Hello,

I've had ten heather plants in beds on the front of my house for the past three years. (Calluna Vulagaris) Though some of them have bloomed, the blooms were sparse and only on a few stems. I thought perhaps they aren't receiving enough sun (only about 3-4 hours of afternoon sun on the northwest corner of my house.Now I am thinking I've been pruning them too soon. (They say to prune last years faded flowres, but mine aren't getting enough flowers)Am I not giving the buds a chance to form by pruning them all the way down in late March? I am in zone 7) Also, I've thought of putting them in pots on my deck, which gets full sun most of the day. I haven't heard of growing heather permanantly in pots, but am intriqued by the idea of them in containers. Has anyone tried this? Will I need to move them inside in the winter? Will I need to re-pot every few years? These particular plants don't seem to grow very large. Any thoughts on this subject? I'd appreciate any ideas or advice on heather. I fell in love with the colors displayed in the Heather catalog, sadly, mine never looked like that..... Sigh....

P.S. My soil seems to fine, acidic and well drained, must be the sun.... Or my premature shearing....

Thanks!