A. Barto
Heather is a discreet but charming flower. Its small lilac-pink flowers resemble bluebells and are densely planted on twigs. From a distance, heather thickets look like pinkish-purple clouds, because their flowers and leaves are rather small, but very numerous. The plant of the Heather family includes only one species, and its name comes from the ancient Greek "kalynein" - "to clean", because from ancient times it was heather that served as the material for panicles. The plant, which settled on the territory of Russia, got its name from the ancient Slavic "rasenets" - "hoarfrost". Our ancestors were very poetic - it seemed to them that the shoots of this plant were covered with frost. From the Irish and Gaelic languages, the name "fraoh" was fixed for the heather. This word translates as "warlike". About the Welsh goddess of this plant - Uroika - tell the sources that came from Romanesque Switzerland. Her very name seemed to be a cross between Ura and "ereice" - one of the names for heather.
Heather "speaks" the language of plants, depending on its color: - promises protection and a wish come true. plant - promises loneliness and admiration. And pink wishes good luck.
The flowering of heather marked the onset of a time of fun and freedom of choice. The sweet aroma of summer, the delicious taste of honey... The beliefs of the Celts convey to us the belief that in the middle of summer, when the heather fields turn into buzzing beehives, the Goddess herself will appear in the form of a queen bee. seductive women, goddesses of love, taking the King of Oak into herself before the fire consumes him - that's what heather means. This plant, according to legend, brings happiness, because it keeps from actions caused by uncontrolled passion. For the Celts, the bee personified, and they considered moderate intoxication a way to open the curtain between the worlds in order to communicate with the gods and. Heather ale, which was drunk during summer rites, created a festive atmosphere, helped the muses of poetry, singing and music to enter the society of people and lifted prohibitions.
Archaeologists believe heather was used in Everyday life even 4000 years ago. During excavations at Skara Brae, a prehistoric village was discovered. One of the items found during the excavations was a rope made from heather stalks. Subsequently, heather was used to cover the roofs of churches and houses, weave baskets and rugs, and also to make a miracle drug - the oldest fermented drink in the history of Britain (boiled and infused). The recipe for this drink, heather ale, has been passed down from generation to generation.
Heather (Norwegian r?slyng) is the national flower of Norway.
When the Lord created Scotland, he looked at the bare hillsides and decided that they needed to be decorated with something.
God asked a gigantic oak, the mightiest of all trees, to do so, but the oak declined the offer, citing the soil being too weak for it to put down its strong roots and thrive.
Then the Lord turned to the fragrant golden honeysuckle flowers with a request to give their beauty and fragrance to the bare slopes of Scotland. But the honeysuckle also refused, because it saw nothing here but an inhospitable and hungry area, unsuitable for flowering.
The royal rose, the sweetest of all flowers, was next to whom the Lord spoke. But she explained that her delicate petals were not able to withstand harsh winds and endless rains.
The disappointed Lord decided to stop his attempts and leave everything as it was, and suddenly his eyes fell on a small, modest, low-lying green shrub with tiny flowers: white and purple. It was heather!
The Lord asked the heather if he was ready to settle in these lifeless hills to make them beautiful. Heather looked at the poor soil, the harsh climate and doubted whether he could cope with such a task, but, to the joy of God, he agreed and promised to do everything in his power.
The overjoyed Lord decided to reward the brave plant with generous rewards and granted it: the strength of an oak tree - the bark of heather is stronger than the bark of any other tree or shrub; honeysuckle aroma - the delicate aroma of heather is used in the manufacture of fragrant soaps, candles and cosmetic products; made it flexible like a willow, and allowed it to grow where no other plant can settle. God rewarded him with increased endurance and natural charm, as well as the aroma and qualities of a honey plant.
To this day, heather has three divine gifts and adorns the deserted Scottish hills, despite the soil, rains and winds.
According to another old Scottish legend, once upon a time, a princess was waiting for her husband to return from a military campaign. The only thing left of her beloved is a white silk scarf and memories of the days spent together. The princess cried out all her eyes and one of her tears fell on the purple heather flower. At the same moment, the flower turned white, like a silk scarf of a loved one. This story ended well.
The princess nevertheless waited for her husband from the war, he returned safe and sound. Since then, white heather has been considered a symbol of good luck in Scotland.
According to another legend, once brave and strong people lived in Scotland - the Picts. Only they owned the secrets of preparing a miraculous drink - heather honey, which gives people strength and youth. The king of Scotland decided to master the secret and sent his army to this tribe to find out all about the drink. But the freedom-loving and proud people did not reveal the secret of preparing the drink and took it to the grave.
