# Heather



## merince (Jul 19, 2011)

Brother Adam tested his queens on the heather crop in the Dartmoor. I believe it is a quick crystalizing honey that he extracted all and replaced with syrup as he believed it caused the bees to winter poorly. I don't think this will be a concern since you are planting it (not enough to get a crop unless you are planting several square miles of it). However, I would think that pretty much any variety would yield. The fact that it grows wild means that it is pretty tough and self-sufficient (and hard to mess up).


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## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

I picked up a heather plant a Lowes in late April that had bees all over it in the parking lot. My bees worked it hard until there were options, then it was ignored all summer though it bloomed. Did not overwinter, and I have not tried again. Low density (Single Porch Plant) was probably more of a factor than the plant itself though.


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## Andrew Dewey (Aug 23, 2005)

I got a response on Facebook that someone near me successfully grows a variety of heathers and so I will try a few plants next year. (darn those catalogs!)


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## minz (Jan 15, 2011)

We have a lot of heathers that bloom in spring before dandelion. It is a low growing shrub.


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## fruitveggirl (Mar 8, 2013)

I believe there are 2 types of heather. Calluna vulgaris blooms in late summer/fall. Those in the genus Erica in spring.


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## roberto487 (Sep 22, 2012)

The erica type are not hardy for freezing climates. The ling type are the ones fhat grows wild in scotland and are best suited for cold climates


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## minz (Jan 15, 2011)

I do not know the type, I may even be incorrect about the plant. It is currently one of the only things blooming except a couple of early Crocus. I had a flying day last week and the bees were coming in with red pollen, it was suggested that it may be maple. I went and looked at all the different types of Maple I could find and it was way to early for them still (cold year). I am now thinking the red Heather (we get red and white).


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## JWChesnut (Jul 31, 2013)

Spring blooming "heather" is likely a cultivar of the South African (Cape Province) genus Erica. These are not frost hardy, being from the mild winter Mediterranean climate of the south Cape.
Bees work landscape plantings of this for pollen in my region in December and January.

New England, Scottish and German heathland "heather" is now in the genus Calluna. It naturally blooms in August-September. Calluna vulgaris, is self-incompatible and must be cross pollinated. This has permitted the bewildering development of hundreds of cultivars. Some of the cultivars are sterile (and must be vegetatively reproduced). My suspicion is that some nectar and pollen production has been lost in the push to create ornamental cultivars with enlarged,unusually colored, and doubled flowers, etc. Stamens (the pollen bearing structure) are often lost when petal parts are doubled in garden selection. Chemicals (colchicine) are applied to mutate the plant to provide unusual, sterile and non-hardy specimens for the creation of cultivars.


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## Andrew Dewey (Aug 23, 2005)

What I have got on order is *Calluna vulgaris. *Thank you JWChesnut for noting the self-incompatability. I need to do some (more) research!


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## minz (Jan 15, 2011)

Went to the plant nursery and took a look around. Turns out it is a Erica, the whites are a white sprine or wood white, the Mediterranean came in two types of red Myers Town Ruby and Spring wood Pink. Not saying that that is all there is, just that you guys are on your game for plants. Also found that the other thing I have blooming now I used to call a mountain ash is really a Pieris Japonica


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## Andrew Dewey (Aug 23, 2005)

I am told by my supplier (Fedco) that Heather (*Calluna vulgaris*) spreads by roots, making a second variety unnecessary.


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## Edymnion (May 30, 2013)

All I can say is that I saw a plant at Home Depot that had lots of tiny white flowers that was labeled as "Heather" that I thought the girls would be all over.
To my knowledge not a single one has touched it. Most I ever saw on it was a single bumblebee.

So from limited personal experience, they don't touch the stuff if anything else is available.


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## tsk (Nov 26, 2010)

When I saw heather, I'm reminded of those IWF videos. I googled it and found one here (Heathland Beekeeping - 7 - Harvest of Heather Honey in a Skep Apiary):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDn3DnjpY1A

I'm not sure it has much of interest with regards to the plant, but...


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