Calluna vulgaris Garden Girls Alicia - Heather

Calluna vulgaris Garden Girls® 'Alicia' is a perennial summer heather with fine, elegant, dark green evergreen foliage. In late summer, closed white flower buds appear that never fully open and remain unpollinated. This unique flowering retains its appeal for 3 months and remains unaffected by frost and rain. Plant this heather in a rock garden, along a border, planted en masse, or in a nice pot on a patio. It should be grown in well-drained acidic soil or substrate.

Calluna vulgaris Garden Girls® 'Alicia' belongs to the Ericaceae family. Its ancestor, the common heather, is the only species of the genus Calluna. In its natural habitat, it is the dominant vegetation of barren heathlands in the cold regions of the United Kingdom and Northern Europe. 'Alicia' is an evergreen shrub that forms a small, curly bush with an upright and compact habit, reaching about 25cm (10in) in height and 40cm (16in) in width after 3 years of cultivation. Decorative all year round thanks to its beautiful evergreen foliage, this cultivar blooms from late August to October-November. Its flower buds are arranged in upright and flexible spikes. The dark green colour of its foliage offers a beautiful contrast with the white flower buds. Its nectar contains a high sugar content, making this honey-bearing plant invaluable in beekeeping. Heather honey is characterised by its gelatinous texture and dark colour.

The Garden Girls 'Alicia' summer heather is a light and refined plant, which can be planted in any acidic, moist to dry soil, in full sun or partial shade. It brings elegance to wild areas of the garden as well as to weekend or low-maintenance gardens. Beautiful when planted en masse with other species and varieties, it pairs nicely with dwarf asters in autumn and small grasses, in rock gardens, on banks, or in informal borders. In an ericaceous bed, it can be planted at the base of witch hazels, pieris or Skimmia japonica. Plant it in pots and containers on a patio or balcony to create autumnal floral compositions with small perennials and bulbs

Calluna vulgaris can withstand moderate grazing. It represents an important source of food for sheep and deer when snow covers the vegetation. It is capable of regenerating after a fire. In the past, this plant was considered magical and used in white magic rituals; it was attributed protective powers, as in the Breton heaths, where it is said to ward off ghostly spirits. Calluna is also an ingredient of gruit, an aromatic composition used in brewing beer before the use of hops in the Middle Ages. Its flowering tops have been used in herbal medicine for a very long time, as they are reputed to "dissolve stones in the bladder".