ShrubsWinter Heath
Erica carnea
Winter Heath (Erica carnea) is a slow-growing shrub, hardy in USDA zones 5-7, that matures to about 0.5-1 ft × 0.5-1.5 ft. It does best in full sun and part shade with medium water needs in well-drained and occasionally-dry soil. Expect pink blooms in winter and spring. It attracts bees, stands up well to deer and dry soil, grows happily in containers.
- USDA zones
- 5-7
- Sun
- Full sun, Part shade
- Water
- Medium
- Mature size
- 0.5-1 ft × 0.5-1.5 ft
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Maintenance
- Medium
- Soil
- Well-drained, Occasionally-dry
- Bloom color
- Pink
- Bloom season
- Winter, Spring
- Attracts
- Bees
- Tough against
- Deer, Dry soil
- Native to
- Central & E. Central Europe
In the landscape
Data sources
Freeze survival
Will it survive your winters?
Hardiness zones show a normal bad winter. We check the worst one — Winter Heath is hardy to about -20°F (estimated from USDA zone 5), so we'll score it against the real coldest nights your area has actually had.
Powered by ~35 years of daily lows from the nearest NOAA weather station. A risk read, not a guarantee — a sheltered spot or mature plant beats the odds.
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