Tib Summer Heather

Few groundcover shrubs are as rugged and reliable as Calluna vulgaris. Tib Summer Heather is a variety discovered in 1938 and is still considered one of the best summer-blooming heathers. The long flower spikes of deep pink last for a long time in the garden and in a vase. Tib’s foliage even turns a bronzy-purple when the colder weather of winter arrives. Heather is excellent for attracting beneficial pollinators and will easily smother weeds in the garden border. 

Grow Tib in the garden as a groundcover or a container for an evergreen element in a mixed seasonal display. The low, compact foliage makes a lovely backdrop for spring bulbs, summer perennials, and fall foliage on trees and other deciduous shrubs. Tib Heather is deer and rabbit resistant and has few pests or diseases that affect their growth. 

Tib Summer Heather Care

Plant heather in a location with full sun and well-draining soil. The soil pH pH should be neutral to acidic. Mulching with organic compost will help to fortify the soil and help to cool the root zone during the hot summer months. Apply a fertilizer formulated for acid-loving plants in the early spring. This will help keep the soil acidic and maintain the plant’s coloring. Provide approximately 1 inch of water a week for the first 1-2 years. After Tib is fully established, it is drought tolerant and will require very little supplemental irrigation.

Heather grows naturally into a mounded shape and needs very little pruning to keep it tidy. Shearing lightly in late winter will help to remove any branch tips damaged from the winter and spent flower spikes remaining from the previous summer. Rejuvenation pruning can be done if the overall shape is too large for the space. Do not cut back more than half of the total size in one year. Mulching with shredded leaves or arborist chips will add insulation in the colder growing zones during the winter. Make sure to remove this mulch layer in the spring before new growth begins.

Tib Summer Heather Spacing

The mature height for Tib Heather is 20-26 inches, and the spread can be up to 36 inches. Space plants 30 inches apart, staggering the planting rows, when planting multiples as ground cover. This will ensure quick and even coverage.  

Tib Summer Heather Information