Erica afra is an attractive plant when in flower but can look rather scruffy for the rest of the year. If one has a wet plot or needs to add fine texture to a streamside planting, then perhaps this would be a good choice. It grows in acidic, damp or even wet soils which are not stagnant. They must also not contain manure and must have low levels of phosphate. About 50 % of the soil must be humus for successful growing. As the seeds are extremely tiny, it would be good to mix them with a quantity of fine sand before sowing them on a finely sieved growing medium containing sandy loam and compost that is acidic and well drained.

Seeds may either be presoaked in aqueous smoke extract or smoke seed primer for 24 hours before sowing, or water the sown seed tray with these solutions. Water trays with a very fine rose, making sure that the evenly distributed seeds are not disturbed. Placing a sheet of glass over the seed tray helps maintain the conditions required for germination which takes place from one to two months after sowing. When the seedlings are about 10 mm tall, move them out into the open under light shade. They can be pricked out and potted up when they are 20-50 mm high and again placed in light shade. Once established, move them out into the sun for growing on, but keep damp throughout the process.