Erica verticillata is one of the relatively few reliable South African ericas that is comparatively hardy, disease resistant and recommended for planting in both gardens and containers. It is one of the easiest ericas to grow from cuttings. Heel cuttings are selected from fresh side shoots usually taken in autumn, but they have been rooted throughout the year at Kirstenbosch. They should preferably be rooted in multi-trays in a medium consisting of equal parts 6 mm milled pine bark and polystyrene or perlite chips under mist and on heated propagation benches. Rooting is enhanced by using a powder-based rooting hormone for semi-hardwood cuttings or by dipping the base of the cutting for five seconds in 2000 ppm IBA solution. Rooting takes from three to six weeks. Once the cuttings are well rooted they are removed from the propagation benches and placed on hardening off benches away from bottom heat or mist. At this stage they should be fed with diluted (50%) liquid, organic seaweed-based fertilizers.

Rooted cuttings are planted and established in a well-draining potting mix such as that developed at Kirstenbosch for fynbos plants. The mixture consists of equal parts composted pine bark or pine needles and acidic river sand. Welldecomposed compost will be suitable so long as it has been naturally composted and does not contain additives such as manure.

Erica verticillata does not readily produce seed unless two or more different clones of this species are in relatively close proximity for intraspecific cross pollination to take place. The surviving collections do not produce a lot of seed when compared with most other ericas. E. verticillata cultivars 'African Phoenix' and 'Adonis' appear to produce the most seed of the remaining collections at Kirstenbosch.

The seed should preferably be sown in late summer or autumn within the first three years of production, after which most erica seeds appear to gradually lose viability. Seed is sown in seed trays on the top of the fynbos potting mixture, lightly covered with sand, and then subjected to smoke treatment before the trays are watered. This allows for maximum smoke penetration into the medium containing the seed. Smoke is generated in a drum using dry and semi-dry fynbos plant material and is pumped into a sealed plastic tent stretched over a frame containing the trays of erica seed. The smoke is allowed to settle onto the medium, leaving a brownish film, after which the trays are removed from the tent. The seed trays may then be lightly watered, taking care not to disturb the seed. Erica seed germinates approximately three to four weeks after sowing and produces very small cotyledons at the first growth stage. The secondary, ericoid, leaves begin to appear from the eighth to the twelfth week. Seedlings may be pricked out into multi-trays or grow plugs after they have reached 5 mm in height. They should not be planted into too large a container where the soil-to-seedling root ratio is not in balance because the medium remains wet too long and the root zone may become anaerobic.

Once the seedling has filled the grow plug with roots it may be potted on into a larger container. The same rationale should be followed when potting on erica cuttings. Both seedlings and cuttings should be grown on under light shade (40%) until they have become well established in their containers, and only then moved into full sunlight. Plants are grown on to about 100 mm before planting out into the garden. Plants propagated from cuttings taken from mature plants will flower in the first season whereas plants grown from seed usually only flower in their third year.

Erica verticillata performs best when planted in a well ventilated, warm, sunny position. It prefers seasonally moist, well draining, sandy soils, but will grow well in average Mediterranean or warm-temperate garden conditions provided the soils are acidic and the plants are not subject to frost. The best time to plant them in the winter-rainfall areas of South Africa is in autumn or during the winter although they may be planted at other times of the year if regularly watered. The general rule is to plant at the beginning of the rainy season.

Place in a pre-prepared hole with as little disturbance to the root zone as possible. Fill in with the surrounding soil and add pine compost if available. Leave a basin around the plant to help collect water. Mulching is strongly recommended as it keeps the soil surface cool and damp and reduces weed growth. Plants should be well watered after planting and then every two to three days unless good rainfalls occur. Deep watering encourages the roots to penetrate deeper into the soil, which helps the plant survive the hot dry conditions in summer.

Container-grown plants may be kept in a warm, bright and well ventilated position, but will not tolerate indoor conditions. They grow and flower well under conditions up to 40% shading, but heavier shading will result in the plant etiolating and the flower colours becoming washed out.

Pruning is very important and may be practised from early in the development of the plant. Pruning will increase branching and the number of flower-bearing stems and will prolong the life of the plant. Plants pruned regularly from an early stage will produce a lovely full shape. Prune more mature plants only after flowering in order not to cut away new buds. Ericas should be regularly fed with organic liquid fertilizers or control-release fertilizers low in phosphorus. Control-release fertilizers should be applied sparingly, about 10 granules per plant, to balance growth of foliage versus flower production.

Erica verticillata has been known to grow to over 20 years of age at Kirstenbosch and at Rondevlei Nature Reserve although it becomes increasingly woody and senescent after 10 to 15 years' growth. Plants grown in their natural habitat, such as at Rondevlei Nature Reserve, appear to keep their form and condition better, probably because their rate of growth is more measured under natural conditions.

Erica verticillata has very few pest problems. Seedlings may suffer from damping off fungal disease if the seed is sown too thickly, subject to poor ventilation or the soil medium is kept too wet. New growth tips may occasionally be damaged by thrips. These aretiny, slender insects, from the Order Thysanoptera, with fringed wings, that puncture and suck on the softer new growth causing growth distortion and browning of the growth tips. Thrips infestations are easily controlled by applying a pesticide and by pruning and destroying the infected parts of the plant.