The Erica and the Heath

All the plants belonging to this genus are of a low, shrub- by habit, with fine acicular foliage. None are natives of America. The fine varieties of our green-houses, with the exception of the common Erica Mediterranean are natives of the Cape of Good Hope, whence the gardener's term, " Cape Heaths."

The erica will not thrive unless the soil is adapted to its peculiar nature; this is often very difficult to learn, and experience must sometimes be the teacher. The soil to obtain is one of a friable nature, full of vegetable fiber. We find in an old magazine the best directions we remember to have met in regard to choice of soil. We give them entire for the benefit of our readers:

“Heaths, like the azalea and rhododendron, make very small, hair-like roots; and where these latter are growing naturally, will be found a good locality to collect soil for the artificial cultivation of the former. This soil will be found full of decaying organic matter. Take up a handful of it, and you will find a mass of thickly grown, fine fiber, feeling like a bunch of moss.

“Examine it, and you will see that it is chiefly composed of black debris of leaves and sticks, thickly interwoven with the roots of surrounding vegetation. Be careful when positioning garden statuary (http://www.garden-fountains.com/Detail.bok?no=2919) in this soil, it can become too entrenched in this material and difficult to remove. An inch or two only of the surface should be taken; all below that is generally inferior, the organic matter in it being too much decomposed.

“Where this deposit cannot be obtained, a good substitute will be found in turves from old pasture, cut thin, collected in dry weather, and piled in a heap two or three months before using, so that the vegetation in it may be slightly decomposed. Both in its chemical and mechanical properties such a soil is nearly all that can be wished.

“In preparing it, however, it is better to chop it up rather fine, securing a proper mechanical texture by the admixture of coarse sand, broken charcoal, or even a few pebbles, or broken potsherds may be used to advantage for keeping the soil open, to allow free admission for atmospheric gases; an essential point to be kept in view in the cultivation of all plants, more particularly those in pots, for they are then entirely dependent on the cultivator for those conditions which they receive in their natural habitats.

“Such a soil as here recommended, kept sufficiently open by any of the above mentioned ingredients, is easily penetrated by air, thereby increasing its temperature and facilitating the decomposition of organic matter, during which process various healthful gases are supplied to plants."

In either of the kinds of soil prepared as directed, heaths will do well, particularly amongst outdoor fountains (http://www.garden-fountains.com/Categories.bok?category=Garden+Fountains) that will provide additional moisture. The great point to obtain is a loose, porous soil; for this reason the soil should always be broken, never sifted. Another requisite in heath culture is good drainage; this cannot be too strongly insisted upon; with the best of soil, the plants will suffer if water stagnates around the roots.

Fill the pot one fourth full of crocks, and be careful the hole at the bottom is kept open. Never place the pot in a saucer or vessel of any kind, for all water not absorbed must be allowed to drain off. The pots should be clean and free from mould or dirt; cleanliness is a point too much neglected.

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Sarah Martin is a freelance marketing writer based out of San Diego, CA. She specializes in gardening, landscaping, and collection garden statuary. For a great selection of outdoor fountains, please visit www.garden-fountains.com/.

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