Featured Plant: Calluna vulgaris

By Lena Wegner

Writing this report on heather took me back to my childhood. I grew up in a house that was the last in a subdivision which abutted a large heather preserve in Northern Germany. My cousins and I roamed the low hills, the Scotch pine and birch stands, and the blueberry thickets all year long, but especially during the big - to me then seemingly endless - summer vacations.

The best time, of course, was August, when the whole world seemed to be blooming, from horizon to horizon. We would take Prince, my dog, and set out on adventures. There was a spring, where some farmer long ago had dug a small cellar. It was still partially covered, was moist inside, mysterious and great to hide in. There were different color sands and stones to collect and, near the trickle of water, some large flowered heather (Daboesia) grew. The Daboesia was protected and we felt very wicked when we picked a branch for the miniature gardens we made. We also looked for mushrooms; Steinpilze (Boletus edulis) were the best! They grew under pines and birch trees in fall, at the edge of the heath. We felt like heroes when we brought them home and they were our supper. We kept the spots secret!

One of my most wonderful memories concerns my tiny grandmother and the heather. For my August Birthday she would make a beautiful heather basket for me. She covered the inside bottom in moss and put a small present in it. I kept the baskets for a long time.

Field of Heather in Scotland. Photo Credit: Lena Wegner.

Botanical Name:  Calluna vulgaris.  The name calluna is derived from the Greek word “kallunein”, which means to sweep or cleanse, and refers either to the fact that calluna was used to make brooms or that it was used in medicine to “cleanse” the body.
 
Common Name:  Scotch Heather or ling. Ling is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word “lig”, meaning fire, referring to the use of heather as fuel.

Family: Ericaceae

Natural Range: Northern and Western Europe.  Heather is a dominant plant in hilly moorlands and heathlands of the UK and Continental Europe.

Other Cultivars/Species:  Calluna vulgaris is the sole species in genus calluna with over 500[1] cultivars; Close relatives are Erica and Daboesia.

Plant type: Small, evergreen, mat forming perennial shrub growing to two feet tall with an upright habit. 

Leaves: Very small, fine, scale-like leaves, arranged in opposite pairs along the stem.
 
Flowers:  Violet-pink, bell-shaped flowers in August/September, on narrow, erect racemes, with flowers having up to 8 deeply colored bracts.  The corolla is completely enclosed by long, colored sepals.  They are very attractive to bees.
 
Diseases/Pests:  Heather is quite free of diseases and pests if it is grown in an environment it likes.  Garden books will list several problems, but most seem caused by conditions in the garden.  (e.g. Hot humid summers cause root rot and spider mite infestations. Heather beetles can cause extensive damage.  Both adults and larvae feed on the plant.   Lepodoptera larvae also feed on it.)

Cultivation:  Heather likes an open site, ample moisture, full sun, and humus rich,[2] well-drained, acidic soil (acidity is a must!).  It can handle some shade, but not much. It does not like hot, dry summers.  Calluna is quite hardy.
 
Heathers, Calluna vulgaris, Erica and Dabosia, are latecomers to the garden. For a long time they were thought to be too common to be considered ornamental.  A fashion change in gardening, away from the formal French style to the “New English Style”[3], brought about mainly by “Capability” Brown (1716-1783), advanced the use of heathers and conifers. According to some literature about 400 cultivars were available during the 19th century, compared to over 1,000 now.  A virtual cultivar explosion took place during the 1950s when the Bressingham nurseryman Adrian Bloom (1906-2005), “invented” the island bed which allowed viewing plants from all sides.  Using “drifts” of various heather cultivars, he created year around interest in those beds and they had the added advantage of not obstructing the view of other garden plantings.
 
In the wild Calluna vulgaris grows in the poorest of soils, but it needs an open location that is moist but well drained.  It prefers sandy, acidic soil, but may tolerate other soils, as long as they are acidic.  It tolerates exposed, windy sites.  (The German name for heather, “Heide”, comes from the old Germanic word “haithio” meaning unknown, wild green land or woodlands, lands that were at best hunting grounds.) 

In the garden the above conditions should be duplicated as far as possible.  Heather should be pruned severely each spring before new growth emerges.  Hand pruning of old flower stalks to 1/3 – 1/2 with shears is recommended. 
 
Propagation:  Propagation can be achieved via soft tip cuttings or layering.
 
