Heath

This is a heath. There are several varieties that are hardy in the Northeast, and many of them are winter or early spring flowering. Sometimes they get lumped together with heathers, but here’s a trick for telling the two apart. Remember this saying: “Heath have teeth and heathers have feathers.” This refers to the leaves. Heath leaves are sharp like little teeth, and heather leaves look like tiny feathers!

Heath and heather like to grow in well drained, acidic soil, so in your area, where some people have heavier clay soils, you are well advised to plant them on a slope. Once established heath is very drought tolerant. If this is growing in your garden already, prune it by shearing about 2 inches off just after it finished flowering.