For a tapestry of colour throughout the year heathers are the ideal subjects.

There is literally a heather for every time of year in flower.

On top of that, the foliage is superb as it changes with the temperature. In winter it may be dark bronze or in summer golden, and all shades of green.

The most profuse are the winter heathers – erica carnea varieties.

These make ideal ground cover underneath witch hazels, in colours that vary between pink, red and white. They start to come out in November, and continue right through to April, coinciding with witch hazels.

The deepest red of the erica carnea types is myretoun ruby, a very deep rose colour.

This mixes well with springwood white and springwood pink.

They all grow sideways to cover the ground, and will keep to a low growing ground cover which will smother all weeds if sheared back hard after flowering. This shearing is important, but it is really all that needs to be done to keep the winter heathers neat and tidy.

Erica carnea all have attractive foliage when cut back. The foxhollow variety is a bright golden yellow.

For late summer flowering the callunas are ideal. They come a little taller than the ericas, so are best planted a bit behind them.

Another summer flowering variety is erica vagens, which has a tuft of flower at the end of its stems in August, when they bloom in pink or white.

Summer flowering heathers are lower, and have pretty little bells in pink, white or mauve.

Daboecia comes from Ireland, the Azores and northern Europe. It is a little taller than the heathers, with bigger bells in red, pink or white.

All heathers are ericaceous plants, which mean that they do not like a chalky soil – they prefer acid conditions.

However, erica carnea types and the erica vagens will tolerate a more alkaline soil.

Heathers are often grown with dwarf conifers, where they make a lovely show, particularly in winter.

They also mix well with dwarf Rhododendrons, ideal in a small garden, or on a rockery.

They are not all small and low. Tree heathers can get quite tall.

A good example is Exeter, which reaches around six feet, though it needs to be cut down about every third year, to keep it from getting straggly.

By Pat Edwards