Brown heather usually points to root rot, drought, winter scorch, pests or fungal trouble. Learn to read the clues and fix the cause before replacing plants.

Heathers fail for a few predictable reasons: wet roots, the wrong soil pH, hard or mistimed pruning, too much shade, and plants set too close. Here's how to spot each and fix it.

A season-by-season guide to watering, feeding, mulching, pruning and winter protection for garden heathers, from winter heathers to summer-blooming Calluna.