White flowers, corolla 5–6mm long, to 2mm across, ovoid; calyx 3–4mm; XII-IV; foliage “Golden”; Selected seedling from ‘Golden Lady’, propagated from an individual plant growing in the garden of Susie and Alan Kay, Letterfrack, County Galway, Ireland.
Another plant in Seller’s mother’s garden was 1m tall unpruned after 29 years.
Named to mark the Golden Jubilee of The Heather Society in 2013.
® E.2013:02 registered on 6 September 2013 by B. Sellers, London.
Image courtesy of E. C. Nelson.
Distinctive flower colour rose-pink (H7); December – April; urn-shaped corolla to 5.5mm long, 2.5mm across towards base; calyx lobes rose-pink, darker towards base, 4mm long; foliage darkening in winter, with bronze tinge; mid-green in summer, 7 x 1 mm, habit low-growing, spreading, 20cm tall and 35cm across (pruned) after 3 years.
Chance seeding in Forest Edge Nurseries found in 2007 by David Edge, exhibited by Forest Edge Nurseries at the 2012 HTA National Plant Show in Coventry.
Named after Benjamin Edge’s daughter.
® E.2012:04 registered by Benjamin Edge, Faversham, Kent, UK.
Images courtesy of the David Edge
Abundant white flowers; Feb – May; bright green foliage; height 10–15cm; spread 31–45cm
A selected seedling from the deliberate cross between ‘Springwood White‘ and ‘Snow Queen‘ made by Kurt Kramer (Edewecht, Germany), but named and introduced by the British Heather Growers Association. It flowers a little later than ‘Isabell‘ and ‘Ice Princess‘.
Registered 19 February 1993: David Small, Creeting St Mary, UK.
Images courtesy of the Heather Society
One to look out for in the new year, a very distinctive heather for spring.
Soft pink flowers on axillary shoots in terminal whorls of 3–5; calyx with 4 unequal lobes, waxy, thicker in texture than corolla, usually white with green or yellow-green tips; corolla ovoid, pink, to 5mm long; stamens 8, often malformed; anthers without spurs; III-V, with mid-green foliage which is tipped with vivid orange in spring. Looking more like Erica arborea, it has a much more compact and rounded habit up to 1m tall; leaves in whorls of 3, linear, to 1cm long.
Deliberately created hybrid between tree heather (Erica arborea) and winter heath (Erica carnea)which have inherited the hardiness of the winter heath, created by Kurt Kramer (Edewecht, Germany). They exhibit brightly coloured new growth in spring. Lime-tolerant and suitable for zones 5-9.
Named after a region in northern Germany. A hybrid deliberately raised by Kurt Kmamer, Edewecht-Stiddorf, Germany, c. 199?
Image courtesy of E. C. Nelson
Erica x darleyensis is a hybrid between winter heath (Erica carnea) and Irish heath (Erica erigena); the original was found in a nursery in Darley Dale, Derbyshire, in the late nineteenth century. Numerous seedlings have been raised in recent years in deliberate breedings programmes. Fully hardy, and one of the easiest heathers to grow, being suitable for all soils and is particularly good at smothering weeds. The cultivars have a long flowering period and often exhibit coloured young shoots. It is hardy to zone 7. A good addition to brighten your winter beds!
‘White Perfection’ has bright green foliage, the young shoots tipped yellow in spring; erect; height 31–45cm; spread 61–75cm. Outstanding – best of the white Darley Dale heaths.
Image courtesy of the Heather Society and Forest Edge Nurseries
One of the many bud-flowering Calluna vulgaris found in garden centres at this time of the year. Since they never actually flower, the buds stay on the plant for several months. Bud-flowering Calluna make a welcome colourful addition to the garden at this time of the year.
Corolla and calyx dark red; buds medium-sized; flowering from September to December; foliage dark green; habit upright, after 5 years 60cm tall, 50cm across.
Sport on ‘Moulin Rouge‘, found by Johannes van Leuven un September 2003.
Named after the German Chancellor (Bundeskanzlerin), Angela Merkel.
® C.2005:04 registered by Johannes van Leuven, Geldern-Lüllingen, Germany.
Double shell-pink (H16) flowers in long tapering spikes; Aug-Nov; dark green foliage turning a drab green- brown in winter; height 26–30cm; spread 46–60cm.
Very free flowering and can be often found in garden centres at this time of the year.
Found in the New Forest, Hampshire, and named after the director of the famous Maxwell & Beale nursery.
Image courtesy of Peter Bingham, Kingfisher Nursery
Buds relatively long and narrow, slightly curved; corolla white at base flushed pale pink towards tip (deeper pink in bud); style tip dark red; anthers brown (darker than ‘Shining Light’).
Flowers: (June) July–September in cultivation.
Bushy heather which responds well to pruning, with vigorous upright shoots to 0.35m tall, to 0.5m across (after 8 years in cultivation; pruned); leaves densely and evenly arranged on shoots, bright green, paler than ‘Shining Light’; marginal cilia may be gland-tipped.
A selection from wild plants growing near Cabo de Peñas, Asturias, northern Spain, noticed by members of The Heather Society during a field trip in 2007.
Named as a compliment to Susie Kay, Conference Manager of The Heather Society, in whose Connemara garden it has been grown, and who has propagated it.
Not available commercially as yet, but one to look out for.
Deep lilac-pink (H11) flowers, VII–X; dark green foliage; height 61–75cm; spread 46–60cm. Less reliable than the “type”. Collected in Sardinia and named by the finder after his wife.
Native in south-eastern Spain, Corsica, Italy including Sardinia and Morocco, and long-naturalized in Northern Ireland. This lime-tolerant species is surprisingly hardy and is suitable for zone 5. The faded bells provide an attractive russet hue all winter.
Large mauve (H1/H2) flowers, V–IX; green foliage with brilliant lemon-yellow new growth in spring which persists until after flowering starts; neat rounded habit; height 21–25cm; spread 46–60cm. Collected by David McClintock on the shores of Lough Nacung, County Donegal, Ireland.
Erica x stuartii is also known as Praeger’s heath. It is a naturally occurring hybrid between Mackay’s heath (Erica mackayana) and cross-leaved heath (Erica tetralix) which has been known for a long time from Connemara and Donegal but also occurs in Kerry and has recently been reported from northern Spain. Its habit and cultural requirements are similar to those for the Irish clones of Mackay’s heath. All the named cultivars exhibit brightly coloured spring growth and are suitable for hardiness zone 7.
One of the Recommended Heathers for your garden.
Image courtesy of Dr E. C. Nelson
