Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Facebook Twitter YouTube
    Latest Articles
    • Recruitment Section at the 50 Plus Show
    • Personal finance and property expert Sinead Ryan to speak at The 50 Plus Show
    • Life is for living….
    • Your chance to win the Fantastic Finger Puppet Story Set with Nursery Rhymes from mimitoys.ie
    • Mimitoys.ie, one the largest selection of children’s puppets in Ireland are exhibiting at the 50 Plus Show
    • Improve your Digital Skills at The 50 Plus Show
    • Seniorline are celebrating 25 years at the 50 Plus Show
    • Driving Life with Conor Faughnan. Episode 36: Conor meets Charlie McGettigan
    Senior Times
    Podcasts
    • Home
    • News
    • Features
      1. Driving Life
      2. Fashion & Beauty
      3. Finance
      4. Food & Wine
      5. Further Education
      6. Galleries
      7. Gardening
      8. IRISH GEN POD SERIES
      9. Health
      10. Hobbies & Pastimes
      11. Legal
      12. Literature
      13. Nostalgia
      14. Profiles
      15. 50 Plus Show
      16. Sport
      17. Travel
      18. What’s On
      Featured
      February 15, 20230

      SeniorTimes Rewind – Mike Murphy talks to Author, Deirdre Purcell

      Recent
      March 21, 2023

      Your chance to win the Fantastic Finger Puppet Story Set with Nursery Rhymes from mimitoys.ie

      March 19, 2023

      Driving Life with Conor Faughnan. Episode 36: Conor meets Charlie McGettigan

      March 19, 2023

      Alix Gardner Cooking Demo’s at the 50 Plus Show

    • Podcast
    • Competitions
    • 50 Plus Show
      • Whats On
      • Register
    • Magazine
      • Previous Issues
      • Subscribe
      • Advertise
    • Meeting Place
    • Contact
    Senior Times
    You are at:Home»Features»Gardening»Heathers for autumn and winter colour!

    Heathers for autumn and winter colour!

    0
    By Senior Times on August 12, 2019 Gardening

    Although the fashion for planting up beds and banks solely with heathers has waned, heathers still have a very valuable role to play, writes Gerry Daly

    Heathers happily provide a touch of colour during the winter and early spring when few other flowers oblige. And all heathers do not need to be grown on acidic soil — many erica kinds are just as happy in limy soil.

    As it happens, the main ericas for winter use are the lime-tolerant ones, such as Erica carnea, Erica x darleyensis and Erica mediterranea. Many named varieties of each of these species are available, especially the first two, such as ‘King George’ and ‘Myretoun Ruby’. Varieties of the third species are generally taller and useful where a little more height and size is useful.

    The other main erica species is the common native bell heather, Erica cinerea, that clothes many a hillside in purple during late summer and early autumn. The slightly later flowering ling heather, with paler pink flowers of open, rather than rounded bell shape, is Calluna vulgaris. Many selections in a variety of colours of both of these plants have been made, some with double flowers.

    This is a good time of year to select and plant heathers for the garden. The late summer and autumn kinds will be in flower or on the point of flowering and can be selected for the suitability of their colours. The winter and spring flowering kinds can also be planted now, or chosen later when they are in flower.

    Because of their relatively small size, most heathers are best used at the front of beds and borders, or in gaps between larger plants. They tolerate shade very poorly and it is important to avoid planting in places where they will be shaded by taller plants, or in positions where tree leaves might fall on them.

    Question: Re-seeding a lawn

    ‘I have a lot of wear and tear on my lawn due to pets and children playing. What can I do to reduce this, and when?’

    This is the ideal time to repair any damage that the lawn might have sustained during the summer months. Wear and tear from games and pets can leave a lawn looking quite shabby. A lightly worn lawn will recover of its own accord as soon as the cause of the wear ceases.

    But more heavily damaged areas need to be over-sown or even re-laid with sods. In cases of heavy wear, the first step is to spike the area with a digging fork, gently easing back a little on the fork to break compaction.

    If the grass is very sparse, the soil can be lightly pricked over with a fork and seed sown and raked in. If the grass has completely gone, it might be easier to cut sods from an out-of-the-way corner and use these to repair the damage. The corner can then be re-sown.

    Plant spring colour bulbs now!

    If you want a colourful spring in your garden, now is the time to plant bulbs. There is a great choice of bulbs and they flower over a long period, keeping the garden going from January to May. The sequence of spring bulbs begins with snowdrops and crocuses, runs through daffodils and finishes with tulips. Less well known bulbs, such as scillas, chionodoxas, ranunculus and anemones, make their contribution along the way.

    Spread the love
    Senior Times
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn

    Senior Times publishes Senior Times magazine and are producers of the SeniorTimes Podcasts. They are also organisers of The 50 Plus Show run throughout the country

    Related Posts

    Make Your patch work for wildlife at www.birdfood.ie

    Marie Staunton Gardening Clinics at Senior Times LIVE!

    Bird Table with Conor O’Hagan and Niall Hatch of Birdwatch Ireland

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    Driving Life Podcasts

    Gen Pod Series

    Search the Site
    Spotify

    Subscribe

    Our Podcasts

    Senior Times Podcast Platform · Next Up
    Subscribe to our Newsletter
    * indicates required
    Dublin
    March 30, 2023, 12:37 pm
    Mostly cloudy
    Mostly cloudy
    12°C
    real feel: 10°C
    wind speed: 4 m/s SW
    sunrise: 7:04 am
    sunset: 7:56 pm
    Forecast March 30, 2023
    day
    Mostly cloudy with showers
    Mostly cloudy with showers
    16°C
    wind speed: 4 m/s SSW
    night
    Rain
    Rain
    8°C
    wind speed: 4 m/s ESE
     
    Follow Us On Facebook
    Follow us on YouTube
    Follow us on Twitter
    Tweets by @seniortimesmag
    Copyright © 2023 Sports & Leisure. Designed by clikcreative.com.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.