It's all about me - Heather!

[helwen]

http://www.alchemy-works.com/calluna_vulgaris.html

Well, the plant actually, after which I was named. Had no idea it was used for so many different things! The heather ale I knew about (recipes today are suppositions on how it might have been used in the times before the English banned it in Scotland, in order to promote use of hops)... but rope-making?

Some of our local wildlife would like it too, so I might see about introducing it in a few spots on the hillside, as well as in the garden. But, I think I'd rather get it as a plant, not seeds...

Comments

[kass-rants.livejournal.com]

Heather growning heather? That would be cool!

I'm just talking off the top of my head, but isn't it a bast fibre, like flax and nettle and hemp? That would explain the rope connection.

I wonder how it spins...

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Yup, I had a few of them in Holyoke as ornamentals.

Yes, probably a bast fibre, but I've never taken one of the branches apart to see what the insides look like. The site mentions basket weaving as well. Hm...

[helwen.livejournal.com]

That would be great if you can find the ref, thx!

No hadn't heard about the singer, *chuckle*. Combines well with the flower esence for dealing with self-centeredness, LOL

What amused me from the web page was that the heather fae are attractd to shy people -- odd as it might sound, that would be me -- I have the written comments from grammar school teachers to prove it. Altho' in my role as the local baroness, I worked hard on interacting with lots of folks. Call it a shape-change, if you will ;)

[harpnfiddle.livejournal.com]

There's a place on the Cape that sells heather and heath. Some that are zone 4 hardy.

[harpnfiddle.livejournal.com]

Ah, here it is:
http://www.rockspray.com/

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Cool! The local places sell at least one of the type of 'heather', but don't know what they're zoned to... it does get chilly up here...

My fav local place is Hadley Garden Center, for quality, selection, and advice. But we got pansies from Laurenitis in Sunderland this spring -- traditional M day prezzie for my MIL -- and they're still alive. This is a first for her, so while their selection's limited, they have good quality there as well.

[harpnfiddle.livejournal.com]

I have a variety that gets red after the first frost, and one that blooms in February. They're right next to the driveway, so you'll see them in Jan if there is little snow.

[harpnfiddle.livejournal.com]

When I was in Scotland, I took a bus from Inverness to Balnain Bridge then walked the 2 miles to the Speyside Heather Center. If you could make it out of Heather, they had it. I so wished I could have brought some plants home, but customs wouldn't have allowed it, so I brought a sweatshirt with a heather design home instead.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Ah, Scotland... sigh. Sounds wonderful!

And thanks for the web site -- wow! So many varieties, and different sizes too. Mine in Holyoke were petite, but I can see making baskets and such out of the bigger ones.