What are the four heather groups covered on Heather World?

Heather World organises heathers into four groups: Andromeda, Calluna, Daboecia and Erica. The site presents these four groups in its cultivar lists, alongside images of many of them. If you are trying to identify a heather, browse cultivars, or understand how these plants are classified, these are the four categories the site uses as its starting point.

The four groups at a glance

Heather World notes that the four groups are shown in the cultivar lists together with images of many cultivars, so the lists are the main place to see how individual plants are sorted into each group.

How the site frames heathers beyond the four groups

Heather World describes its coverage as spanning "every aspect of heathers." That range includes:

• Wild heathers of European heaths and moorlands
• Rare and unusual heathers, including South African or "Cape" heaths
• Cultivation tips, covering choosing, growing and propagating heathers
• Scientific studies and nomenclature

The site also states that it was home to the old Heather Society, a group of heather enthusiasts dedicated to enhancing interest in heathers worldwide. The society closed at the end of 2020, but its Yearbooks and Newsletters can still be viewed on the site.

Where to start

If your goal is to work out which group a particular heather belongs to, begin with the cultivar lists, since that is where Andromeda, Calluna, Daboecia and Erica are set out with images. If your interest is broader — wild heaths, Cape heaths, or growing and propagating — the cultivation and scientific sections cover those areas separately from the four-group classification.