Heather was also used in the production of heather ale, a traditional Scottish strong beer, the first mention of which dates back to the 2nd century BC. e.
Scotland is also called the country of heather honey, and in ancient Scotland, heather was depicted on the coat of arms of one of the clans.
Heather really has therapeutic effect- diaphoretic, disinfectant, sedative, hypnotic, wound healing.
In Japan, there is still a tradition of burning heather on Wakakusayama, Mount Wakakusa. Now this is an unusual festival (January 12), and earlier on Mount Wakakusa, the monks set fire to the heather, whose thickets (heath) reached 33 hectares (80 acres), after which the warrior monks knocked down his flame.
Heather is used in magical rituals to cleanse the home and yard from evil spirits and evil spirits.
White heather protects against violence, and heather ale - a healing drink - brings comfort.
Robert Stevenson recreated the legend of the heather fields tragedy and wrote the ballad Heather Honey.
Heather dispels any sorcery. It is good to plant heather in the garden, best of all on the east and north sides. It will bring protection to your home, good luck and financial well-being to you.
To get rid of the witchcraft sent to the house (when everything in the house breaks down, in the room, despite regular ventilation, there is stale air, the appearance of many insects is observed), it is necessary to fumigate the room with heather. This must be done several times, the first time - on the first evening of the full moon, and then 4 more times, two evenings later on the third. As soon as the moon appears in the sky, you need to take as many white saucers as there are rooms in the house (including the pantry and toilet). Place a heap of dried heather on each saucer. Starting from entrance doors, go counterclockwise, bring one saucer of heather into each room. Indoors, burn the heather and, holding the saucer in your hands in front of you, go around the room 3 times counterclockwise. Then place a saucer of burning heather on the far right of the door. After that, go to the next room and do the same. Early in the morning, collect all saucers of heather ash, take the ashes out and spread them in the field next to the house. On the third evening and 3 more times, repeat the same.
Heather is an evergreen wild shrub up to 60-70 cm high with small dark green needle-shaped leaves and brown bark. It blooms at different times (depending on the species) with elegant clusters of small bells. The color is predominantly white, pale lilac or bluish. Heather has become quite widespread almost all over the world. In Russia, these flowers are often found in peat bogs and pine forests in Siberia and the European part.
Heather is wild and cultivated, which is known to much less people. These are mainly decorators and home flower growers. Breeding decorative flower- a rather troublesome business, as it is an extremely whimsical shrub. But, despite all the difficulties, this lesson is very exciting and quite useful. If anyone at least once in his life grew heather at home, he becomes his admirer for life.
heather species
At home, as a rule, three main types of plants are grown:
- Heather slender (Erica gracillis).
- Winter heather (Erica huemalis).
Although these three types are combined general concept"Heather", they all have obvious differences.
heather slender
This very beautiful low shrub (up to a maximum of 40 cm), pubescent with light green leaves. During the flowering period, it is densely hung with garlands of pink-red or purple bells, similar to pomegranate seeds.
Heather wintering
This shrub is a little taller. The leaves are larger, flowering occurs with magnificent white flowers.
Veresk Mix
Refers to the most popular view in Russia. Its height reaches 40-50 cm. The plant is covered with small scaly leaves and is extremely branched. During flowering, which occurs in July, the heather is overgrown with luxurious tassels of pink, white and purple flowers.
Heather at home
The life span of heather in nature can be more than a dozen years. In gardens or alpine slide cultivated bush lives up to 5 years. Heather at home grows much less - no more than 2 years, and then only when proper care and plant maintenance.
Features of care
At home, the principle of caring for any type of decorative heather is approximately the same, although some still require special conditions for themselves.
What should a gardener do and remember? How to care for heather at home?
- First of all, you need a well-ventilated room in which the temperature is winter time does not exceed + 7-12 ° С (for the life of the plant and its flowering in winter period this condition is required).
- Heather does not tolerate heat very well.
- The plant must have enough light.
- Growing heather at home involves timely watering. The soil should always be moderately moistened, and water can be used for watering and spraying plants only settled and containing minimum number chlorine. Very well suited rain or melt. When watering, you should try not to fall on the leaves of the bush, as otherwise it may begin to suffer from a disease such as gray rot.
- As a nutrient medium for growing a plant, it is recommended to take a mixture of marsh and coniferous soil, as well as sand and peat (the ratio of parts is 3:1:½:1).
