Comments on: How to Prune Heath and Heather

By: Genevieve

Genevieve — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 00:43:24 +0000

Hi Joan,
Depends on the variety. I’ve had some luck cutting Ericas to hard wood (just wood, no leaves). If you have a Calluna or Daboecia, though – neither of them responds well to hard pruning, and if they are woody inside to where it is ugly, I’d just replace them. They often get woody like that if they aren’t pruned every year after bloom, and sometimes that happens in time even with a yearly shearing. If you have a Daboecia, I’d try it as sometimes there is success – if it’s a Calluna, nope, pruning to wood will def. kill it.
If you don’t know what kind you have, try doing a google image search or looking at the heather society website for photos and guidance in identifying them. Or email me a good up-close photo (my email’s on the contact page) and I can tell you.

By: joan

joan — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 00:17:45 +0000

I have huge old heather bushes on a hillside that have not been pruned in years the inside core is all dead with just green on about a foot at the ends. Pretty big ball of green heather but it keeps stretching down hill and the base is nothing but brown woody stalks. Can I trim it back to just wood stocks? Will it send out new shoots?

By: Fall Heathers for Autumn Color | North Coast Gardening

Fall Heathers for Autumn Color | North Coast Gardening — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 16:55:59 +0000

[...] says that in mid-summer when they begin looking a little shaggy with all their deadheads, we should shear off the dead flowers and trim into the foliage just a bit, and they’ll be back to finish out the season with more [...]

By: Genevieve

Genevieve — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:34:17 +0000

Hey Roxanne,

Depends on the variety. I’ve had some luck cutting Ericas to hard wood (just wood, no leaves). If you have a Calluna or Daboecia, though – neither of them responds well to hard pruning, and if they are woody inside to where it is ugly, I’d just replace them. They often get woody like that if they aren’t pruned every year after bloom, and sometimes that happens in time even with a yearly shearing.

If you don’t know what kind you have, try doing a google image search or looking at the heather society website for photos and guidance in identifying them. Or email me a good up-close photo (my email’s on the contact page) and I can tell you.

By: roxanne

roxanne — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:07:44 +0000

i have 4 heathers that need the same haircut, but mine are flowered on the tips with green but are dead wood like at base, “have been that way for 2 seasons”, they just get taller and taller, no green at base like yours. can i still cut and get a beaty next year?

By: Genevieve

Genevieve — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 03:29:45 +0000

Thanks Aerie-el! I definitely learned a lot on that first video – the ones I’ll be posting soon have a lot less background noise.

We definitely get a lot of “interesting” characters in this town! LOL.

By: Aerie-el

Aerie-el — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 03:12:56 +0000

Nice tutorial video! Your camera person did a great job focusing on the topic and subtlety moving the camera shots away from the dude who seemed to want to be featured in your video. I linked to you from C.L.'s 'Whole Life Gardening' blog. Aerie-el’s last blog post..PERSPECTIVES