White flowers, IX–X; dense mid-green foliage; upright; height 61–75cm; spread 61–75cm.
Available as early as the 1860s.
Name derivation not known, but perhaps named after a person whether named Searle or Serle. No likely person has been identified.
Heathers
‘Serlei Aurea’
‘Serlei Grandiflora’
Mauve (H2) flowers, IX–XI; mid-green foliage; very vigorous; height 75–100cm; spread 61–75cm.
Sport on ‘Serlei‘; introduced by James Smith (Darley Dale, Derbyshire, England) by 1927.
Name, see under ‘Serlei‘; grandiflorus = large-flowered. Maxwell & Beale (1927) placed rubra in parenthesis (serlei grandiflora (rubra)), after the name, while Maxwell (1927) gaves this as a synonym of ‘Serlei Rubra’. Classified by Beijerinck as C. vulgaris var. vulgaris f. autumnalis.
‘Serlei Purpurea’
Purplish pink flowers, IX–X; dark green foliage; erect compact habit; height 31–45cm; spread 61–75cm.
Growing at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, Scotland, by 1938.
Name Serlei is unknown; purpureus = purple.
‘Serlei Rubra’
Mauve (H2) flowers, IX–X; mid-green foliage; height 31–45cm; spread 61–75cm. An excellent plant. ‘A purple throw-back from [‘Serlei‘] … and is only distinguishable … by the fact that it flowers later in the season.
Sport on ‘Serlei‘; found at Dortmund before 1918. Maxwell (1927) and Letts (1966) gave ‘Serlei Grandilfora‘ as a synonym.
Named from ruber = red.
‘Sesam’
Lilac-pink (H11) flowers, VIII–IX, in narrow, erect spikes; yellow foliage in summer, turning rusty red in winter; spreading, compact; height 26–30cm; spread 31–45cm. Very hardy.
Seedling; raised by Mrs Brita Johansson (Vargön, Sweden) from seed deliberately sown in 1983; this came from the same seed-lot as ‘Kerstin‘.
The name is Swedish, and come from the Thousand and one nights’ tale of Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, “Open sesame!”.
‘Sesse’
Pale lilac-pink (H11) flowers, VIII–IX; tiny mid-green leaves; compact habit; height 21–25cm; spread 21–25cm. Found on Tore Mosse near Vänersborg, western Sweden, by Brita Johansson in 1985. The name is what her daughter Kerstin called herself as a child.
‘Shirley’
White flowers, VIII–IX; mid-green foliage; upright, vigorous; height 31–45cm; spread 61–75cm.
‘Silberspargel’
White flowers, VII–IX; bright green foliage; compact spreading habit; height 10–15cm; spread 26–30cm. Its origin is not known but it probably came from a nursery in Limburg, Netherlands, before 1993. The name literally translates as silver asparagus – the region where it perhaps originated is famous for growing asparagus.
‘Silver Cloud’
Pale purple flowers (H2/H10), VIII–IX; pubescent, silver-grey foliage; semi-prostrate, compact; height 10–15cm; spread 46–60cm. One of the few grey lings that does not have very drab winter foliage.
Introduced by Foxhollow Heathers by 1972.
Name alludes to the foliage colour.