Crossword Genius

Slobbering attracted Heather, it's said (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

drooling

'slobbering' is the definition.
('drool' can be a synonym of 'slobber')

'attracted heather it's said' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'heather' could be 'ling' ('ling' can be a synonym of 'heather') and 'ling' is present in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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