- Heather, home care for which is a troublesome but exciting business, is very sensitive to top dressing, therefore it should be fertilized very carefully so as not to overdo it in any case. Full complex mineral fertilizers for heather, it is applied in the spring immediately after pruning. Fertilizer calculation is as follows - from 20 to 30 milligrams per square meter soil.
- To stimulate growth and shape, the bush must be pruned, while avoiding stiff shoots, because it is from them that new branches begin to grow.
It is worth noting that at home it behaves unpretentiously - it is a plant that is completely unpretentious in planting and caring.
Diseases
reproduction
Heather can be propagated:
- seeds (in a plant they are very small);
- cuttings;
- method of dividing the bush.
Moreover, at home, the plant is preferably propagated by seeds, since the planting of this grass can be carried out in almost all seasons. The process of growing in this way is quite long and laborious, but the degree of seed germination is very high - about 90%. The soil should be shed with a small amount of heated water, then put the seeds on it, lightly press down and lightly sprinkle with earth. After that, in order to prevent the soil and seeds from drying out, cover the pot hermetically with a film. About 30 days after sowing, the seeds will sprout. With the onset of heat, the seedlings are taken out to the street so that it grows. They are planted in a permanent place in about 1.5-2 years.
If you do not have the desire to wait so long, reproduction can be done by cuttings. For this, shoots should be carefully selected, which should be flexible and have vegetative buds at the ends. At the same time, it must be remembered that it is the annual seedlings that take root best of all. Landing is recommended to be carried out in special decorative pots with peat-sand mixture. Cuttings are cut in early autumn, and only with upper parts plants. branches flowering bushes cutting off for rooting is not recommended.
When dividing the bush (after flowering), it is taken out of the pot, then the rhizomes are divided into several parts and then planted in new containers.
As for plant transplantation, it is most favorable to produce it in the spring, 1-2 years after the initial planting (but not during the flowering period). Old bushes do not need to be touched.
In any case, it must be remembered that at home, which does not take much time, it is cultivated for no more than one year, after which it must be transplanted into the garden. However, if there is no desire to part with the enchanting plant that brings joy every day, you can continue to keep the heather indoors and further, but 6-10 days after flowering, you should cut the shoots and take them out into the fresh air. Do not forget to immediately feed the bush with mineral fertilizers.
Application
Heather at home will be a wonderful decoration for a loggia, attic or terrace. It looks harmonious in the apartment. Due to the fact that the flowering time lasts for almost the entire year, the evergreen plant is wonderful decoration almost any interior.
Heather flower, home care for which is a rather entertaining affair, looks very impressive in an ensemble consisting of several different plants. For example, it especially favorably emphasizes its decorative leafy neighbors. beautiful combination obtained by combining with juniper, broom, fern. …
The use of heather in folk medicine
Heather, planting and home care for which is quite simple, has healing properties.
AT traditional medicine most often the plant is used in the form of infusion. It is used as an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agent, especially for colds, gout, cystitis and many other ailments.
We offer some of the most common and effective recipes.
Heather bath
To prepare it, you should take 50 grams of heather grass and steam it in 7 liters of boiling water. After half an hour, strain the infusion. When taking a bath, pour the resulting broth into it.
Such procedures are good remedy with swelling of the legs, sciatica and fracture of bones.
Heather tincture
Pour 100 grams of the roots of this plant with 300 ml of alcohol. Leave the resulting solution in a dark place for 2 weeks. Then strain - the tincture is ready! Take daily before meals 30-40 drops 3 times a day.
After 1-2 courses of treatment, many people completely forget about gout, cystitis, and even sometimes pulmonary tuberculosis.
A decoction made from leaves and flowers
To prepare it, you need to take 100 grams of crushed leaves and flowers of the plant, all together pour 1 liter of boiling water. Next, the resulting broth insist for 15 minutes in a water bath, cool, then strain. Take 3 times a day, 70 ml before meals.
This is an excellent remedy for dissolving kidney stones, as well as for diseases of the gallbladder and liver.
As you can see, heather, planting and home care for which are described above, is not only amazing beautiful plant which pleases the heart, but also quite useful. Moreover, the article lists far from full list his qualities.
Dark hair. Fallen cities.
Steam from the mouth in the wind will turn into ice crystals.
You would have gone through everything, only the heart is a pulsar in the chest,
After all, even in thoughts you can’t retreat if the house is behind ...
A wreath of heather will be your crown.
He remembers her hands and the warmth of summer days.
He remembers the comfort of home and native forests.
Where they are always waiting for you, where the voices of close people ...
Frozen fingers. And snow on your eyelashes.
You are alone at the fire on patrol, and thoughts are always about the two of you.
