‘Alba’

I–IV, sparse; light green foliage; height 10–15cm; spread 26–30cm. It is probable that several different clones are sold under this name, some being better than others, some being plants that lost their identification labels.

‘Cecilia M. Beale’

White flowers; I–III; flowers large, held well above foliage, in compact spikes; mid-green foliage; compact; height 10–15cm; spread 21–25cm.

Possible seedling; introduced by Maxwell & Beale (Broadstone, Dorset, England) about 1927 (‘in the possession of the Dorset Nursery, of Broadstone.’*)

Named after the sister of H. E. Beale.

‘Golden Starlet’

White flowers, XII–III; foliage glowing yellow in summer turning lime-green in winter; neat, compact, spreading habit; height 10–15cm; spread 31–45cm. Recommended. Selected from a deliberate cross between ‘Foxhollow‘ and ‘Snow Queen‘, made by Kurt Kramer (Edewecht, Germany).

‘Ice Princess’

White flowers; II–IV, in long, erect spikes; bright green foliage; erect; height 10–15cm; spread 31–45cm.

Selected seedling from the deliberate cross between ‘Springwood White‘ and ‘Snow Queen‘ made by Kurt Kramer (Edewecht, Germany), differs from ‘Isabell‘ in its slightly smaller corolla, much smaller than ‘Schneekuppe‘; named and introduced by the British Heather Growers Association in 1993.

Name is an allusion to its parentage.

Registered 19 February 1993: David Small, Creeting St Mary, UK.

‘Isabell’

II–IV, abundant; bright green foliage; erect but spreading habit; height 10–15cm; spread 31–45cm. Another selected seedling from the deliberate cross between ‘Springwood White‘ and ‘Snow Queen’ made by Kurt Kramer (Edewecht, Germany).

‘Rosalinde Schorn’

White flowers, II–III; yellow foliage throughout the year; broad spreading habit; height 10–15cm; spread 31–45cm.

A chance seedling; found by H. Schorn (Hellendoorn, Netherlands) in 1981; introduced by P. G. Zwijnenburg (Boskoop, Netherlands) in 1985.

Named after the finder’s daughter.

‘Schneekuppe’

White flowers; I–III; bright green foliage; neat compact habit; height 10–15cm; spread 26–30cm. Considered to the the best white-flowered winter heath when it reaches 5 years old.

Another selected seedling from the deliberate cross between ‘Springwood White‘ and ‘Snow Queen‘ made by Kurt Kramer (Edewecht, Germany), and a distinct improvement on ‘Springwood White

Name alludes to the flower colour.

‘Schneesturm’

II–IV; bright green foliage; neat compact habit; height 10–15cm; spread 31–45cm. Another selected seedling from the deliberate cross between ‘Springwood White‘ and ‘Snow Queen‘ made by Kurt Kramer (Edewecht, Germany).

‘Snow Prince’

I–III; soft green foliage; height 10–15cm; spread 26–30cm. Considered to be an improvement on ‘Snow Queen‘, from which it was a seedling.

‘Snow Queen’

Large pure white flowers; XII–V; mid-green foliage; neat, compact habit; height 10–15cm; spread 21–25cm.

Seedling found by C. Verboom (Boskoop, Netherlands), and introduced by Verboom in 1934.

 

‘Snowbelle’

Flowers variously malformed, in unevenly spaced, loose spike; axillary clusters of 1–3 relatively large flowers widely spaced; corolla white c. 6mm long, apex splitting unevenly (often not into 4 lobes); calyx lobes 4 (rarely 5), white, petal-like, to 5mm long, c. 1–1.5mm wide, exceeding the corolla especially before anthesis; stamens 8 (rarely 9–11), often malformed and contorted; anthers tan; style may be malformed and contorted, or straight; ovary green: I-V; foliage mid-green throughout the year, leaves relatively broad, c. 10mm × c. 2mm, whorls widely spaced; habit bushy, low-growing heather; to 20cm tall, to 35 cm across (not pruned) in 3 years.

Seedling found at Forest Edge Nursery by David Edge, in 2014.

® E.2016:05 Registered on 5th December 2016 by David Edge, Forest Edge Nurseries, Wimborne, Dorset.

‘Springwood White’

Abundant white flowers; XII–V; foliage bright green; vigorous, trailing habit; height 10–15cm; spread 31–45cm.

For decades this was the outstanding white-flowered Erica carnea but is superseded by some of the deliberately raised cultivars. Still ideal for hanging baskets.

Wild-collected; found on Monte Correggio, northern Italy, by Mrs Anna Walker (1866–1948) (Springwood, Stirling, Scotland; her gardener who propagated the plant was Robert Howieson Syme (1873–1946)) before 1925; named by F. J. Chittenden (Director, Royal Horticultural Society’s Gardens, Wisley) in 1925. Mrs Walker’s account of the discovery is in My garden 2: 105-106 (May 1934); on Syme see My garden 32: 625, 627 (June 1946).

see Heathers 4: 34–35. 2007.

Originally named ‘Springwood’, after Mrs Walker’s house in Stirling, Scotland; white was added when the plant received an AM in 1930.

‘Whitehall’

I–III; bright green foliage; upright compact habit; height 10–15cm; spread 26–30cm.

A selected seedling from the deliberate cross between ‘Springwood White‘ and ‘Snow Queen‘ made by John Hall (Windlesham Court Nurseries, Windlesham, Surrey) in 1986.

A made-up name, comprising white (flowers) and (John) Hall.

 

 

‘Winter Snow’

II–V, abundant; bright green foliage; height 10–15cm; spread 31–45cm. Another 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.