Winter Heather can add color and versatility to your winter gardens as well as supply food for pollinators on those occasional nice winter days. Heather comes in several colors and depending on the variety can grow as a ground-cover or upright in mounds. They do particularly well in rock gardens with acidic soils and like full sun but can tolerate some shade. A common problem with Heather is they can get lanky and for winter varieties they need early summer pruning to keep their shape.