The connection between heather and the Virgin Mary is obscure and speculative. Most of the legends about heather come from areas where it grows abundantly, such as Scotland, Ireland, and other parts of Northern Europe. In these legends, heather is associated with love, luck, protection, and mystery but the legends do not suggest that heather is Mary’s adversity. A possible explanation, however, may be related to the reputation of heather as being a very tough resilient plant; it thrives in poor soil and harsh conditions including severe exposure and freezing temperatures. This might have been seen as a symbol of defiance and led to its association with opposition or adversity, and applied to the Virgin Mary who had considerable difficulties in her life. On the other hand, by thriving in places where other plants could not grow, heather might have been viewed as a plant that “opposes” the nurturing, fertile qualities often associated with the Virgin Mary and thus was an adversary.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Also called ling, heather is an evergreen shrub native to northern Europe and Asia. It is a member of the heath family, Ericaceae, that also includes rhododendron, blueberry, and cranberry. Plants are slow growing and reach up to 24″ tall and wide. Slender stems carry very small, scale like leaves that are gray to green in spring before taking on shades of red, purple, silver, and gold with maturity. In mid- to late summer, terminal, one side spike-like racemes of pink, bell-shaped flowers appear. There are hundreds of cultivars that allow for variations in flower and foliage color as well as flower fullness. Flower may be single or double and vary in color from white to pink, purple, lavender and red. Heather is a good edging plant, filler in front of shrubs, or in rock gardens, and can also be used as a ground cover.
The genus name, Calluna, comes from the Greek word καλλύνω (kallyno), meaning to sweep up, because the plant was used to make brooms. The specific epithet, vulgaris, is the Latin word meaning common.
Heather likes lean, moist, well-drained, acidic soil in full sun but tolerates some shade. It is hardy in USDA Zones 4-7 and does not tolerate high temperatures or humidity. Plants are susceptible to damage by rust, powdery mildew, root and crown rots, scale, weevils, and spider mites. Propagation is by seed, cuttings and layering. Plants should be deadheaded after flowering and pruned in winter before flowering.