, Heather Gardening, Presented by the
The Heather Society.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/heather/ My guide is about twenty years
old.

"Remove dead flower spikes and any long straggly growths, as this allows
the plant to develop its own natural habit.

The danger of severe pruning is that the cutting back to older wood will
hinder the production of new growths, leaving a bare patch in the middle
of your plant.

In natural surroundings heathers are grazed by sheep and wildlife on the
moors, but they only take the new growths which is the equivalent of
very light pruning".

Regards,
Emrys Davies.

The message
from "Emrys Davies" contains these words:

"Remove dead flower spikes and any long straggly growths, as this allows
the plant to develop its own natural habit.

Hmmmm.

The danger of severe pruning is that the cutting back to older wood will
hinder the production of new growths, leaving a bare patch in the middle
of your plant.

More hmmmmmmm.

In natural surroundings heathers are grazed by sheep and wildlife on the
moors, but they only take the new growths which is the equivalent of
very light pruning".

Tracts of heather are very often burned-off in the Highlands, and the
new growth soon springs up from the roots.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from Janet Baraclough contains these words:
The message
from Jaques d'Alltrades contains
these words:


Tracts of heather are very often burned-off in the Highlands, and the
new growth soon springs up from the roots.

The new growth of heather is from rapid seed germination on the burned
ground. That's why it's so dense.

And roots - I've been involved with the process in the Monadhliath
Mountains in Invernesshire and on the Isle of Lewis.

The trouble is with burning, it has to be done when the wind is fairly
strong and in the right direction: if the wind isn't strong enough to
'flash' burn the heather, you don't get the seeds surviving, (nor a lot
of the roots), and if the wind's in the wrong direction you could set
Scotland ablaze from stem to stern. (ish)

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/