Barnett Anley

I love heather.
It must come from reading all those gothic romance novels when I was young. You know the kind - the young and innocent woman spends a great deal of time taking solitary walks across the Scottish moors, and maybe a little bit of time teaching the handsome laird’s children to read and embroider.

My reading interests have changed, (mostly mysteries, these days) but still like the idea of fields of heather. I tried, unsuccessfully, to grow it in my large garden, but it was too exposed there. When we started getting less snow, the plants suffered. They now live up behind the house, in a protected bed. Not the best place as far as beauty goes, but I can shovel snow on them, if I need to.

This morning I have bee looking through my Magic and Medicine of Plants, put out by the Reader’s Digest. Here are a few interesting heather facts-

*Scots use the stems to make roof thatch
*they also use it for brooms
*the flowers make a yellow dye used for wool
*heather blossoms yield a honey that is used for Drambuie liqueur
*white heather is consider a good luck charm

County Wicklow