Some heather plants not doing well

We have a number of heather plants in the full sun in the front yard. Some are doing well, others in the same bed not so well - in fact one is just about dead. Everything I’ve read about heathers says they do well in full sun, in fact they want it! But do some varieties not like the full sun?

My guess is that there is ‘normal’ full sun, and then there is ‘heat bubble and drought’ full sun. A lot of plants right now that normally like full sun have been scorched by the intense sun that we had this year. They are native to the heathlands and moors of Europe and Asia, where I don’t think they would normally receive this kind of intense sun either.

I don’t know if that’s useful, but you had me thinking about it!

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I also am having an issue with some new heather. One plant died very quickly after planting and now weeks later another one is looking slightly brown. They are in a sunny location and are on a drip system. If they don’t make it I’ll just look for something else rather than having to continue replacing dead plants.

Thanks for these comments. We’ll see if we can revive it with some shade, otherwise we may need to swap it for a lavender plant. Fortunately, where it’s at the end of a row so putting some lavender there won’t look out of place.

Ericas and callunas delight in about 6 hours of sun but really prefer afternoon shade. Especially vital during the heat dome and heat waves we have been experiencing this summer. They are also shallow rooted so they dry out very fast…like rhodos. Using a mulch around the plants to protect the roots and providing some shade during the hottest time of the day would be a big help in keeping them happy. Good luck!

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OK, that’s really good to know. We have both callunas and ericas, and the ones that are doing ok are the callunas, while the ones that are not are the ericas! We have a spot we can move the ericas to that will give them shade, and we’ll fill in the gaps with callunas! Thanks!