Do you remember her: long hair, graceful shoulders, and so beautiful face.
And until dawn, an eternity. And the darkness is ever denser ring.
You tighten the heather wreath in your hands.
Cold sweat down your back, and fear pierces your heart with needles.
You will feel that with a soft step someone is sneaking in the darkness.
You stand with your back to the fire: "I'm ready. Well, come to me..."
And nothing. Only the crackle of a fire in silence and no stars are visible in the sky.
The north wind will cut to the bone - but you will not leave your post.
You say to yourself: "I went through many troubles, but they did not break me.
And I promise. I promise you, I will see the light of day again."
Suddenly, in the weak light of a fire, something flickers behind him.
A sharp blow will knock you off your feet. Snow covers the eyes as white as a dream, a veil.
You will feel severe pain, but still try to get up on your feet.
And then you will see her, because she came for you - a creature that cannot be described ...
Fury at the bottom of her black eyes - as if she came from an ancient giving.
Smooth coat - dark gray color. A long tail beats on the ground in time with the breath.
Soft tread, the impression of claws in the snow. Nature will freeze in silence.
Bending forward a little, unfolding a pair of wings, the dragon will jump with a quiet growl ...
And you will not have time to pull out the sword - the rustle of wings, silence and night ...
But you can’t let go of the heather wreath - as if he could help ...
But you are already in the snow, and she is above you. This creature will make a strange sound -
From the open mouth is not a squeal, not a howl. And the smell of stench and burning will hit your nose ...
And you will feel how fangs pierce ... and slowly kill you,
As from the weight of the beast on your chest, your ribs pierce your lungs.
But the snow falls like it always does, melting on your cheeks.
And you suddenly remember victories, fallen cities. Her hands are in your hands...
And it will become so warm to lie in its own hot blood.
And you won’t live until dawn - many miles of cold land ...
And the creature will bite into you more strongly, and a chorus of voices will howl from the darkness ...
But you are her prey - she followed you for several days, because she is the keeper of the forests.
The fire will go out. The cold winter forest will close in darkness over you.
Reality will break into snowflakes. Consciousness will go to the land of dreams and miracles.
You will return to your beloved only in dreams and completely different ...
Invisible walk through your native home, which was so dear to you ...
And in the morning the detachment will find a wreath of heather in the snow ... and there is no sentinel.
Sheathed sword - now it is not needed. Morning snow will cover the trail of night slaughter.
And it will remain a mystery who lives here, horrors are performed here or miracles ...
And henceforth, in the distant lands of those, the legend hovers about the guardian of the ancient forest.
Heather. magical application
Aura: cold
Planet: Venus
Element: water
Deities: Isis
Main properties: protection from evil forces, the call of rain.
Heather is used in magical rituals to cleanse the home and yard from evil spirits and evil spirits. Heather served to ritually decorate magic circles, altars and houses during the pagan holidays Imbolg (Brigit's Day, Oymelk) - February 2, Samhain (Halloween, Spirits Day, Hellomus, November Christmas time) - October 31, Lagnasad (Lammas) - August 1.
White heather is used to make talismans and amulets, as it is believed that it brings good luck and protects women from violence. Heather is called "rejuvenating grass" and "grass of immortality", it is believed that with constant wear it prolongs life. Helps in working with the inner self.
In magical practices, they are used to make rain (on outdoors burned together with the fern) and in spiritistic contacts.
Carry it in your wallet and it will help you grow your money.
Specific Use: Carried around to protect against rape. They burned it along with the ferns to make it rain.
Heather dispels any sorcery. It is good to plant heather in the garden, best of all on the east and north sides. This will bring protection to your home, good luck and financial well-being to you. 
To get rid of the witchcraft sent to the house (when everything in the house breaks down, in the room, despite regular ventilation, there is stale air, the appearance of many insects is observed), it is necessary to fumigate the room with heather. You need to do this several times, the first time - on the first evening. full moon, and then 4 more times, two evenings later on the third. As soon as the moon appears in the sky, you need to take as many white saucers as there are rooms in the house (including the pantry and toilet). Place a heap of dried heather on each saucer. Starting from the front doors, go counterclockwise, bring one saucer of heather into each room. Indoors, burn the heather and, holding the saucer in your hands in front of you, go around the room 3 times counterclockwise. Then place a saucer of burning heather on the far right of the door. After that, go to the next room and do the same. Early in the morning, collect all the saucers of heather ash, take the ashes out and spread them in the field next to the house. On the third evening and 3 more times, repeat the same.
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