Month: September 2014

Glowing deep cerise (H6) flowers; VI-X; mid-green foliage; height 31-45cm; spread 61-75cm. Tends to shed most of its leaves in winter when it can look rather drab.

Wild-collected; found by Mrs Hedi Praeger in Connemara, Co. Galway, Ireland in 1938; propagated at the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin whence it was distributed after 1941 (under various names e.g. Dr Praeger, Praeger’s Var.) to Irish nurseries.

Named after Mrs Hedi Praeger, wife of Dr Robert Ll. Praeger (who was commemorated in Erica x praegeri [now E. x stuartii])..

Long racemes of bright purple (H10) flowers; VI-X; dark green foliage; height 31-45cm; spread 61-75cm. Similar to ‘Atropurpurea’.

Probably based on Menziesia polifolia var. purpurea, listed by James Booth & Son (Flottbeck Nursery), Hamburg as early as 1830 (see Loudon 1838).

Named from purpureus = purple.

Deep purple (H10) flowers; VI-X; foliage variegated with green, gold, bronze and red tips; height 46-60cm; spread 61-75cm.

Sport from ‘Atropurpurea’, introduced by P. Lloyd (Fordingbridge, Hampshire, England) in 1966.

Name is an allusion to the multi-coloured foliage.

Whitish pink flowers; VI-X; bright green foliage; upright habit; height 31-45cm; spread 46-60cm. A sport from ‘Alba Globosa’.

Rose-pink flowers; VI-X; mid-green foliage; low, compact habit. A seedling from Clive Benson’s nursery, near Leyland, Lancashire.

Glowing deep magenta (H14) flowers with a slight trace of blue; VI-X; mid-green foliage; height 31-45cm; spread 46-60cm. A better plant than ‘Praegerae‘ but the colour is not quite as good. Collected in Spain by F. R. Waley, Sevenoaks, Kent, England.