County Wicklow Heather

With its beautiful, double, shell-pink flowers and dark green foliage, this spreading evergreen makes a year-round statement. Calluna vulgaris 'County Wicklow’ blooms from summer through autumn. It’s a compact plant, reaching only 12 inches in height after 5-10 years.

This low-maintenance evergreen is generally pest-free. If you’re interested in attracting pollinators, this is a great choice—it’s bee friendly and attractive to butterflies and moths. At the same time, it’s not particularly attractive to unwanted deer visitors. This UK native plant is also drought tolerant after establishment. Your County Wicklow Heather is a great choice for ground cover, flower borders and beds, rock gardens, city and courtyard gardens and containers.

County Wicklow Heather Plant Care

The County Wicklow Heather will thrive in an area that receives full sun. Plant it in moist but well-drained soil. It can handle loamy, clay and sandy soils, but prefers an acidic pH. This shrub requires little food or attention—in fact, you won’t need to fertilize it at all. It even prefers lean soil, low in organic matter. Water well in the first year, keeping soil moist. After that, the heather should not need much supplemental watering, unless you live in a very arid region.

Remove any dead flower spikes in early spring. This will help maintain the plant’s compact growth, keeping it from getting leggy and woody. Prune in early summer and late spring, but use the utmost care, making sure not to cut back hard into old wood. Doing so could prevent new growth.

County Wicklow Heather Plant Spacing

This is a spreading plant, and planting distances vary based on personal preference. A safe bet is spacing new plants about 1-2 feet apart. If you are planting in a container, choose a pot at least 12 inches in diameter.

County Wicklow Heather Information