White flowers, sparse, slightly scented; yellow foliage all year being brightest in winter and spring.
A sport from Erica arborea ‘Alpina’ propagated by Albert Turner (Birmingham, UK); introduced by Denbeigh Heather Nurseries (Creeting St Mary, Ipswich, Suffolk) by 1975.
Named after Albert S. Turner(June 1916-January 2018).
Sadly, Albert died recently and The Heather Society wishes to extend sincere condolences to Albert’s family, for their loss.
Image courtesy of David Brown.
White flowers, buts sometimes tinged pink; mid-green foliage; open erect habit; height to 1-4.5m; spread 61–75cm; leaves in whorls of 4 (sometimes in 3s), to 7mm long; flowers numerous and crowded appearing to form elongated spikes: 1–4 flowers in each terminal umbel at tip of short, leafy lateral shoots; calyx conical, with 4 lobes, white, waxy; corolla white, often tinged pink in bud, bell-shaped to tubular, to 5mm long; stamens 8, included; filaments white, with hairs on lower third; anthers with 2 spurs; style-end emergent, tinged red; nectar copious.
Native in widely scattered and relatively small areas in western and southern Portugal; south-western and north-eastern Spain and south-western France (Gironde). Also occurs as a naturalized garden-escape in places are widely separated as Hawaii, Tasmania, England and California. It has the longest flowering period of any tree heath, and will grow in most soils and is suitable for hardiness zone 8.
A seedling from Sheffield Park (Sussex) introduced by Liss Forest Nursery by June 1996.
Named after the garden where it was found.
A plant to get when you can find it!
Artificial hybrid between E. lusitanica (Portuguese heath) and E. carnea (winter or mountain heath), first raised by Kurt Kramer and recently re-created by Johannes van Leuven.
Image courtesy of E. C. Nelson.
♤ Bud-flowering; calyx red; VIII-XII; foliage dark green; habit upright. Late blooming with long durability. Deliberately bred seedling from ‘Amethyst‘ and “97-18-15”; raised and selected by Kurt Kramer.
® C.2006:08 registered 25 December 2006 by Kurt Kramer, Edewecht, Germany
Image c0urtesy of Kurt Kramer.
One of the purest white-flowered cultivars of the Cornish heath; the anthers emerge as pale cream and darken to tan after the pollen has been shed. A compact heather, with bright yellow shoots in springtime. One of The Heather Society’s 100 recommended heathers (see Heathers 9 2012).
A sport from ‘Lyonesse‘; found by Alan W. Newsham in 1982 at Twin Acre Nursery (Knutsford, Cheshire, England).
Image courtesy of E. C. Nelson.
Introduced by Maxwell & Beale (Corfe Mullen, Dorset, England) in 1951, as E. verticillata; originally sent to the nursery from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, on 16 March 1949. Identified subsequently as a hybrid, after it was given the cultivar name by Mrs C. Turpin (West Clandon, Surrey) in 1990.
Synonyms include E. anthura ‘Heaven Scent’; ‘Major Turpin’s Form’; ‘Maxwell’s Form’.
Name is a pun on the scent of the plant, suggested by Cherry Turpin.
Image courtesy of E. C. Nelson
Erica cinerea ‘Wine’ is something different from the large collection of Erica cinerea cultivars in flower at this time of the year . ‘Wine’ has dull pale ruby (H5) flowers, similar to the beverage many enjoy!
Named alludes to the flower colour.
Image courtesy of David Brown
As a wild, naturally occurring hybrid between cross-leaved heath (Erica tetralix) and Cornish heath (Erica vagans), this is apparently endemic to the Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall (see Heathers 4: 45–56. 2007). However, Erica × williamsii could also exist in France and Spain where the parent species co-exist.
Williams’s heath, named after P. D. Williams, has also be created artificially, and clones of both wild and garden origin are available. They will grow on most alkaline soils, and all exhibit, some more than others, coloured shoots in spring.
Erica x williamsii ‘Cow-y-Jack‘ was ound at Cow-y-Jack near Coverack on the Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall by Andrew Byfield, 18 August 1984; propagated and introduced by Denbeigh Heather Nurseries. By far the best clone of Williams’s heath for coloured spring shoots. See image here.
Named after the place in Cornwall where it was found.
Image courtesy of Sten-Börje Sörensson.
Sprawling or compact shrub, to 40cm (16in) tall, spreading to 70cm (28in); leaves glossy, dark green 1.5cm (2/3in) long, 6mm (¼in) wide; flowers about 1cm (3/8in) long, usually lavender, summer to autumn. Suitable for USDA zone 6 with protection but some winter damage can occur if planted in heavy ground or frost pockets.
Globular mauve (H2) flowers – the first flowers of the season open single but later ones are double and do not drop off when finished; VI-X; mid-green foliage; open sprawling habit; height 26-30cm; spread 31-45cm.
A fascinating plant, found by Dr Charles Nelson at Carna, Co. Galway, Ireland.
Named after the finder.
Image courtesy of Dr Charles Nelson.
Erica x veitchii is a hybrid between tree heath (Erica arborea) and Portuguese heath (Erica lusitanica), represented in cultivation by at least five cultivars which vary in hardiness from zone 7 to zone 8. Veitch’s heath can be grown in most alkaline soils. All the cultivars are of garden origin.
Erica x veitchii ‘Pink Joy’ has pink buds opening to white flowers, III–VI; mid-green foliage; height about 1m; spread 61–75cm. Of Dutch origin.
Found by M. Zwijnenburg (Boskoop, Netherlands); introduced by P. G. Zwijnenburg before 1968 (as Erica arborea ‘Pink Joy’).
Image courtesy of Forest Edge Nursery.