History: After the last ice age, heather colonized the sandy, boulder-strewn areas left behind by the melting glaciers.[4]  Moors with peat bogs were strewn among the hills. Heather still covers thousands of acres in Scotland, Northern England, Scandinavia,[5] and Northern Germany.  The large heaths in Northern Germany differ from the others in that they have their origin later, in the middle ages, when the population which started with the first permanent settlements in 3,500 B.C., increased.  Overgrazing and deforestation impoverished the marginal soil the glacier had left behind to the extent that only heather would grow there.  As soon as soil is more fertile, Calluna looses out to other plants such as grasses.

Today heaths are often protected as nature preserves, because heather landscapes have been shrinking since the advent of synthetic fertilizers. 
  
Uses: Heather is used as ornamental groundcover, edging of beds, in rock gardens and on embankments, as well as in island bed drift plantings mentioned above.  When combined with winter blooming Ericas (Erica cinera = bell heath and Erica canera = winter heath), heathers provide a long blooming season. Calluna, used in combination with Erica, dwarf conifers and grasses, provides a beautiful, natural landscape.

Heather is, and has been from the time before written records, an important food source for wildlife.  Heather likes pruning, and, in the wild, a special type of sheep (Heidschnucke = ovis ammon f. aries), deer, grouse and hare feed on it and so perform that service.  Wildlife also eats the seedlings of birch and pine, which threaten heather.

Heather beer was brewed in the middle ages, before hops, and the Picts rather died than revealed their heather ale recipe to the conquering Irish.   Man has used heather clods to build shelters, thatch roofs, bed down animals, make brooms, scrubbing brushes, tan leather, and produce a yellow dye to color yarns and cloth.

Medicinal uses included treatments for the common cold, arthritis, rheumatism, and urinary problems. 
 
Heather honey is a sought-after treat today and is thought to be good for you.

White heather means good luck.  Dried heather is used for decorations.

[1] The numbers given fluctuate from 400 to 1,100.

[2] I have a quarrel with this statement.  Heather naturally grows in acidic soil of very low fertility and often resents kinder conditions.

[3] Improve on nature” was the slogan

[4] End moraine territory

[5] Heather is the national flower of Norway.

Pumpkins

Autumn always makes me think of cooler weather, changing leaves, and of course pumpkins! Join us in learning a little more about this fall fruit with the book From Seed to Pumpkin by Wendy Pfeffer. After listening to the book you can complete our pumpkin life cycle worksheet (page 1 and page 2).

For a little more pumpkin fun, click on the link for a pumpkin stamping craft.

Finally, snuggle up and listen to the book Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper, and maybe even try making your own pumpkin soup with this recipe.

Dahlias

Photo credit: Janelle Deutsch. From top left to right: Tutti Fruitti, Show ‘N’ Tell, Enchantress, My Little Sunshine, Hollyhill Black Beauty.

By Janelle Deutsch

In the mid-1980’s there was a small dahlia farm off the Issaquah-Fall City Road. Apartments and commercial buildings stand there now. It was at this dahlia farm that I bought my first dahlia tubers. New to gardening, I ordered some garden soil, mixed it with aged horse manure, and planted the tubers. The results were so gratifying that I have been growing dahlias ever since.

The dahlia is a genus of tuberous plants that are members of the Asteraceae family. They are related to species that include the sunflower, daisy, chrysanthemum and zinnia. There are so many varieties of beautiful dahlias to enjoy: cactus, anemone, waterlily and dinner plate, just to name a few. The colors run the spectrum of pure white to almost black, with every other color combination in between (except blue). Blooms can vary from two inches (petite lollipop pompoms) to 15 inches (dinner plate). In addition, dahlias can come in heights, anywhere from two feet to over five feet. I often get asked the question to “dig or not to dig” up my tubers in November. The dahlia tubers cannot survive extreme cold temperatures. I personally leave my dahlia tubers in the ground over the winter since the northwest weather is relatively mild compared to other regions of the country. However, I do cut down my dahlia stems below the ground and cover the tubers with several layers of mulch. In this way, the plants are provided with warmth and protection from too much water. Excessive moisture can cause tuber rot. These versatile plants are deer and rabbit resistant (which is a plus in our area), relatively easy to grow, and are excellent cut flowers for arrangements.

Summer is over. Fall is just beginning. The dahlias are still lighting up the yard with vibrant colors and eye-catching shapes for a few more weeks. The kitchen vase is empty, and the dahlia garden is calling…

Plants for Summer

By Sarah Cheng

To quote a kindred spirit, Steve Aitken, editor of Fine Gardening magazine: “I have a bit of a collecting problem… I always want to know about something new, something obscure, or something variegated.” And with those thoughts in mind, I would like to share two plants blooming in my June garden.

