That's sort of the way gardening works. More or less, it's learning by doing, then revising! :>)

A gardener confronting choices of heathers for the first time is like a hungry child in front of a candy counter. Fun, isnÂt it? I too gorged (and then overplanted) my first bed of heathers and, like you, decided to mass successive bedsÂwith pleasing results.

It sounds like you know and meet cultural requirements: moist acidic soil, good drainage, full sun, etc. So, as you begin to convert every spare acre you find to sweeps of heather, let me relay what experience has taught me. Since your post was interesting and fun to read, I hope I am not being redundant with what you already know or practice.

1. Heathers are easy to move. Dig wide and deep to get all their roots and to keep the rootball intact.
2. You might discover that transplanted heathers grow at a slower rate than their steadfast neighbors. Not to worry; they are simply re-establishing themselves. Keep them well watered after transplanting through that first summer.
3. Place plants according to their spread. That is, if the spread of a particular cultivar is 24" plant it 2' from others.
4. Shear all heathers (transplanted or not) in late winter or early springÂnot beforeÂto below their point of bloom from the previous yearÂs growth. Do this for at least their first three years. (I do it every year.) This induces fuller growth and prevents legginess with sparse growth and flowering.
5. Most important: after or as the ground freezes in early winter, cover them with evergreen boughs. This helps to prevent heaving and gives protection from scalding winter winds and sun. (In zone 5, I keep mine covered until mid April, even when I shear them a month earlier.)