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The National heather collection is contained within a 6 acre garden. The idea for the heather garden was born in 1987, three years after the gardens were originally laid out.

Planting began in March 1988, when around 6000 plants containing 100 varieties were planted. The collection rapidly grew to 650 varieties. During 1991 an additional 50 cultivars were added.

The collection had by now been awarded National Plant Collection status by the National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens (NCCPG).

The Bell’s National heather Collection now holds the largest collection of heaths and heathers in the UK. In excess of 900 varieties can be found in the garden. The collection is owned by Scotland’s Garden Trust and managed in association with the Heather Society.

The Heather Society and its affiliated societies extend a very warm welcome to everyone entering the world of heathers, not least to newcomers who have only recently developed an interest in the attractive heather family. The Society covers every aspect of this world, from the wild heathers of European heaths and moorlands to the rare splendours of South African heaths, from everyday culture including choosing, growing and propagating hardy heathers to the most sophisticated heather garden designs. You can even design your new heather garden on line.

Founded in 1963, to promote and encourage interest in heathers, it now has worldwide membership covering Europe, Africa, the Americas, Australasia and the Far East. The Society provides an informative Yearbook and three newsy Bulletins annually which contain a diary of events to keep members in touch with Society activities and new developments. It organises regional groups, visits to heather gardens, annual week-end conferences, the occasional field-trip and free advice to members on heather garden design or with any problems they may have. It has a slide library, arranges heather competitions, assists National Collections of heathers and is the International Cultivar Registration Authority for Andromeda, Calluna, Daboecia and Erica.

Details of membership from: The Heather Society, Denbeigh, All Saints Road, Creeting St. Mary, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP6 8PJ

The NCCPG was founded as a registered charity in 1978 to combine the talents of botanists, horticulturalists and conservationists with the dedication of keen amateur and professional gardeners, the NCCPG's aims are to: encourage the propagation and conservation of endangered garden plants in the British Isles, both species and cultivars; encourage and conduct research into cultivated plants, their origins, their historical and cultural importance and their environments; encourage the education of the public in garden plant conservation. Through its membership and the National Collection Holders, the NCCPG seeks to rediscover and reintroduce endangered garden plants by encouraging their propagation and distribution so that they are grown as widely as possible. The NCCPG works closely with other conservation bodies as well as botanic gardens, The National Trust, The National Trust for Scotland, English Heritage, The Royal Horticultural Society and many specialist horticultural societies.