The bladder-heath is ideal for warm or cool, sunny or semi-shaded gardens and is salt-tolerant and therefore a good plant for a coastal garden. It is easily grown from fresh seed which should be sown in late summer or autumn. Germination is greatly enhanced by the application of smoke which mimics the conditions in nature. Seed is sown onto a well-drained, slightly acidic growing medium consisting of a combination of river sand and well decomposed pine bark in roughly equal proportions. Seed germinates in about six weeks, emerging as tiny, delicate plantlets that must be lightly watered with a watering can. Let the seedlings grow to about 10 mm tall before pricking them out into small individual pots. Young seedlings are encouraged to grow by feeding them every week with a diluted organic fertilizer. This species is slow growing and will only be big enough after 24 months when it may be planted into the garden. It is advisable to plant out during the cooler autumn or early winter months to allow the plants to establish before the onset of summer.

This species is very woody and therefore much more difficult to root from cuttings than the finer-branched species. Cuttings should be selected from semi-shaded parts of the plant where the thinnest available shoots are found. This material is rooted in autumn or spring, in multi-trays on heated benches under mist spray. Select small tip or heel cuttings about 20-30 mm long, taking thin wood from the previous season's growth. Heel cuttings are preferred where a short side shoot is removed from the stem. The base of the cutting is treated with a rooting hormone for semi-hardwood cuttings which are then placed into a rooting medium of 50:50 fine-milled bark and polystyrene or perlite pellets.

The bladder-heath grows near the sea in acidic well drained soils. It prefers rocky habitats and should, where possible, be planted amongst rocks, in rockeries or on embankments in the cooler parts of the garden. It will tolerate half day sun or dappled sunlight. Good watering once a week during summer months is recommended.

It grows well in containers, providing that the correct, well-draining growing medium is provided. Fynbos planting medium is made up of a combination of equal parts composted pine bark or pine needles and river sand. A little (20%) loam may also be added. It is a woody species, so regular pruning is recommended to keep the plants well branched and compact. Plants that are pruned are more presentable, last longer and produce more flowers.

Erica plants are adapted to living in poor soils, but, for best results, should be regularly fed with diluted organic liquid or small amounts of organic pellet fertilizers (5:1:5) that arelow in phosphorus.