Visit Scotland in the early summer and you will find her rolling hills are covered by the glow of the purple heather. Heather blooms twice a year, once in the early summer and again in the early autumn. Heather comes in various colors including lavender, deep purple, pink, and the lucky white heather. The floral name for the lavender or purple heather is said to mean “Admiration” or “Solitude“, whereas the floral name for white heather is said to mean “Protection” or “Wishes will come true”.

White heather is believed to bring good luck to those who possess it. It is said that Queen Victoria started the tradition of including white heather in Weddings. There are many legends about white heather bringing good fortune or protection. Some believe that white heather grows over the final resting places of faeries and that it grows on patches of earth that have not had the blood of battles shed upon it. The story goes that the Clans were led into battle by heather-adorned staffs and that others were hidden from the enemy while sleeping in white heather groves. Purple or Lavender heather grows wild and is bountiful, but the white heather is rare and not seen often, which may account for these stories or tales.

All colors of heather have many uses in Scotland and the rest of the world. Heather is used in medicine. It is used to treat suppress coughs and to help with respiratory problems. It is also been used in ointments and lotions for arthritis and rheumatism and to aid people with insomnia. It makes a wonderful tea that is often used to calm nerves and lessen anxiety. Heather sachets are used to freshen damp and musty rooms and dried heather is a favorite potpourri around the world. Heather Honey is also made from the sweetness of the heather flower and is a favorite of Beekeepers.

Fraoch Leann or Leann Fraoch is Heather Ale in Scottish Gaelic. Heather is used in making Ale. Evidence in archaeological sites have found heather ale was produced in the Scottish Isles as far back as 2000 B.C. It is believed that heather was used in fermented beverages by both the Picts and the Celts. A legend attributing the Pict's ferocity to heather ale is portrayed in the poem “Heather Ale” by Robert Louis Stevenson tells of an invading foreign King's and his attempt in gaining the secret of the Heather Ale.