Heather on the Hill

Heather on the Hill

Calluna vulgaris

 

Looking out across the Radnorshire Hills, the steep slopes are developing a wonderful purple haze, intensifying in colour each day. Known as Ling, Heather plants have pink bell-like flowers but collectively appear as a violet mass. This blazing carpet of Heather is offset by the golden yellow of gorse.

Flowering from August to October Heather plants grow in dense patches, tightly packed together and can live for up to 40 years.

Heather is not only found in the hills but across heathland, moors, and bogs, where its delicate flowers attract many nectar loving insects, including honey bees.

In the past Heather has had many uses such as fuel, fodder, building materials, thatch, packing and ropes. With the peat about its roots it served as an efficient fuel, the huts of Scottish highlanders were once made of Heather and other materials, it is still used as roofing material on temporary structures. Its Latin name, Callunais is derived from the Greek word  meaning ‘to clean’ as Heather was also used to make brushes.

White Heather, due to its rarity, has become a symbol of good luck in Scotland. In 1884 Queen Victoria described an incident involving one of her servants:
‘..he espied a piece of white heather, and jumped off to pick it. No Highlander would pass by it without picking it, for it was considered to bring good luck’.
The wreath on our late Queen’s coffin, carried into St Giles’ Cathedral, included flowers from Balmoral and white heather from the estate

Candida Hopkinson