Angel’s Fishing Rod (Dierama pulcherrimum). This evergreen perennial first caught my eye in the garden of Barbara Flynn, a locally well-known plantswoman. The bright pink flowers catch the breeze, with foliage similar to Japanese iris. The name comes from the choice to plant near a pond, where the arching stems can drape over the water. In addition to pink, these come in a range of colors from white, yellow to dark red. Mine was purchased at a local plant sale. Start your search! I was surprised to spot many growing on a steep bank in Seattle’s Montlake area, speaking to its hardiness and dependability.

Burning Bush or Gas Bush (Dictamnus albus). Why such a strange common name? Per the Missouri Botanical Garden website, the plant secretes volatile oils while flowering. If a match is placed close to the stalk, it becomes a flash of fire! I discovered a $1 packet of seeds at the Center for Urban Horticulture a few years ago…not much of a risk to take a chance on a plant I’d never heard of (fulfilling the “something obscure” obsession). It’s been an investment of three years, but I’m very happy with the results, with colorful stalks of flowers, visited often by bees and hummingbirds. This herbaceous perennial has pinnate foliage, still interesting after the flowering is done. The plants are not eaten by rabbits, deer or slugs, which puts it in a special category in our Sammamish gardens.

Add both these perennials to your “gotta-have” list. Part of the fun is the treasure hunt. Happy hunting and gardening. For information on more ideal plant selections in our growing area, the SBGS recommends the website: Great Plant Picks (www.greatplantpicks.org). Happy gardening!

Spring Favorites

Siberian bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’). Not only my favorite, this plant was awarded the 2012 Perennial Plant of the Year. Light blue forget-me-not type flowers are blooming now, with new leaves popping out on this shade or part-shade perennial. The leaves decay in the winter, but return readily in our Zone 8 gardens. While not evergreen, the benefits outweigh this minor negative. After the flowers finish blooming in the spring, the clumping type plant, which is dividable for free additions, continues to give summer contrast in the garden with silvery, green veined heart-shaped leaves. Many gardeners new to our area ask “What is that beautiful plant?”

Variegated Winter Daphne (Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata’). This is a beautiful plant at all times of the year, adding to foliage interest in the garden with evergreen leaves tinged in white. During the late winter and early spring months, the plant produces very fragrant small clusters of small pink flowers. I recently walked through the Bellevue Botanical Garden where the air is filled with the sweet scent of this favorite shrub, which grows to about four feet tall. Mine is happy to grow in not perfect soil, in part shade near a stand of pine trees.

Both of our spring plant picks are slug, rabbit, and deer resistant! For information on more ideal plant selections in our growing area, the SBGS recommends the website: Great Plant Picks (www.greatplantpicks.org). Happy spring gardening! - By Sarah Cheng

Plant for Winter Interest

Photo credit: Richie Steffen / Great Plant Picks

By Sarah Cheng

We are fortunate to live in a mild winter climate – enough to have more than firs, ferns and salal for our winter greenery. One of my favorites for winter interest is Grevillea victoriae, ‘Murray Valley Queen’. Grevilleas aren’t so common in our area, but what’s not to like? Here’s a shrub with green leaves all winter, orange clustered flowers which start to set in November continuing until late spring, deer and rabbit resistant, drought tolerant once established, and hardy without fertilizer (avoid phosphorus). These plants are rated as Zone 7 or 8. The ones in my garden survived the past winter’s heavy snow and cold, and this year’s early frosts, with flowers already starting to bloom. Try one…or more. Happy gardening!

Pineapple Lily

A Plant Choice for Fall Gardens 

One of my garden goals is to have eye-catching plants at every time of the year.  We’re fortunate to live in an area where that’s an easy and fun exercise.  In late August, I’m very happy to see my pineapple lily (Eucomis ‘Rhode Island Red’) coming into its full splendor.  Not only is this plant one of my many favorites, but it’s also endorsed by Dan Hinkley.  Although this perennial lily, part of the Asparagus family, disappears in the winter, in late spring it brings much joy as the first strappy leaves push through the ground.  The early growth is a deep burgundy, which adds interest to the garden in color and texture even before the flower spikes develop.  But when other perennials are coming to the end of their summer glory, this lily is still going strong.  It is well-behaved with a compact shape, growing to over three feet tall.  A big plus is the rabbit and deer resistance.  Nurture this one, my fellow garden nerds!  We can always squeeze another focal plant into our garden beds.  Happy gardening.
From our treasurer, Sarah Cheng