Calluna vulgaris Garden Girls Lilli - Heather

Calluna vulgaris Garden Girls® 'Lilli' is a summer heather that boasts a unique flowering of closed flower buds. The reddish-pink buds appear in late summer and autumn, scattered along the stems covered with dark green evergreen foliage. Since the flowers are not pollinated, they have an extended lifespan and will not suffer in adverse weather conditions. Its bright colour beautifully accompanies the warm shades of autumn. Plant it in a rockery, bordering a flower bed, or in a nice pot on a patio, in acidic and well-drained soil or substrate.

Calluna vulgaris Garden Girls® 'Lilli' 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. 'Lilli' is an evergreen shrub that forms a small, bushy plant with a wide and erect habit, reaching about 30 to 40cm (12 to 16in) in height and 50cm (20in) in width after 4 to 5 years of cultivation. Decorative all year round thanks to its beautiful evergreen foliage, this cultivar blooms from early September to December. Its flower buds are arranged in upright and flexible spikes. 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 'Lilli' summer heather is a light and refined plant, which thrives 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. Stunning when planted en masse with other species and varieties, it also pairs nicely with dwarf asters and small grasses, in a rockery, on a bank, or in an informal border. In an acidic soil 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".