Heather

Day 153: Among the ground covers I've added to the garden over the last two years were several heathers, selected primarily because they were a lovely shade of dusty lavender. I was surprised to find that not one of them kept its original colour. Some have faded to white while others have reverted to the pink one typically expects of heather. Why? At first I suspected that the roots had taken up some of the dye in the bark mulch I applied to the bed. That accounted for the blush which appeared on some, but leaves me without a reason for the others to have lost their colour entirely. I am not aware that heather is sensitive to soil pH like some other plants are (hydrangea, for example), and in any event, a similar response should have been noted in all examples if that was the case. "Curiouser and curiouser," said Alice.